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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.

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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

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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.

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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