This archive report was first published on 13 July 2020.
More than 1 million children hoping to join Pre-Primary One next year may have to wait another year as the current class will still be in the same class.
The preschool segment is expected to be unusually congested after the government declared 2020 a lost academic year and ordered that all learners in basic education repeat classes.
Getting places for beginners in school is usually a challenging task for many parents, especially in urban areas where the number of applications outnumber the vacancies. Every year, about 1.3 million children join pre-school.
Parents are worried that if their three- and four-year-olds are enrolled in school, it will further complicate efforts to decongest schools and observe physical and social distancing to keep COVID-19 at bay.
"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," said Ms Adeline Owuor, a parent in Nairobi.
Education CS George Magoha made the decision to declare 2020 a lost academic year, and while it was difficult, dealing with the ensuing backlog will be even more challenging.
Mr Patrick Imbuga, the founder of The Msingi Academy in Kisumu, believes that the CS made the right decision, and institutions need to figure out how prepared they will be in January.
However, some parents have criticized the decision to make learners repeat classes, suggesting that the government could have been more innovative in delivering education without being in physical classrooms.
"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 specialized training online. So we can deliver education without being in physical classrooms. We shouldn't have a curriculum that is cast in stone," complained Mr Christopher Uvyu, a parent in Nairobi.
