EDITORIAL: Address parents’ worries – Business Daily

Across the world, governments are working on overdrive to find safe ways of reopening their economies and resuming normal activities amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In Kenya, among the considerations is how to safely reopen schools in September without compromising the health of our children.

Education Secretary George Magoha has proposed that classrooms be trimmed to between 15 and 20 learners per session from an average of 40 as part of maintaining the social distancing rules.

The measure, while good, leaves the government with only two months to effect it.

This raises several concerns given that most public schools are overcrowded. Is the government ready to build new classrooms with an already tight budget? Should this not happen, where are the other learners expected to go?

In addition, the government should also retrain teachers, provide hand sanitisers and washable masks for all learners and ensure that health and safety measures are observed.

Most Kenyans are opposed to the September reopening for fear of coronavirus infections among children amid a spike in cases in the country.

The job at hand for the government and learning institutions is an uphill one, which requires time and synergy among all stakeholders, including parents.