This archive report was first published on 20 May 2020.
As COVID-19 cases in Kenya surpassed 1,000, the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has called for the partial reopening of schools by June 15. The proposal was made to the National Education Emergency Response Committee on Wednesday.
According to KUPPET's Deputy Secretary-General Moses Nthurima, the final year students at universities and colleges should also be allowed back to classrooms. He emphasized that the re-opening of schools should be done subject to guidance by the Ministry of Health.
Kenya's COVID-19 cases hit 1,029 on Wednesday, with 50 fatalities. The government has insisted that this year's national examinations will proceed as scheduled.
“The MoH should assess how best the COVID-19 containment measures can be applied in schools for Form Four and Standard Eight students for at least one month and determine their efficacy. After one month, the government could admit students at Form Three in secondary schools and Classes Six and Seven at primary level,” Nthurima said.
The government has sufficient time to enact and publish guidelines for the partial re-opening of the learning institutions, Nthurima added. He cited countries like Japan, Denmark, Germany, and China, which have managed to reopen their schools after containing the virus.
Before reopening, schools that served as quarantine centers for COVID-19 patients should be fully fumigated and their facilities sterilized to the satisfaction of Public Health and WHO standards, school management, parents, and community stakeholders.
