Serge in coronavirus cases in the country has cast doubt on the planned full reopening of schools on Mondays with teachers, parents representatives urging caution.
Grade 4, class eight, and Form 4 learner reported to school on October 12 and the rest of the learners were expected to be recalled after two weeks – subject to the consistent reduction of coronavirus infections in the country.
But the plan has been put in limbo since the Ministry of Health has not given the green light after a spike of Covid-19 cases, setting alarms bells in a move that could trigger a possible return to lockdown.
The positivity rate of the virus has increased to 12%, a 4% increase, a low rate that had informed partial reopening of schools.
The Ministry of Health is yet to approve the plan to allow the learner to get back to schools. This is even after the Health CS Mutahi Kagwe hinted of a possible resumption of stricter measures if not the current trend is not reversed.
Officials at the Ministry of Education are now point accusing figures at their Health counterparts for lack of guidance on the fate of other learners.
Education CS George Magoha who suggested that other learners would be resume learning after two weeks of resumption of the first lot is expected to give direction on the full reopening of learning institutions this week.
“The ministry will observe the situation in one or two weeks, then we recall the other children. We shall recall them when the time is right,” Prof Magoha said.
The Education Taskforce on Covid-19 last week recommended the partial reopening following a lower positivity rate.
The team then advised that other learners should reopen after two weeks.
It has emerged that members of the task force have not met since they last made the recommendation to review the situation.
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“The information from the Ministry of Health is discouraging,” said a source in the Education ministry told Nation Africa.
The chair of the National Parents Association, Nicholas Maiyo, told the Nation that they will petition the government to close schools in case learners get infected.
“We’ve not had a case of Covid-19 in schools so far. Our worry is social distancing when schools are fully opened since we have more than 15 million learners. We are also calling for the supply of high quality and reusable masks. Many parents cannot afford to buy them and most of their children are in boarding schools, where they cannot access shops,” Maiyo said.
