Magoha: School social distancing a big challenge

The government is grappling with how to ensure pupils adhere to social distancing when schools reopen in September.

Prof Magoha said experts from the ministry of health had advised that classrooms, which hold an average of 45 students, be decongested to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

“We’ve been advised by the ministry of health that a class should have between 15 and 20 students. You all know this is going to be a big challenge because schools do not have sufficient learning facilities” he said.

The country has about 24 million primary and secondary school students, and social distancing means more than 15 million will have to find alternative learning facilities.

Some schools, especially in urban centres, have more than 70 students in one classroom.

The problem will be worsened by a crippling teacher shortage, which stands at 130,000 across the entire basic education sector. This means schools cannot effect radical timetable changes or split classrooms into manageable sizes to adhere to the health protocols.

Besides, thousands of teachers are well into their fifties, and therefore, in the age cohort thought to be most vulnerable to Covid-19. Since they cannot realistically work from home, their absence from school will only deepen the staffing problem.

Prof Magoha said the government was racing against time to ensure that schools have the necessary health requirements, including sanitisers, thermo guns and hand-washing tanks before they reopen.

He spoke in Kitui County when he toured the Kitui County Textiles Centre to assess its capacity to manufacture quality face masks for school children. Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu, who took him around, said the factory could produce the required number of masks within the stipulated period.

Rivatex and the National Youth Service will also be given orders to produce the masks.

“There will be no negotiations about pupils wearing masks in school. This is giving me sleepless nights because in order to give each pupil two, we must produce 24 million in the next 45 days,” Prof Magoha said.

The CS also added that head teachers will be required to report to schools two weeks before they reopen to ensure their stations meet the required conditions to ensure students’ safety, and also to be trained on how to handle Covid-related cases.

Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu who took Prof Magoha round Kicotec said the factory was ready to deliver the masks within the stipulated time.

Governor Ngilu said her team will ensure the product are of the best quality as per the prototype generated jointly by health and education experts, in order to ensure even smaller pupils are well protected.

The minimum requirements upon reopening have been outlined as clean running water and soap for hand washing or hand sanitizers.

The health and safety of the children will come first and therefore learning institutions will also be required to sanitize often-touched objects such as door knobs, light switches and stair railings with disinfectant.

An Infotrak poll released on Sunday showed 70 per cent of the citizenry is opposed to reopening schools before the pandemic is contained.

President Uhuru Kenyatta on June 1 asked the Education and Health ministries to chart a road map towards reopening the institutions of learning.

Of concern, though, is that the increasing number of cases in the country is a sign that the virus is not under control yet.