This archive report was first published on 12 July 2020.
Kenya's education sector is bracing for a crisis as the government's decision to declare 2020 a lost academic year and order learners in basic education to repeat classes has left over 1 million children facing a bleak future in Pre-Primary One.
With the current class expected to remain in the same class, parents of these children will have to keep them at home for another year, exacerbating the already congested preschool segment.
Every year, approximately 1.3 million children join pre-school, making it a herculean task for many parents, especially in urban areas, to secure places for their children.
Ms Adeline Owuor, a parent in Nairobi, expressed her frustration, saying, "I cannot wait for a whole year before enrolling my daughter in school. Keeping children who should be in school at home will be a problem. There should be a double intake for preschool next year."
While some parents support the closure of schools, others have criticized the decision to make learners repeat classes, with Mr Christopher Uvyu, a parent in Nairobi, saying, "The CS and his team should have been more innovative. In the ’70s, learning was done via correspondence schools, and exams via mailboxes. During the change from the old system to 8-4-4, the government created a transition process. Today, you can get degrees and specialised training online. So we can deliver education without being in physical classrooms. We shouldn’t have a curriculum that is cast in stone."
