This archive report was first published on 14 July 2020.
On July 13, a report revealed that parents whose children are enrolled in private schools across the country may soon be forced to transfer them out of the institutions due to the financial strain caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Constance Ambasa, the Western Region Private Schools Association Secretary-General, explained that the impact of the pandemic has been hardest felt by private schools, which rely on school fees to survive.
"We used the little we had to run the school hoping that by May, the situation would have normalised. The ripple effects of the closure of schools are very devastating," Ambasa stated.
According to a survey carried out by the Standard, several private schools in the region have confirmed that they have sent their teachers away on unpaid leave and notified parents to consider transferring their children to other schools.
Ruth Minish, the director of Fesbeth Academy in Kakamega, painted a grim picture of the situation, stating that the school was currently unable to meet operational costs.
"Everyone has been affected and the situation is dire," Minish said.
Some private schools have resorted to closing down in totality after finding it impossible to stay afloat under current conditions.
On July 7, Education Cabinet Secretary Prof George Magoha announced the suspension of the school calendar in 2020, effectively sealing the fate of a majority of the struggling private schools.
Magoha also directed primary and secondary school heads to refund or give credit notes to parents who had paid the 2020 academic year fees in advance.
However, the government allowed universities, technical training institutions, and teacher training colleges to reopen in September as long as they adhered to guidelines given by the Ministry of Health.
