New Strict Guidelines As Schools Are Set To Reopen

Schools have remained closed since March when Kenya reported the first Covid-19 case. Following the steady decline of the daily cases, Education CS has assured parents that schools are set to reopen before the end of the year but not without strict rules.
According to the proposals on the guidelines of school reopening the following shall be observed
Schools that report any Covid-19 case after the institutions are reopened will have to be closed, guidelines from the Education ministry states.
Schools affected by such circumstances will have to conduct classes online and ensure access to such materials to learners without Internet connectivity.
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School heads will also be required to create an isolation room for handling students with suspected Covid19 infection and have a qualified nurse.
School activities, including teaching and learning, should take place outside classrooms or lecture halls.
However, in cases where learning must take place in enclosed rooms, institutions must create space between learners to prevent possible Covid-19 infections.
For nursery schools, all children will be required to maintain a distance of at least one metre within their groups of 3-4 in the classrooms.
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Activities that involve physical contact will be substituted by other activities that allow for safe physical distancing.
School fields shall be appropriately marked to ensure learners play different games that avoid touching or holding.
The proposals dubbed ‘guidelines on health and safety protocols for reopening of basic education institutions amid covid-19 pandemic’will be adopted on Monday when the national education stakeholders meet. Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha admitted that implementing this proposal in schools will be a challenge and hinted that the Government may rely on face masks for each learner to lessen the impact.
“You know and I know and everybody in this country knows that this is going to be a challenge. The more reason we must make sure that masks are made of the right material and that they are of good size,” said Prof Magoha.
For schools that offer boarding facilities, the guidelines say boarding will be optional, allowing parents to enroll their children in day schools.
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The staff members will also have to observe strict rules as offices and staff rooms should not be congested and all staff must maintain social distance of at least one metre.
Also, break times shall be staggered to limit the number of teachers in the staff room/offices at any time.