This archive report was first published on 13 July 2020.
As the academic year comes to a close, the reality of a lost year of learning is dawning on a generation of Kenyan students. The prolonged closure of schools, a first in the country's history, has left learners, teachers, and parents in a state of uncertainty.
Published on July 13, 2020, the initial shock of the closure is giving way to harsh realities. Even during the worst moments, such as the aftermath of the aborted military coup of 1982, schools were not closed for a long time. In contrast, universities were closed for nine months to deal with restive students, some of whom were allegedly involved in the insurgency.
The learners' greatest challenge now is coping with the reality that they have to repeat a class, irrespective of their academic abilities, and what they should do with themselves for the next five months. This is a distressing and dispiriting prospect, especially for parents who have been staying with their children at home since March without a proper plan for their schooling and academic progression.
Teachers, too, are troubled, having to stay out of work for months, worry about their learners, and deal with the challenges brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) has attempted to fill the void with an intensified school broadcasting programme, but there are discernible loopholes.
The broadcasts, conceived as supplementary to face-to-face learning, are inadequate in delivering the curriculum in the absence of physical classroom sessions. Moreover, the programmes do not reach all learners, given the logistical challenges such as lack of access to the requisite gadgets as well as connectivity. The mode of delivery is traditional, with little interaction between teachers and learners, yet modern learning is two-way: interactive and participatory.
With the government having deferred school reopening to January, it is essential that they provide direction to learners, teachers, and parents. The ministry should mount communication campaigns to sensitize parents and communities on what they should do to support children. We are faced with unprecedented challenges, and it is not sufficient to postpone school reopening without providing guidance on how to cope with it.
