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SURVIVING THE COVID-19: EFFECTS OF COVID-19 ON EDUCATION
MANAGEMENT IN KENYA
Bulletin 2021
Sharing Experiences in our Schools
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Preface
Florence M. Itegi
Introduction
This project explored the situation of schools in Kenya during COVID-19 and its
implications to education management. Strike of the COVID- 19 pandemic schools in Kenya
like in many parts of the world were closed indefinitely and children remained at home in
March 2020. The closure of schools was followed by national lockdown of other sectors of
the economy for one month with the exception of those offering essential service especially
in health, security, food and communication. The Kenya government had just introduced the
Competence Based curriculum in the primary sector as well as the hundred percent transition
policy which saw schools gain population in the year 2019.
The closure of schools during COVID- 19 meant that children from disadvantaged
backgrounds who used to feed in school were not assured of a daily meal. Some parents
especially temporally workers in schools, hotels and other sectors of the economy lost their
jobs. Uncertainty hovered over the country and no one felt safe including leaders and the
citizens, employers and employees, parents and children. Furthermore suspicion build up as it
was not clear who is infected, who will be the next victim, who will recover or pass on, how
long it would take to heal at a time when even one meal in a day was not assured for many in
low income bracket.
For the leadership the spike of COVID-19 was a test of their style and wits, precision in
decision making and ability to inspire hope. They were expected to provide necessary
information and guidance to curb the spread especially to ignorant groups to avoid panic.
Such desperate time called for balanced leadership to apply the style that works for the
changing circumstances moving from authoritative where there is confidence to providing
direction as opposed to democracy and laisez faire approach. Strategy was important to
improvise means of sustaining the economy, a harmonious society and assisting the
disadvantaged lot.
For the society a test of cultural values, recognition of significant roles others can play,
sacrifice for common interest and extending a helping hand. Fascination with fame and
wealth diminished and there was admiration for simple acts of kindness. Confinement during
COVID-19 became a time to reflect on communal bonds and humanitarian values as all rich
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and poor desperately watched the pandemic ravage even the well prepared developed
countries with the feeling that it‟s going to be worse for us. Had we forgotten the need for
social distance? Or getting too close to each other without boundaries? It was difficult to
maintain 1.5 meters apart especially for friends and relatives. Too much hugs the gods must
have been offended. There came the wearing of masks. Did we misuse our facial
expressions? It was possible to bypass even people we know and had to adapt and keep
memory of only those we know because everyone else became a suspect of COVID-19.
Notwithstanding, dust from polluted environment was filtered. There was no spiting and
blowing noses anyhow and this kept the populace safe from many air borne diseases, in fact
common colds are now very rare.
Hygiene with regards to washing hands returned us to basics of life. These were humbling
moments there were no adults or children, rich or poor. Even the educated did not know the
twenty seconds wash manual all had to learn once more the use of running water and soap or
sanitizer for those who could afford in absence of water.
Social gatherings came to a halt, the churches also closed. In the confines of the home many
young girls fell prey to young and adult men in their environment. The idleness associated
with the lockdown resulted in multiple pre-marital relationships and consequent teenage
pregnancy mainly affecting school girls. According to UN Women (2020) violence against
women and girls also intensified during the lockdown.
Deficiency in parenting was laid bare as parents in distress got overwhelmed by numerous
demands of the children at home. The demands ranged from guidance in subject matter they
could not comprehend, keeping track of where about of children and safeguarding them from
abuse especially girls that were at great risk of gender based violence. The confinement
measures fostered tension and strain on limited family resources. In some cases this blend
conflicts in the family resulting to gender based violence as women carried the greater burden
of caring for the family while also working from home. However, some parents shared
quality time with their children with a bit of bonding and quarrels here and there knowing
their character better. This made them appreciate the roles teachers play in guiding school
children. Some children also took this opportunity to develop their talents others engaged in
earning for the family through farming and business.
COVID- 19 has also complicated preexisting financial problems in the education sector. For
instance insufficient funding of the sector, inequalities among learners, poor budgeting and
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lack of transparency and accountability in use of financial resources at institutional level and
the sector. The protocols for opening schools revealed that many schools did not have
requisite infrastructure, teaching learning resources and human resources to support the
growing number of enrolled children in a pandemic period. Apparently, available classrooms
could not allow social distancing, there were no sufficient hand washing points, the teacher
pupil ratios remained high and some children could not afford masks. This communiqué
comprises of different scenarios in schools from different part of Kenya.
Effects of Covid19 on Education in Kenya
Ann Odero Okungu
Introduction
COVID 19 has affected education sector globally which has resulted into stagnation in
learning activities in schools, colleges and universities. The school closure has resulted into
many diverse challenges such as physical and psychological health risks to teachers and
learners. Even after the schools have reopened, the challenges are still being manifested in
these learning institutions since up to date there is no solution to the virus. Our school is
therefore not an exception in this case. For instance, there is no co-curricular activities, no
physical contact with the teacher, slow literacy gain and increase of learner dropouts among
others.
Co-curricular activities have been suspended. Co-curricular activities scheduled for first term
like athletics and ball games came to a standstill when schools closed. Students are therefore
left hanging not knowing what next. After reopening, no activity has taken place so far since
one of MoH regulations states that people should maintain social distance. Learners are
stranded as they are not permitted to build and have extension of their skills and knowledge
in the process of interaction with others. The feel bored confined in a 4-walled classroom
daily without engaging in these activities. Play is crucial inasmuch as learning is concerned.
(Gergen,2012) submits that it's only by means of play that the intellect of humanity is
uncovered. By means of play, learners are able to explore, create, experiment, adapt, learn,
communicate, socialize and learn problem solving techniques.
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Students idling in the field during games.
Another impact of COVID19 is the absence of physical contact with teachers for content
delivery. There is no checking of students' work, no consultation and no marking of students‟
books as this would lead to the fast spread of the virus. This has instilled fear in both teachers
and learners. There should be no physical contact according to MoH. The students have
always been used to being close to teachers for more clarification and to get feedback when
assignments are given. Oral answers are not that satisfactory e.g. a subject like mathematics
needs that closeness with the student, if the student has followed the correct method to arrive
at an answer. The issue of social distancing seems to do much harm to the helpless learner
especially in Mathematics and Science subjects because they require demonstration and
guided study as shown in the Photo.
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Students seek help from a teacher after a lesson trying to keep social distance
There is also slow literacy gain among learners. This normally occur during school closure
compared to active schooling period. It has been estimated that the rate of reading ability gain
in kindergarten children in the US slows down by 66% during closure. (en.m.wikipedia.org).
Students are gaining slowly and at times not at all. They have not come to terms with the real
opening of schools thinking that it is big joke or dream. Losing that contact with the teacher
really affected them since they did not access digital learning platforms like other learners.
The learners have really withdrawn from learning.
Learners dropout has also increased. This has been caused by long tenure at home as a result
of school closure. (UNESCO, 2020). This impact will be a lifelong disadvantage from lost
opportunities. (Baker, 2020). Quite a number of students have dropped out. For our case at
least three in every class have dropped out. This is because they learned how to earn money
and they feel they won't gain anything when they come back to school. Some girls got
married as a result of getting pregnant and having no means of supporting the unborn. Only
few have been convinced to come back but as for the rest, their minds are made up. They felt
too old to be in school.
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The virus has also affected the country's economy, and this has really hit hard the
underprivileged learners‟ families. (Kenya's Economic Survey, 2020). Students have come
back to school with zero cents. School closure made schools to dispose food stuffs that were
left before term one ended. The school therefore needs money to finance food to be used to
feed learners. Yes, the fee is as little as Ksh 2000, but parents still find it difficult to pay
complaining about the downfall of their business. They cannot fully support their children in
school. This is evident in the student‟s mode of dressing. They have outgrown their uniforms
and they look old as if they have been using them at home during the school closure.
Students about to share their lunch donated by a well-wisher
Conclusively it is imperative to be ahead of the game purposely to envisage seamless learning
in critical situation as evidenced by the infectious diseases like COVID19 and others to
emanate in future to ensure learners don't lose out in essential learning times that could have
an impact of their developmental milestones. The government needs to be prepared for any
kind of emergency that can hinder teaching and learning.
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Effect of COVID-19: Case of Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya
Phoebe Aluoch Ohodho
Education is an integral part of human society, its importance in life cannot be ignored as
lack of education gives birth to numerous social problems like poor health, internal problems,
poor living standards etc. Since the fast case of corona virus (COVID-19) was announced in
Kenya, many aspects of societies and education sector have been dramatically affected. In
March 15th
2020, the Kenya government closed all learning institutions as the numbers of
those affected by the virus arose to 8000, the Ministry of Education announced on July 7th
that the 2020 school calendar will be considered lost due to COVID – 19 restrictions.
The purpose of this work is to identify the effects of COVIS-19 in education sector in Kenyan
schools particularly those at risk and marginalized communities in the seven Dadaab refugee
camp schools with reference to one secondary school in Ifo camp.
The effects of COVID-19 on education are discussed as follows:
1. Social distancing to reduce contact between the teacher and the learner
One of the chief impact of Corona virus (COVID-19) to learners in Kenya with emphasis on
refugee students‟ in refugee camp was the physical contact with the teacher for content
delivery. This was occasioned by the Ministry of Education (MOE) regulation of social
distancing to avoid fast spread of the virus thereby closing all schools and one learning. This
was momentarily substituted with digital learning particularly schools in urban centers. In his
quote in the Daily Nation by Standard media group on 24th
April 2020, Ouma W. says “The
ugly truth about learning at home,” Daily Nation pg. 1-4 Nation Media group. This online
classroom learning is not practicable in most of the Kenyan public schools and schools in the
refugee camp as well.
However, inaccessibility of technology or quick dependable internet has burred learners in
the rural regions and those from underprivileged families and the refugee community were
not left out. The refugees in Dadaab camp live in small congested blocks as a group based on
the countries they came from, the tents or life in the blocks is so difficult as there are no
electricity or any source of entertainment and families who have tried to purchase one have
small radios. This disadvantaged nearly all learners in the camp since they couldn‟t get access
to any learning materials or resources canters.
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In reaction to school closure, UNESCO recommended the utilization of distant learning
platforms and open education applications and any other platforms that institutions and
instructors can utilize to set in touch with students distantly and minimize the interruptions of
learning (UNESCO 2020).
2. Cessation of public library services and social gatherings and upsurge of antisocial
behaviors‟
To support efforts by Ministry of Education to minimize the spread of the virus, many of the
public libraries were momentarily closed and other public converging places closed after
Kenya reported its fast case of COVID-19. Learners minus libraries and other educational
learning resource centers and internet at home, this escalated the struggle for coping up with
distant learning (Hack, 2020) For the refugees it is even worsened the situation as in a normal
day, their movement is restricted and limited to live within the camp, the furthest the learners
can move is schools and now with the school closure, there were no movement at all with no
any other access to a learning resource. This resulted into rise in domestic and social
problems in the blocks where they call „home‟.
Prolonged school closure resulted into stress on parents and guardian on providing childcare
and management of distant learning while learners are outside their usual institution of
learning. This resulted into emergence of antisocial behaviors‟ in the society such as drug
abuse among the youths and adolescent group, early marriage, serious body bleaching among
the Somali girls in the camp just to mention a few.
3.School as a social protection to learners particularly girls in marginalized communities
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Boys and girls in assembly welcomed and sensitized on COVID – 19 measures and back to
school campaign in January 2021
Schools play an important role in the protection of learners especially girls in poor,
vulnerable and marginalized communities. With schools closed during corona virus, refugee
learners were now confined in what they call „homes‟ which is hardly available. An ideal
example in the camp where girls were seriously affected is where out of our 78 refugee girls I
coordinate their learning in the camp, only 67 girls reported back to school and the
whereabouts of the remaining 11 scholarship girls is yet to be established.
3. Persons with Disability (PWD) in COVID-19 era
Children with disability face barriers to accessing a quality, inclusive education in Kenya
under the best of circumstances. Special Needs Education is provided in special schools
integrated units or inclusive settings in regular schools. However, only 38% of children with
Disability are enrolled in primary education. Only 19% of the disabled population (VS 49.9%
of the total population) is enrolled in secondary schools. This is due to a number of factors
including social cultural factors, poverty, lack of awareness, stigmatization, negative attitudes
and few teachers among others.
Educational challenges faced by children with Disabilities during COVID – 19
Teachers were not able to provide special education and other related services through
adapted accessibility materials or to use communication strategies where internet is not
available since all schools and other resources centers were closed and teachers were in their
rural homes
a. Parents were not able to assist their children at home since they don‟t have the
required skills in handling the children at home
b. With schools closed, parents were required to offer physical support and care at home,
further restricting their ability to care for other members of the family or work outside
home. Travel to facilities to obtain necessary support or rehabilitation services was
also problematic because of the ones for social distancing on public transport
c. The disable learners living in the refugee camp as family size one without anybody to
assist them faced it more rough as they had nowhere to go to, no one to given them
education or learning materials.
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With Ministry of Education guidelines on reopening of schools and measures put in place for
institutions‟, there is relief as learners are able to cope with the measures. However, it is not
very easy and teachers have to work extra hard to ensure the measures put in place are strictly
adhered to. Wearing of Masks, social distancing, taking temperatures at the gate in the
Girls at washing their hands after COVID1-19 sensitization and Temperature check ongoing
morning for learners and staff, hand washing and sanitizing is a great challenge in the camp
schools as in the fast place, the community and the religion has not accepted that there is a
virus called COVID-19. To the community, the virus does not exist in the camp and so
adhering to the guidelines becomes very difficult.
4. Other effects of COVID-19 on education are:
Economic shock spillover to underprivileged learners‟ families since most of
economic activities were shut down resulting into lack of basic needs as most families
were forced to relocate.
Unique access to Digital Educational resources and material.
Learners in rural set up, marginalized areas and public schools could not do the online
classes as was witnessed in the case of some big private schools in urban canters‟
Anxiety for national exams and other forms of summative evaluation across the
country as candidate class fear to sit for their exams due to lack of enough
preparation.
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In conclusion, the effects of COVID – 19 in Country‟s economy can‟t go unnoticed. With
education sector most hit, even with the resumption of schools in January 2021, teachers still
yet to account for all learners as the whereabouts of some is still yet to be unknown
particularly learners and girls‟ at risk, disable learners and learners from marginalized
communities. On the other hand, teachers have been forced to organize back to school
campaigns to sensitize and bring back all learners to school. They have also been forced to
enforce MOH guidelines of sanitizing, hand washing, wearing of masks among leaners all the
time in order to mitigate the spread of COVID -19. Some of these measures have proven
difficult to observe like social distancing in classrooms and assemblies where schools were
previously overpopulated with same number of classrooms. Learning outside classroom
under trees as suggested by CS for education is also difficult in this region as temperatures
are as high as 42oC with no trees for shelter, we hope for better improvement and change as
time goes by with the help of all stakeholders‟ effort.
References
Ouma, W. (April 24th
2020). Ugly Truth about learning at Home: ) Daily Nation pg. 1-4),
Nation Media Group: Nairobi Kenya.
MOE (2020). Kenya Basic Education Sector COVID-19 Emergency Response Plan: Ministry
of education, Nairobi Kenya.
Internet: https//doi.org/10.1044/2020_20-00090
Parents of students living in Dadaab refugee camp on conducted interviews.
Effects of COVID-19 to Education in Kenya
Mary Wachuka Mutuku
Introduction
The education system has seen huge growth especially in the past fifty years. This was
however interrupted by the COVID 19 pandemic that suddenly emerged. The closure of face
to face learning was a challenge to many as it was their norm and to some, it was all that they
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knew on matters learning. The struggle to adopt virtual and asynchronous learning has not
been a cup of tea to many especially due to lack of necessary resources and proper guidance
(Daniel,2020). Most of the students opted to sit back and wait for the redemption from this
nightmare as teachers and instructors sought alternative options but to many, it was not
successful. This has led to depression and fear among students, indulgent in crime among
other effects as discussed below.
Effects of COVID-19 on Education
The first effect of the COVID 19 pandemic is on mental health. Most learners got stressed as
they had no idea on what all this would turn to. Some thought their education, which was
their only hope, had come to an end. This majorly affected the students who were
transitioning either to secondary schools, some to tertiary schools and others to employment.
They could not complete their curriculum in normal way and most of them had been torn
away from their social group in almost an overnight. Most of them ended up been stressed
and this led to some conditions such as ulcers and depression (Usher & Bhullar,2020). This
has been a big challenge as even though they have resumed, healing from the nightmare is
still a process.
The second challenge was that of children getting into child labor. The pandemic led to
instability especially in the economy. Most parents and teachers lost their jobs and could not
afford to meet the basic needs of their families. The children were forced to seek employment
despite their young age. This led to some children been tortured and opted to escape to the
streets (Daniel, 2020). Some of these children may not resume to school nor their normal life.
Another major effect of the pandemic was a rise in cases of dysfunctional families. As the
country was partially locked down and some businesses closed, most of the people were
emotionally and psychologically affected. Some had to stay in their houses more than they
were used to. The parents were under pressure to provide for their families yet they had no
source of income. This led to violence and breaking of families which affected the children.
Most of them lost hope in their education and never showed up upon reopening of the schools
(Pfefferbaum & North, 2020). This has led to a decrease of the number of students in schools.
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Recruitment to antisocial and cultic groups has been a very big challenge in the education
system. Students engaged in antisocial behavior while at home and are now recruiting others
to their groups. We also have cultic groups that are emerging and are actually on the rise.
This has led to shocking news in the schools such as teachers and staff members been
attacked and some to the point of death. Fear has risen among schools and discipline may not
be administered as required for fear of been attacked (Usher & Bhullar, 2020).
There has also been some recruitment to drug and substance abuse and sexual immoral
groups. Some students abuse drugs and take a lot of time to recruit more. The rate of sale of
drugs around the school fences is alarming and it is actually a call for the government to
intervene as some of the drugs been sold to students are illegal. Sexual immorality has been a
norm and most students in the school are young fathers and expectant girls (Dashraath & Su,
2020). This has disrupted the attention of these students and may actually not be in school
many times.
COVID 19 pandemic led to some changes in the school set up and modification needed to be
done. More classrooms were needed and as well a shift in the ways of doing things. Adapting
to the new norm has been challenging especially procurement of infrastructure which actually
takes time. It has also been a challenge for the students living in extreme poverty as well as
those living with disabilities to adapt to the new measures (Daniel, 2020). A lot of training
and preparation needs to be done especially among staff members.
Conclusion
The exponential rise of the COVID 19 cases remains persistent and so it is a call for all
stakeholders to join in ensuring effective learning continues. Reassuring students and parents
of the safety in resumption of learning is a vital element of institutional response
(Pfefferbaum & North, 2020). The government should also ensure that funds are available in
schools to cater for construction of new classes as well as support the extreme poor students.
This will ensure that learning is effective and we all overcome the effects of the pandemic in
our learning institutions.
References
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Daniel, J. (2020). Education and the COVID-19 pandemic. Prospects, 49(1), 91-96.
Dashraath, P., Wong, J. L. J., Lim, M. X. K., Lim, L. M., Li, S., Biswas, A., ... & Su, L. L.
(2020). Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and pregnancy. American
journal of obstetrics and gynecology, 222(6), 521-531.
Pfefferbaum, B., & North, C. S. (2020). Mental health and the Covid-19 pandemic. New
England Journal of Medicine, 383(6), 510-512.
Usher, K., Durkin, J., & Bhullar, N. (2020). The COVID‐19 pandemic and mental health
impacts. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 29(3), 315.
Effect of COVID-19 on Education in Kenya
Nzioka M. Syomiti
Introduction
When Kenyan schools closed their doors in March, after the first cases of COVID-19 were
detected in the country, there were no alternative learning options. The committee in charge
of overseeing schools reopening in Kenya has recommended that schools do not open until
January 2021, and that‟s only if the COVID-19 curve has flattened in the region, (Kathula, D.
N. (2020). Kenya does not have the infrastructure to handle a health crisis with the size and
scope of the current pandemic. Social distancing is the best way to stop the spread of
COVID-19 before it can overwhelm their health system. Kenya is also facing a shortage of
resources – such as masks, hand sanitizers, and soap – to facilitate a safe return to school.
Effects of COVID-19 on Learning
After the virus was reported to have confirmed in Kenya education system in Kenya
experienced a lot of impacts like;
Closure of school
Many children received no education after schools closed across the continent in March 2020.
Children were send home as way of fighting the virus, they were just waiting for the
reopening to continue with studies, like other measures to contain the virus, and this came
with unintended consequences. School closures interrupted learning for over 17 million
students in Kenya, who missed more than six months of formal education, Aluga, M. (2020).
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We know that the longer children are out of school, the greater the risk that the poorest
among them will never return. They also face increased risks of violence, child labour and
child marriage, and to their mental wellbeing.
Social Distancing In classroom
Closure of schools, was among the biggest impact of Covid-19 to our education system,
especially at my school, the school was closed for 10 months. the school system has
experienced a lot of challenges like, early pregnancy cases increased, most of the candidates
dropped out school, some of the parent lack enough school fees to take back their children
school, and also the school management was unable to run their daily or term activities due to
economic constraints where most parents lost their jobs during the pandemic, Jaguga, &
Kwobah,(2020).
Classroom changed into a store Children in the streets
High rates of school dropout and Teenage pregnancies
After learners were recalled back to school, there were high rates of drop outs and my school
was not an exception 20 girls in the school did not turn up back to school and the school
management could not account for this and it affected the planning function. High turnover
rates of teachers and non-teaching staff most school administrations and management could
not pay the salaries of their hired teachers on teams of board of management as well as the
non-teaching staff. This was as a result of delay in disbursement of government funds. In our
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schools four teachers were laid off while five non-teaching staff were given an unpaid leave
resumed to school because there were staffing shortages and the school was not in a position
to hire more teachers. Voo, Clapham, & Tam, (2020). Aapproximately 10 form four girls
were adversely affected by Covid-19 and landed into the mess of teenage pregnancy which
was a challenge. Some girls were cases of rape, others gender based violence while others
were lured because of poverty.
Cleanliness in the school
Covid-19 enhanced the cleanliness of learner‟s teachers and the school environments. The
local member of county assembly provided the school with hand washing machines,
sanitizers and hand wash soaps which were maximum used to ensure safety against the virus.
Classes and the dormitories were fumigated on weekly basis to control the spread. The school
management directed the learners in various activities of concerning cleanliness as a measure
of control. (Kathula, 2020).
Conclusion
Since the first case of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was announced in Kenya, many
aspects of society and the education sector have been dramatically affected. On March 15th
2020, the Kenyan government closed all learning institutions countrywide to contain the
spread of the virus, Mbogo (2020). As the numbers of those infected by coronavirus rose to
over 8,000, the ministry of education announced on July 7th that, the 2020 school calendar
year will be considered lost due to COVID-19 restrictions. Therefore, the government has to
put more effort in education sector, to make sure that system is back to its normal calendar,
Aluga (2020).
References
Aluga, M. A. (2020). Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Kenya:
Preparedness,response and transmissibility. Journal of Microbiology, Immunology and
Infection, 53(5), 671-673.
Jaguga, F., & Kwobah, E. (2020). Mental health response to the COVID-19 pandemic in
Kenya: a review. International journal of mental health systems, 14(1), 1-6.
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Kathula, D. N. (2020). Effect of Covid-19 Pandemic on the Education System in
Kenya. Journal of Education, 3(6), 31-52.
Mbogo, R. W. (2020). Leadership Roles in Managing Education in Crises: The Case of
Kenya during Covid-19 Pandemic. European Journal of Education Studies, 7(9).
Voo, T. C., Clapham, H., & Tam, C. C. (2020). Ethical implementation of immunity
Passports during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Journal of infectious diseases, 222(5), 715-
718.
Effects of Covid 19 to Education in Kenya
Patricia Kamathi Muchena
Introduction
Following the country‟s first COVID-19 case on March 13, 2020, schools were abruptly shut
and have remained closed ever since, with children in most year groups having to repeat their
2020 school year in 2021 (MOE, 2020). The closure of schools has had severe effects to
many children in various schools within the country. Some private schools were forced to
completely close even when given the opportunity to reopen in January 2021 as they could
not sustain themselves economically. Children from the schools were seriously affected in
terms of learning and were forced to transfer to other schools. This has had effects on the
leaners outcome as some children cannot comprehend what they were taught in the previous
grades of the education curriculum. In relation to my school COVID-19 has had effects on
the children education as explained in the following subsections.
Effects of COVID-19 on School Management
Inability of the School to Provide Effective and Accessible Remote Learning
In my school one of the most immediate challenge was the inability of the school to provide
effective and accessible remote learning opportunities for children. Marginalized children
with implicit vulnerabilities such as those with disabilities; living in informal settlements,
slums or remote locations; asylum seekers and refugees were at a greater risk of failing to
benefit from remote learning opportunities (Kariuki, 2020). This occurred since the school
did not have the required resources to accommodate all the needs of the non-disabled and the
disabled learners. Additionally, the teachers were not in a position to address these challenges
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as they did not have the required manpower. Even where children had the internet access,
remote learning programs lacked reliable infrastructure, as teachers had limited knowledge of
online teaching and the country has had little time to prepare for its realities. Learners were
congested in classes where there was no free space for air circulation especially when
wearing masks as shown in figure below:
To address the problem of lack of adequate facilities and congestion in classrooms the
students learn under trees or outside the class as shown in figure below:
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Upsurge on Learner Drop-out Rates
In my school there was an upsurge on learner drop-out rates. Learner drop-out rates tended to
upsurge as an effect of the school closures and no effort was made to ascertain that all
learners return to school once school cessations ended. This was mainly attributed to the
prolonged closures of the school. Underprivileged, at-risk, and homeless learners did not
report to school after the closures ended, and the impact was viewed as a life-long
disadvantage from lost opportunities (Baker, 2020). Institutions are also hubs of social
activities and human interactions. When my school was closed for that long time, several
learners and youths lost out on social interaction that is crucial to learning and development.
Additionally, prolonged closure of my school lead to child labor; school drop outs; child
pregnancies and early marriages all which lead to low transition rates of learners and
consequently undermining the already laid down novel strategies in my school to propel more
access to learning. The rate of dropouts in one secondary school is shown in figure 1:
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Figure 1: Reasons for Absence among Girls over COVID Period
Discrimination and Stigmatization of Learners Infected by the Virus
In my school there was a likeliness of discrimination and stigmatization of learners who were
affected and or infected. Kenya has been identified as a high risk country of the introduction
of COVID- 19, the risk factors of high number of foreign learners in institutions of learning,
high enrolment rates in schools, and other social cultural practices. With measures to prevent
the spread of COVID-19 hugely reliant on information campaigns, hand washing and social
distancing, messaging targeted for consumption by students is scarce if not downright non-
existent (UNESCO, 2020). Social distancing in my school has been a challenge due to
congestion. Students have not been able to fully comply with the wearing of mask. In the case
where leaners know that one of them has been infected or affected there has been
stigmatization of they see them as outcasts. Additionally, there is stigmatization especially for
learners who are disabled as shown in figure below:
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Reason for Girls Absence
Pregnant
Married
Not sure
Working
22
Co-curricular Activities Affected by COVID 19
Co-curricular activities scheduled for first term in my school calendar like drama, athletics
and ball games were interrupted mid-way and stopped as schools were closed abruptly and
indefinitely. Play is crucial in as far as learning is concerned. Gergen (2012) submits that it is
only by means of play that the intellect of humanity is uncovered. By means of play learners
are able to explore, create experiment, adapt, learn, communicate, socialize, and learn
problem solving techniques. Further play permits learners to build and have extension of their
skills and knowledge in the process of interaction with others, environment, and own on their
own. Despite students having PE lessons they are not able to interact with vigor and thus they
tend not be active as shown in figure below:
23
COVID 19 protocols interfering with class Time schedules
The daily screening of students every morning as they come to school from home has led to
waste of time. In my school thirty minutes are wasted every morning screening the student‟s
temperatures to identify those who could be exhibiting symptoms of covid-19. These minutes
may finally reflect on the students‟ performance. In a whole week 150 minutes which
translate to 2hrs 30min are wasted which could have been used to further the studies that have
an impact on the learner‟s overall performance. The screening is as shown in the figure
below:
24
Conclusion
Conclusively, due to the challenges discussed above, it was imperative to be ahead of the
game purposely to envisage seamless learning in critical situations as evidenced by infectious
diseases, like COVID19 and others, to emanate in future to ensure that learners do not lose
out on essential learning times that could have an impact on their developmental milestones
(Abidjan, 2020). Therefore, continuing education, through alternate learning pathways, as
soon as possible, must be a top priority for MOE to ensure that the disruption to education
sector is as limited as possible. Measures to mitigate any emerging challenges from the laid
down strategies are also critical to ensure that MOE is able to provide access to quality,
equitable and inclusive education to learners during and after the crisis to ensure continued
learning and to keep pace with 100 percent policy. To address these challenges in my school
and other school the Ministry of Education (MoE) needs to conduct a study on Post COVID -
19 risk factors at the national level for the purpose of building resilience and strengthen
education systems and institutions against future shocks.
This will be possible through conducting sample assessments at different grade levels to track
progress for digital learning in all institutional levels. This is essential to know who was
reached and how well learners were learning so that future interventions can be adapted
25
accordingly. The government through MoE to conduct a comprehensive rapid needs
assessment followed by a robust monitoring system to ensure that interventions during Post
COVID-19 crisis go to the most deserving cases. MoE needs to conduct schools tracking to
confirm attendance of learners after the pandemic this will be possible through strengthening
Education Management Information Systems in institutions and Ministry of Education. MoE
needs to enhance the already existing Risk Management and Safeguards policies to guide
mitigations for COVID19 pandemic and other related emergencies (MoE, 2020).
References
Abidjan, T. (2020). With Lockdowns Africa Gears up for Remote schooling; Daily Nation
April 24th Nation Media Group, Nairobi, Kenya.
Gergen, K. J. (2012). Toward transformation in social knowledge. Springer Science &
Business Media
Kariuki W. (2020). Kenyans Pursuing International Education in Limbo as Exams cancelled:
Daily Nation April 29th P.3. Nation Media Group: Nairobi, Kenya
MoE (2020). Kenya Basic Education Sector COVID-19 Emergency Response Plan,
2020.Nairobi, Kenya.
UNESCO (2020)."Half of world's student population not attending school: UNESCO
Retrieved from https://en-unesco.org/news. UNESCO. 2020-03-19
Effects of COVID-19 to Education in Kenya
Mary Wangui Wangu
Introduction
The closure of various sectors of the economy and school affected education management in
many ways as discussed in this paper.
Learners’ nutritional challenge
School closures had implications for learners who relied on school feeding program as a main
source of nutrition. These programs have always provided both educational and health
26
benefits for the most vulnerable students thereby increasing enrolments rates, reducing
absenteeism and improving food security at the household level. Burnette (2020b). “parents
struggle as a result of school closure in different ways given the varying impact of the
pandemic on their ability to work.” Learners from disadvantaged homes resorted to working
as opposed to learning in order to provide for their families, securing food takes precedence
over learning. As a result, there have been increased cases of sexual exploitation with the
young girls engaging in transactional sex in order to gain not only access to essential needs
but also to support their families. This has highly contributed to early and unplanned teenage
pregnancies which have been projected to be on the rise during Covid-19 thus contributing to
loss and disruption in learning. Young adolescent boys are also reported to be engaging in
crime in the wake of the extended school closures.
Unequal Access to Digital Educational Resources and Materials (Digital Gap)
The adoption of remote and digital mode of learning has led to increased learning gaps with
most learners being excluded from online education. Learners lacked gadgets to use for
online learning. According to Oyema (2020),” technology is integral to student-teacher
connection and communication. It is an essential tool to offer educational, psychological,
spiritual and medical advice or supports to parents, educators and students during and after
pandemics.” Some schools had received the gadgets from the government laptop project in
2019 but had no prior expertise on how to use them, thus implementation of online learning
was difficult. With this, it has made remote learning impossible especially from the
marginalized. With both children and teachers at home, the government had limited time for
preparation of the sudden change. Most of the teachers and education stakeholders have
limited knowledge for online dissemination of knowledge, lack of detailed costs of teaching
and preparation of online teaching, online assessment and evaluation. This led to slack in the
implementation of online learning. As a result, majority of learners from the remote and
marginalized area had little or no access to learning. Lugonzo (2020) indicated that, “unequal
provision of educational opportunities which have been triggered by the corona virus crisis
will finally undermine the education of the susceptible learners. Hindrance to interaction
between learners and their colleagues is against the first national goal of education in Kenya
i.e. “to foster nationalism, patriotism and promote national unity.” (MoE Sessional
Paper,2018).
27
Loss of income to teachers
Due to school closures, many teachers lost their salaries. Some of the teachers are not in
government payrolls but are hired by the school Board of management (BOM). These
teachers were asked to take unpaid leave due to the sustained costs of keeping teachers on
payroll with no teaching taking place. The non-payment of salaries places a psychological
burden on teachers. (Kossi, 2020). The non-payment of teachers not only poses a significant
problem for individual, family and community well-being but also prevents the delivery of
quality education.
Widened Physical contact between the teacher and the learner
Absence of physical contact is one of the chief impacts of COVID-19 to learners. This was
due to the Ministry of Health‟s (MOH) regulations of social distancing to avoid fast spread of
the virus. Academic loss has been experienced among learners. Teachers have the task of
understanding how learners who have been out of school and without access to distance
learning will catch up to their appropriate class level of education.
Religious Effects
The COVID-19 pandemic affected religion in several ways globally. This includes the
suspension of the worship services of several faiths as well as the cancellation of pilgrimages
characterizing observations and festivals. Various churches, mosque, synagogues and temples
have always supplemented schools, parents and guardian‟s efforts in imparting moral values
to children. Religious organizations have always donated medical supplies and other
assistance to affected regions where several children are affected. (Burke&Daniel,2020).
Co-curricular Activities
Co-curricular activities scheduled for first term in the Kenyan schools‟ calendar like drama,
athletics and ball games were interrupted midway and stopped as schools were closed
abruptly. Play is crucial in as far as learning. Gergen (2012) submits that it is only by means
of play that the intellect of human is uncovered. By means of play, learners are able to
explore, create experiment, adapt, learn, communicate, socialize and learn problem solving
techniques. Play permits learners to build and have extension of their skills and knowledge in
the process of interaction with others and environment.
Cessation of Public Library Services
28
To support efforts by Ministry of Health in reducing the spread of COVID-19, many of the
libraries were momentarily closed. Libraries were put on halt as from March 15th
, 2020 when
the President ordered for the closure of schools. For learners‟ minus library at home, this
escalates the struggle of coping up with distance learning. (Hauck, 2020).
Upsurge of Anti-Social Behaviors
Prolonged school closures resulted to stress on parents and guardians on provision of
childcare and management of distance learning while learners are out of their institutions of
learning. In the absence of substitute options, employed parents frequently leave learners on
their own when institutions close and this can result to hazardous behaviors such as amplified
substance abuse and influence of peer pressure. It has been proved protracted closures of
schools compounded with restricted movements with acute challenges around space among
poor households have exacerbated cases of exposure to pornographic materials and drug
abuse, gender based violence (GBV) including defilement of children (UNESCO, 2020b).
Positive Impacts of COVID-19
Besides the negative impacts on education, there are some positive implications that came
along with COVID -19. As a measure to curb the spread of the virus the Ministry of
Education in collaboration with Education agencies, World Bank and Constituency
Development Funds (CDF) have constructed extra classrooms. These are meant to improve
and cater for social distancing as stipulated by the Ministry of Health. Some schools are
highly populated hence the need for extra rooms to accommodate learners, while others had
serious shortage of classrooms despite registering very few learners in their schools. The
newly built classrooms have helped in spacing and accommodation of learners not only
during the pandemic but also in the future.
29
Classrooms constructed by Constituency Development Fund
Most of the schools in remote and marginalized areas lack essential services like water.
Learners are forced to walk for long distances to bath and fetch drinking water. It was
difficult to maintain hygiene among learners as well as the school community. It was also
difficult to regularly wash hands as required by the Ministry of Health due to scarcity of
water. As a result of this some churches have been offering assistance to schools by drilling
boreholes to schools thereby providing a permanent water solution. Burke and Daniel (2020)
stated that, “religious organizations donate medical supplies and other assistance to affected
regions where several children are affected. “These outlines the important role the religion is
30
laying in the education sector.
Students fetching water from the borehole
References
Burke,Daniel.(2020).”What churches, mosques and temples are doing to fight the spread of
coronavirus”.CNN.Archived from the original on 14th
March 2020.Retrieved from
https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/14.
Burnett, Daarel, II.2020.” Devastated Budgets and Widening Inequities: How the coronavirus
Will Impact Schools.”
Lugonzo, H.M (2020). A Theoretical Study of the Impact of Corona Virus Crisis on Learners
Social Interaction in Kenyan Learning Institutions-International Journal of Educational
Research,3(04),09-19.
Onyema, E.M., Eucheria, N.C., Obafemi, F.A., Sen, S., Atonge, F.G., Sharma, A., &Alsyed,
A.O. (2020). Impact of Coronavirus Pandemic on Education.
31
5.Gergen, K.J. (2012). Toward Transformation in social knowledge. Springer Science &
Business Media.
Impact of COVID- 19 in Education Sector in Kenya
David Kirema Mwamba
Introduction
The Corona Virus (COVID-19) is illness triggered by a strain of corona virus which is a
group of viruses that infect both animals and human beings. Human corona virus can trigger
mild illness comparable to a common cold, whereas others trigger more severe illnesses such
as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. Human corona viruses are commonly spread through
coughing droplets and close individuals‟ unprotected interaction with an infected person
(touching, shaking hands). The signs and symptoms are typically respiratory symptoms and
include cough, fever, shortness of breath, and other cold like symptoms. Learners in basic
education are at high risk of being infected or infecting others since they are in close contact
with other learners, teachers and parents (World Health Organization, 2020).
The Corona Virus Disease was first detected in; China Wuhan in December 2019.China had
reported 83,878 infected cases and 4636 deaths. As at 30th January 2020, World Health
Organization (WHO) declared the Corona Virus outbreak a Public Health Emergency of
Global Concern. The COVID-19 has since continued to spread across the world with
immediate and long term social economic effects on national economies and their individual
citizens. The COVID-19 has since continued to spread across the world with immediate and
long term social economic effects on national economies and their individual citizens as
already underscored (Olingo Allan, 2020).
Kenya confirmed its first case of COVID-19 on 13th March, 2020 and the cases have
continued to steadily rise and spread across the country. As of 28th April, 2020, Kenya had.
reported 374 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 124 recoveries and 14 deaths. Most of
these cases were concentrated in the counties of Nairobi, Mombasa and Kilifi, Kwale and
Mandera with other cases spread across all counties. To curb the spread of the disease in
learning institutions, the government of the Republic of Kenya abruptly closed all schools
and higher institutions between 16th and 20th March, 2020. Additionally, the ministry of
health has set policy priority that aims to reduce the burden of communicable disease
32
including the outbreak of COVID-19 (According to the John‟s Hopkins Coronavirus
Research Centre, at the time of writing Kenya has 13,873 active COVID-19 cases)
Effect on Education Sector
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the largest disruption of education in history, having
already had a near universal impact on learners and teachers around the world, from pre-
primary to secondary schools, technical and vocational education and training (TVET)
institutions, universities, adult learning, and skills development establishments.
One of the chief impacts of COVID-19 to learners was absence of physical contact with
teachers for content delivery which lasted for almost nine months. This was occasioned by
Ministry of Health‟s (MOH) regulations of social distancing to avoid fast spread of the virus.
This was substituted with digital learning. However inaccessibility of technology or quick,
dependable internet access was barred to learners in rural regions and those from
underprivileged families. Paucity of access to technology or sound internet connectivity was
a hurdle to continuous learning, particularly for learners from underprivileged families. In
reaction to institutional closures instigated by COVID-19, this has led to learners forgetting
what they had earlier on learnt. It took teachers almost a month to help learners to realize
where they were before.
Another problem emerging from after month of long stay of student from home is school
dropping out and increased cases of early pregnancies. Recent media reports citing health
data from the government have shown an increase in teenage pregnancies correlating with
school closures. Other reports indicate that poor pastoralist communities are offering their
children up for early marriages to richer families in order to receive financial assistance,
thereby jeopardizing the education of many young girls. Young adolescent boys are also
reported to be engaging in crime in the wake of the extended school closures (Baker, (2020)).
We have lost a number of teachers during the COVID-19 period, this has left some schools
with less number of teachers to handle learners this particular time they need much attention
and compressed term dates, and this may lead to more shortage of teachers in Kenya. Other
than teachers, learners have died of Covid-19 and parents too leaving learners with no one to
pay fees for them.
33
le
Student in a girls‘ School in class after re-opening
According to Ministry of Education school calendar had to be revised to restart normal
learning, The school calendar since the reopening of school has changed the program of the
school; this has reduced the number of holidays for learners leading to some schools strikes
by the learners who want to go home due to no mid -terms. The shortening of term has led to
removal of co-curricular activities in school which is against ministry of education; learners
are lacking opportunity to develop their talents.
34
Classes conducted outside, no co-curricular activities
COVID-19 has destructed the administration of national examination, the candidates who
were preparing their projects for the purpose of national exams had to leave their agricultural
projects unattended, the fate of their final results cannot be determined.(National media April
29th
)
35
Fig 2 Abandoned student agriculture KCSE projects during COVID period
Conclusion
COVID-19 has generally caused destruction in sector of education which will continue giving
short term and long term effect to the education sector. The Government through MoE
should provide psychosocial support to learners, teachers, education officials and other
stakeholders and also provide information to prevent transmission and spread of
COVID-19 in the mediums and strategies that can be learner centered.
References
Baker, J. (2020). "The kids who will never return to school after COVID-19". The Sydney
Morning Herald. Retrieved from https:// www.smh.com.au/national.
Kariuki W.(2020). Kenyans Pursuing International Education in Limbo as Exams cancelled:
Daily Nation April 29th P.3. Nation Media Group: Nairobi, Kenya.
MoE (2020). Kenya Basic Education Sector COVID- 19 Emergency Response Plan,
2020.Nairobi, Kenya.
Nation Newsplex Team, (April 29th, 2020) Beating the Virus; Daily Nation P.5 & 8, Nation
Media Group: Nairobi, Kenya
Olingo Allan. (2020 April 29th).Economy hit hard as services slow down ; Daily Nation
P.2, Nation Media Group : Nairobi, Kenya
World Health Organization. COVID-19 clinical management: living guidance. 2021 [internet
publication].
Effect of COVID-19 On Education Management School In Nakuru Kenya
Njehu Samuel Mugo
Introduction
On March 15, 2020, the Kenyan government abruptly closed all schools and colleges
nationwide in response to COVID-19, disrupting nearly17 million learners countrywide. The
closure of institutions not only affected learners and teachers but it also brought forth
numerous economic and social issues (Presidential press unit news release,15th
March 2021)
36
The Kenyan government re-opened schools partially with grade 4, class 8 and form 4
students opening on 12th
October 2020 for second term year 2020.These are transitional
groups to competency-based curriculum, form 1 and tertiary institutions respectively. When
these three groups re-opened they acted as pilot groups to inform the various stake holders on
what they have in terms of facilities and resources and what they need to plan for in
preparation for the re-opening of the other basic education groups that were at home
(PP1,PP2,Grade 1,2,3,class 5,6,7 and Form 1,2 and 3).The management of the first group was
a bit easy in terms of observing the ministry of health protocols on COVID-19 pandemic and
availability of facilities for social distancing purposes since the COVID-19 virus is spread
through coming into contact with the infected persons and provision of psychosocial support
to teachers, learners and subordinate staff since the group was small.(Daily nation, 6th
October 2020).
The rest of the basic education groups (PP1,PP2,Grade 1,2,3,class 5,6,7 and Form 1,2 and
3).re-opened on 4th
January 2021 for second term year 2020 while the rest of the group(s)
grade 4,class 8 and form 4 students that had opened earlier coming for third term year
2020.After the rest of the groups re-opened ,many institutions are grappling with various
challenges emanating from the long COVID-19 break that the learners and teachers had and
observance of ministry of health protocols on COVID-19. (Daily nation, 6th
October 2020)
Some of the challenges school are facing are as follows;
Effect on Co-Curricular Activities
Co-curricular activities scheduled for first term in the Kenyan school‟s calendar like drama,
athletics and ball games were interrupted mid-way and stopped as schools were closed
abruptly and indefinitely. After the re-opening of schools, the ministry of education in
consultation with the ministry of health suspended all extra -curricular activities at school‟s
level and outside the school (zonal level, sub-county level, county level regional level and
national level). Play is crucial in as far as learning is concerned. Gergen (2012) submits that it
is only by means of play that the intellect of humanity is uncovered. By means of play
learners are able to explore, create experiment, adapt, learn, communicate, socialize, and
learn problem solving techniques. Further play permits learners to build and have extension
of their skills and knowledge in the process of interaction with others, environment, and own
on their own (Daily nation, 6th
October 2020).
37
Economic Shocks Spillover to Underprivileged Leaners’ Families
Performance of global economy and Kenya in the year 2020, will largely be determined by
how long economic activities are going to be interrupted by the Coronavirus pandemic. Most
of the economic activities have been slowed down by precincts resulting from cessation and
containment of sections of the population. After the school re-opened both in October and
January, there have been problems with parents paying the required school fees money so as
to keep their daughters and sons in school for learning purposes. This is because all the
sectors of the economy were hard hit by the impacts of corona virus pandemic; restricted
movements and lockdowns. This made businesses to perform poorly and many employees
were sent home as profits waned for the various organization. Thus, a bigger part of the
population cannot afford basic needs leave alone financing their children‟s education. Many
students are being sent home to collect school fees even after the minister for education
issued a directive informing Principals and head teachers to allow students to continue
learning even when they have not paid school fees, because of the hard-economic times
facing the parents. As noted, the 2020 decelerated economic growth is highly pronounced to
the poor, vulnerable and marginalized households who rely on informal employment and
businesses. Their ability to finance school related expenditure such as school kits, meals,
learning materials has been severely compromised (Kenya‟s Economic Survey, 2020).
Lack of Space/Facilities for Social Distancing
Many schools in Kenya are facing challenges associated with social distancing simply
because of limited teaching and learning facilities coupled with high enrolment levels and
100% government transition policy for learners joining secondary schools from primary and
those joining primary schools from early childhood development centers. This has made
observance of ministry of health protocols on Covid-19 a challenge, thus increasing the risks
of learners, teachers and any one working within the school environment contracting corona
virus and any other infections associated with the disease. (MoE, Kenya Basic Education
Sector COVID- 19 Emergency Response Plan, 2020).
The photographs (1 and 2) below show the challenges of social distancing in Maai-Mahiu
girls‟ secondary school;
38
Photograph 1: Students sitting close together with no social distancing amid COVID-19
Students attending assembly with no social distancing because of limited space
Learners Failing to Adhere to Health Protocols
With the outbreak of Corona virus several health protocols were put in place to curb the
spread of corona virus which are supposed to be adhered to by all the populace. After the re-
opening of schools, students were only careful to adhere to the health protocols in the first
weeks. But after sometimes laxity crept in and they are now carefree (not wearing masks
every time they are together, not washing their hands regularly, greeting and hugging one
39
another), thus increasing on the risks that comes with non-observance put on masks) (MOE,
Kenya Basic Education Sector COVID-19 Emergency Response Plan, 2020).
The photograph (3) below shows students in Maai-Mahiu girls‟ secondary school not
adhering to health protocols (without masks) when they are close to one another;
Students not wearing masks and they are close to one another
Conclusion
Covid-19 pandemic is real, and with glaring social economic impacts and consequences.
There is need for everyone to adhere to the ministry of health protocols so as to halt new
cases of COVID-19 ailments. Otherwise if we are not careful, we may have COVID-19 for
far much too long and the impacts quite longer. On the other had the national government and
county governments have a chance to strategize and plan ahead ensuring that going forward
schools/public facilities are available and in proportional to the size of the population.
References
Daily nation, 6th
October 2020, New school calendar, Page 2.
Green, K. J. (2012). Toward transformation in social knowledge. Springer Science &
Business Media.
MoE (2020). Kenya Basic Education Sector Covid- 19 Emergency Response Plan,
2020.Nairobi, Kenya.
40
Republic of Kenya (2020). Economic Survey of 2020, Government Printers, Nairobi.
Presidential press unit address news release,15th
March 2020, Threat of corona virus to the
social economic activities of the Kenyan people.
Effects of COVID-19 to Education Management in Schools in Garissa Kenya
Yashon Ojunge Opiyo
Introduction
COVID-19 is a contagious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome corona
virus. The first case was identified in Wuhan China, in December 2019. The outbreak of
COVID-19 affected all aspects of human activities globally ranging from education, research,
sports, entertainment, transportation, worship, social gathering, interactions, economy,
businesses, and politics. Indeed, the entire world was in distress as a result of COVID-19
threats, the reality of the situation was challenging to bear, and the education sector remains
one of the worst-hit by Coronavirus outbreak. The disease has since spread worldwide,
leading to the current pandemic. Since the announcement of the outbreak of Covid-19 it has
affected many aspects of society and the education sector adversely. This led to the closure of
all learning institutions by the Kenyan government on 15th
march 2020 in order to contain the
spread of the virus. The global lockdown of education institutions has caused major
interruption in students‟ learning; disruptions in internal assessments; and national
assessment as well. The Covid-19 pandemic has had great effect in education in our nation in
different ways which include and not limited to;
Ddropout of learners
School dropout which has been occasioned by the longer period in which the learners were at
home due to the closure of the school. Dropout poses a serious threat to gains in education
despite the government emphasis on Education for all (Aristovnik et al, 2020). This has been
caused by unwanted pregnancies, and early marriages due the fact that most students were
idle at home and not engaged in education matters. Most of the parents who are the sole
providers of their family‟s needs lost their jobs and business hence were unable to pay school
fees for their children in schools after the corona pandemic. Pandemics in situations and
where they occur coupled with another factors such as; low socio-economic status, poor
41
school performance, drug and substance abuse, peer pressure among others contribute to
pupil dropout drastically (Lau et al, 2020). Consequently some classes in my school have
decreased enrollment due to dropout or transfer of learners as shown in the picture;
Class with empty desk of absent pupils after COVID 19 break
Improvement in school infrastructure
The pandemic has been also a blessing in disguise for most schools in Kenya since
Development and improvement of information and communication technology infrastructure
in schools has been greatly improved and the information and communication technology
devices such as; computers, television and installation of Wi-Fi. The students are able to learn
and follow televised lessons from experienced Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development
(KICD) teachers who offer these lessons through television network. Learners with pre-
conditions which can expose them to the virus can also learn and take part in learning
activities remotely from home through google meet and zoom which has been installed by the
schools. These modes of learning though effective may only benefit a few students who have
access at home to computers, smart phones, and the appropriate technology. Provision of
extra chairs and lockers and building of new classrooms by the government to public schools
has helped in ensuring adequate infrastructure in those schools as shown in the picture below.
42
Government provided desks for learners in Mnara School,
Increase in cost of school management
Extra cost in management and running of the school affairs has been caused by the covid-19
pandemic. Requirements for the safety protocol by the ministry of health such as; masks for
teachers and learners, soap, pedal operated hand washing machines, thermos guns for
measuring daily temperature of learners and basic personal protective equipment for school
subordinate staff. All these have increased the cost of operation in schools hence affecting the
parents directly or indirectly.
43
Students in masks during a motivational talk
For example; the parents have to go to an extra mile to buy masks for their children though
out the term. Other preventive measures such as; disinfecting surfaces, buses, dormitories and
monitoring and self-isolation for people exposed or symptomatic.
Infection of teachers and learners
The Covid-19 has caused loss of life of both the teachers and the learners. Several teachers
and learners who contracted the virus have since succumbed to the disease and consequently
caused both emotional and psychological effects to the education sector. Learners who would
today be active in classes and teachers who would be busy in classes delivering their services
are no more hence creating a vacancy that is yet to be fulfilled.
Interruption of school co-curricular learning activities
Co-curricular activities has been brought to a halt by the pandemic in schools across the
country. These activities play a significant role in development of students. They are an
essential part of school life and helps in enhancing learning process of students at school. Co-
curricular activities are meant to bring social skills, intellectual skills, moral values,
personality progress and character appeal in students. Undoubtedly, the halting of these
activities in schools means the absence of the benefits it creates in learners.
Effect of staff working from home
Staff members with underlying conditions which can expose them to COVID-19 have been
allowed to work from home, consequently this has affected negatively their delivery of
teaching services more so in practical subjects which need one on one presentation to the
learners. For example; subjects such as Biology and chemistry which require demonstration
by the teacher before the very students like when introducing them to basic laboratory
equipment and apparatus such as; microscopes, preparation of the slides, examination of the
slides and drawing of the inferences from the practical lessons. Harwin (2020) argues that the
impact of the virus on the science subjects in the institutions of higher learning has been so
adverse that it has even slowed down the work of researchers on more information about the
virus itself.
44
Conclusion
The foundations of education systems have been impacted significantly by the rapid spread of
the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, creating uncertainty regarding the implications for
education in the country. To mitigate this effect, the government and the stakeholders in
education should therefore invest robustly in ways to control and contain the virus spread and
bring it to a halt.
References
Lau H, et al. (2020). Internationally lost COVID-19 cases. Journal of Microbiology,
Immunology, and Infection. Wei Mian Yu Gan: China.
Aristovnik A et al. (2020). Impact of covid-19 on life of higher education students. Wuhan:
China.
Harwin, Alex (2020). COVID-19's Disproportionate Toll on Class of 2020 Graduates.
London: Pitman Press.
World Bank, (2020) “Assessing the Economic Impact of COVID-19 and Policy Responses
on Sub-Saharan Africa,” Africa‟s Pulse: Lagos. Nigeria
Effects of COVID-19 To Education Management in Kenya
Kerich Jonah
Introduction
Education is an integral part of humanity and society. Lack of Education gives birth to
mammoth social problems like in health, internal conflict and leads to poor living standards.
Education enables people to be creative and innovation by which it improves an individual‟s
living standards and way of thinking. On March 15th
2020, the Kenyan government closed
all the learning institutions countrywide to contain the spread of the virus. The schools
remained closed and forgotten and by 7th
July the education Cabinet Secretary, Dr George
45
Magoha announced that, the 2020 calendar was to be considered lost due to the pandemic
restrictions as per the Ministry of Health protocol.
The Reality of the Pandemic and its Effects
According to Makena when the schools were closed, the students had to go home without any
hope when they were expected to resume their studies. Most schools opted to teach online.
Segero Adventist (a Private School) began the online classes. Teachers and students received
online mode of teaching with an ease until it was announced by the government of Kenya that
the calendar had been lost. Most subjects failed to be taught as the students opted to
concentrate on Sciences and Mathematics. Makena says that she prioritized her limited
internet data to download learning materials for Mathematics and Sciences. The subjects like;
Christian Religious Education, English and Kiswahili languages were left unattended. Subject
imbalance in terms concentration by the students really affected students especially the
candidates of 2020/2021 have been affected and they might not be able to balance their
subjects and will affect their results so badly.
Schools play a paramount role in the protection of children especially girls in poor,
vulnerable and marginalized communities. There are almost 100,000 schools closed which
led to over 18 million Pre-Primary, Primary and Secondary school learners which were
confined at home. Due to the low level of ICT literacy and accessibility of devices like
laptops, and internet enabled gadgets. The health protocols restricted learners and teachers
from movement, students were exposed to pornography materials, drug and substance abuse,
increased rape cases, and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) including teenage defilement. Such
ills led the students and teachers to be predisposed to possible psycho-social challenges
including depression.
In management sector, with schools re-opening, most Private Schools were closed down
because of financial constraints. Due to loss of jobs by parents, most of them were unable to
raise the school fees to pay. Private Schools charge higher amount as compared to public
schools. Kenyan Private School Association, says, approximately 400 Private Schools were
forced to close because of the pandemic affecting 56,000 students.
Mutheo Kasanga, “We have a very big supply gap on our country and our population is
growing.” The School Management has a great challenge as it is a big challenge to raise
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funds to run schools to run schools in a day to day activity of the schools. Most teachers
quitted teaching in Private schools while others moved to business and public sector to be
employed by Teachers Service Commission (TSC). They were frustrated during the
pandemic period because the Private Schools stopped paying them; the management has a
posed challenge on getting competent teachers to teach especially the candidates, the schools
are understaffed while the duties are overwhelming.
According to Mutito, there is challenge of discipline, when students stayed at home for so
long, they were exposed and influenced by different sites, they watched movies and got
influenced negatively. Long breaks corroded the student‟s compass in terms of morality. The
students are now showing open disregard to authority and school work. When they are
assigned manual duties they retaliate while others are thinking of strikes. Students who are
hooked to drugs during the break will take so long to withdraw; some are stressed
psychologically to the point of stabbing teachers. With the high rise of indiscipline among
students, the management of Schools is always engaged in disciplinary rooms with cases
dealing with indiscipline students, this has really diverted the objectivity of the school in
pursuing academic excellence. When a student at Kisii School stabbed two teachers, it might
have been thought to be an isolated case of indiscipline, two days later another students at
Makwerero High School in Nyamira County allegedly attempted to slash the school Deputy
Principal. Students are burning down schools. All these are under the management to handle.
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Keeping Social Distance
With the school- reopening, the school management has a challenge of accommodating all
the students. Due to social distancing, the dormitories and classes are not enough to hold the
capacity. Schools have been forced to go an extra mile of studying in an open air in order to
observe the Ministry of Health Protocol like: accessing sanitizers, Ministry of Health
sensitization materials about COVID, inadequate face masks, inadequate water tanks, getting
lidded bins, hand towels and thermo guns. All the requirements need money while the
schools are running on a floating budget. The management is faced with a challenge on how
to purchase enough lockers and desks in order to comply with the expectations by the
Ministry of education.
Inadequate Resources
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The educational management struggles so much in realizing how things should be done.
COVID-19 being a new pandemic is a real challenge to the school management as they don‟t
know how things must be done; hence, the school management is forced to fumble on the
best way to go.
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Use of Face Masks in Public Places
Conclusion
In conclusion, the school management is at the crossroad thinking on how to deal with the
massive challenges and effects that have been brought about by the pandemic. It is the
mandate of the school management to go an extra mile and make the system keep running
like before despite the numerous bottlenecks. They can consult the experts to curb the
loopholes in the educational sector.
References
Abrode, A., Anifowoshe, O., Ayode, T.I., Iretiago, A.R., &David, O.O. (2020). Impact of
COVID-19 on Education in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Brand, S.P., Aziza, R.Kombe, I.K., Agoti, C.N., Hilton, J., Rock, K.S.…& Barasa, E.
(2020). Forecasting the Scale of the COVID-19 Epidemic in Kenya. Medxiv.
Bryson, J.R., & Andres, L. (2020). COVID-19 and Rapid Adoption and Improvisation of
Online Teaching: Creating Resources for Extensive Versus Intensive Online Learning
Experiences. Journal of Geography in Higher Education.
50
Masaviru, M. (2020). From Physical Classrooms to E-Learning and Online Teaching: A
Case Study of Light International School, Mombasa.
Effects of COVID-19 to Education in Bomet County Kenya
Simon Kariuki Ngugi
Introduction
The first case of COVID-19 was reported on March 13th
2020, the government took drastic
measures to protect its citizen against further spread. On March 15th
2020, all learning
institutions were closed three weeks before end of term one. Abrupt closing of school did not
only affected learning but also assessment and evaluation and co-curricular activities which
were ongoing (Njenga, 2020).
Challenges Facing Education
The education calendar suffered a big blow with increase in number of infected persons, in
July 7th
2020 with upsurge of infected person to 8000, education cabinet secretary announced
that 2020 education calendar will be considered lost. This announcement caused
psychological and emotional torture to learners especially those in final year, like class eight,
form four and colleges and university final year students (Kathula, 2020). These became even
more alarming when a suicidal case was reported from a candidate. Stake holders committee
was formed to avert the situation. The government, through recommendations made by
stakeholders committee, decided to adjust the school calendar to recover the lost time. By
October 12th
2020, the school reopen for term two for candidates, form four and class eight
and also grade four being pioneers of CBC. Some students did not reopen with the rest, cases
of early teenage pregnancy were reported. In Gorgor primary two girls were impregnated.
The long period learners stayed at home had deteriorated performance, although KICD had
stepped up to facilitate learning through digital platforms like Kenya education cloud, TV,
radio, education tech-app among others, most of our students did not access learning. Only
40% of Kenyans owns mobile phones, 24% of which owns smart phone, laptops, computers,
and internet accessing gadgets (Schumacher and Kent, 2020). The KNEC assessment results
proves that majority of Kenyan learners not learn. In Gorgor primary school, out of 49 pupils,
38 did exam. The first pupil scored 258 out of 500 marks, while the class had a mean score of
51
195 out of 500 marks. This in relation to first term where the class had a mean of 247 out of
500 marks, a negative deviation of 52 marks.
COVID-19 has impacted children‟s social interaction (Lugunzo, 2020). Not only is COVID-
19 caused by a virus that exhibit flu like signs and symptoms: coughing, sneezing, fever,
shortness of breath, among others, but also like SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome),
the virus spread through cough droplets and interacting closely with infected surfaces and
persons by touching, hugging, shaking or being close in a poorly ventilated place like
classroom. Learners in basic education are in high risk of being infected or infecting others
since they are in close contact with other students, parents and teachers (World Health
Organization, 2020).
The government set up health protocol to combat the spread of the virus. These protocols
includes: regular hand washing with clean water and soap or using alcohol based sanitizer,
fumigating or disinfecting surfaces, covering mouth and nose with mask and keeping the
social distance. To adapt the „new normal‟, it requires each and every person to take
responsibility (Mutahi, 2020), hence the ministry of education developed the following
guidelines for schools phased before and after opening: school building and compounds to be
disinfected, clean soap and water to be provided, social distance marks to be indicated
between desks and on compounds, guards at the gate to check temperature of all persons
entering and keep records of contacts, all persons in the compound to mask at all time,
restrictions on games and co-curricular activities, suspension of assemblies and parades and
not allowing visitors in the compounds unless cleared by head teacher among others (Mbogo,
2020).
However implementation of these regulations have been marred with various challenges
(UNESCO, 2020). In Gorgor primary school, with an approximate 52 pupils per class, it
becomes very hard to maintain social distance of 1.5 meters, given the limited resources.
They shares 2-3 pupils a desk, interact during learning and while playing in the field.
52
Most pupils wear masks even if it is not the recommended standard by WHO of N95. Few
who forget wear are not sent back, because it was noted that they go picking the damped
mask. These become more hazardous, although the teachers advises them correctly. There are
six points of washing hands even though supplying soap is a challenge due to financial
constraints. Therefore hand washing may not be as effective as it should be.
Hand washing with soap and clean water
Fumigation or disinfection of surfaces also rarely happens. One thermo-gun is available
against a population of 537 pupils, hence maintaining daily health record for all leaners and
staff becomes a challenge. Mostly learners exhibiting flu-like symptoms and all visitors
Inability to keep social distance due to class size.
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undergo temperature check.
Conclusion
The government of Kenya have tried to address some of the above mentioned challenges like:
coming up with new educational calendar to recover the lost year, provision of masks to
schools with high population and in slums, providing desks, training teachers, public
awareness through mass media among others, however much more is required from
government and all the stakeholders. Parents should provide masks to their young one,
community and religious based organizations should team up with government in providing
materials and resources needed such as desks, soap, detergents and buildings. Teachers
should be good role models in observing COVID- 19 protocols, provide counseling and
ensure protocols are followed.
References
Lugunzo, H.M (2020) A Theoretical Study of the Impact of Corona Virus Crisis on Learner‟s
Social Interaction in Kenya‟s Learning Institutions. GPH-International Journal of Education
research 3 (04) 09-19. IJO Journal.
Kathula, D.N (2020) Effects of Covid 19 Pandemic on the Educational System in Kenya.
Journal of education 3 (6), 31-52. Stratford Peer Reviewed Journal and Books Publishing.
Mbogo, R.W (2020) Leadership Roles in Managing Education Crisis: The Case of Kenya
During Covid 19 Pandemic. European Journal of Education studies 7 (9). Oapub.org
Njenga, G (2020) The Impact of Covid on Education in Kenya. Journal of Education 44 (1)
1-25. Kenya connection.
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Editor
Linda W. Mugo
Indeed COVID-19 challenges educational managers to be creative and of course invest more
in education to build a sector that is more resilient to uncertainties in future.
Glottrec Community Championing Menstrual Health Education in Murang‟a County during
COVID-19