This archive report was first published on 24 August 2020.
Kenya: Schools to Get Sh1.6 Billion in Readiness for Reopening ¶
As schools prepare to reopen in January, the Kenyan government has announced plans to allocate Sh1.6 billion to public schools to enhance their readiness for the new academic year.
The funds will be used to construct additional classrooms, ablution blocks, and laboratories, according to Education Chief Administrative Secretary Zack Kinuthia.
The project is being implemented through the secondary education quality improvement programme (SEQUIP) sponsored by the World Bank, which aims to improve the quality of education in disadvantaged schools.
"Through SEQUIP, we have set aside Sh1.6 billion to construct ablution blocks, laboratories, classrooms and any other facility that is required by the 30 targeted counties," said Mr Kinuthia.
The programme, which began in 2017 and is projected to cost Sh8.2 billion in six years, will benefit schools that are 'educationally and economically disadvantaged', with a focus on improving infrastructure and reducing the number of students per toilet.
According to a report by the World Health Organisation and United Nations Children's Fund released on August 13, most schools in Kenya have poor infrastructure, particularly toilets, with 26 girls sharing a toilet and 30 boys sharing a toilet in some schools.
The government has also allocated Sh6.5 billion to hire more teachers and improve school infrastructure to mitigate the negative effects of the pandemic.
Additionally, the ministry plans to buy 257,000 desks to ensure social distancing is observed in classes, and to connect all institutions to clean water by the end of October.
Teachers who are yet to register for the community-based learning (CBL) programme will not have their salaries withheld, according to Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha.
