This archive report was first published on 15 May 2020.
On May 15, 2020, the Ministry of Education announced an additional month-long extension of the school holiday calendar, leaving Kenyans eagerly awaiting the ultimate decision on reopening learning institutions and the national examination calendar.
However, the reality is that the education sector is facing a far-reaching spectrum of challenges, including the devastating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has left countries worldwide scarred and diminished.
According to the World Bank, between 40 and 60 million people will be pushed to extreme poverty this year due to the pandemic, with sub-Saharan Africa being hit hardest. The International Labour Organisation expects 195 million job losses, while the World Food Programme projects that 135 million people are facing crisis levels of hunger or worse, with another 130 million on the edge of starvation.
As the gates to learning institutions are unlocked to receive learners back after a Covid-19-induced academic calendar interruption, the health, social, and economic realities of the pandemic will come to the fore.
Ensuring no child is left behind should be the cardinal call and the long-term focus of everyone. However, some learners are at a greater risk of not coming back to school unless an intentional effort is made to reach out to them, particularly those from extreme vulnerable backgrounds.
It is possible that some learners may have been caught up in the increased cases of gender-based violence, sexual crimes, and depression during the pandemic. A proper psycho-social support system must be developed to restore mental and psychological stability of affected children.
Job losses will compromise the health and nutritional status of families with children at the receiving end, while the ongoing locust invasion and floods will further worsen the food-stress. Many families will regress into a grapple to put a meal on the table, compromising education attainment.
According to the National School Meals and Nutrition Strategy 2017-2022, school meals have a significant positive effect on education indicators, reducing hunger and enhancing nutritional intake. A broader and multifaceted involvement in the school meals programme is the surest way to cushion learners.
The resumption of schooling will happen within a backdrop of an evolving situation with no well-defined end game in sight. Clear standard operating procedures (SOP) in learning institutions should be put in place to reduce risks and deal with emerging issues and potential threats.
On the whole, learning institutions must anticipate and get ready to deal with the matrix of issues that lie ahead of reopening, deal with the set of circumstances that will present themselves, and be on the alert for likely threats.
The writer is an educator.
