Corona Virus Pandemic: Education Ministry’s latest orders on schools’ closures

The Ministry of Education has provided fresh guidelines to schools on how to contain the Corona Virus Pandemic. This is after the President ordered for immediate closure of all learning institutions. The order came on Sunday evening.

“Following the confirmation of two additional cases of COVID-19 pandemic, His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered on 15th March 2020, that learning in all educational institutions be suspended with immediate effect. In this respect, all educational institutions are instructed to ensure that all day school learners remain at home until further notice,” says Education Cabinet Secretary Prof George Magoha.

According to Magoha, Boarding institutions have between Tuesday 17th and Wednesday 18th March 2020 to ensure that their learners are released From the learning institutions to their homes in an orderly manner that must ensure adequate social distancing to limit the potential of any exposure to the COVID-19.

Here are directives from the Education CS to schools via a circular dated 16/03/2020:

Parents who can pick their children are encouraged to do so. School principals/
headteachers/institutional heads are asked to communicate the same to parents.
Schools should make arrangements to use school buses to ferry learners to their homes or nearest designated drop-off points which must be within proximate distance to be picked by
their parents. All school buses belonging to day schools should also be mobilized for the purpose.
Schools should organize with NTSA (National Transport and Safety Authority) licensed public transport providers to pick learners from schools;

The vehicles should be cleaned, sanitized and inspected by the head of institution before boarding;
The vehicles must not carry any other passenger(s) enroute;
The vehicles should take the learners to their homes or nearest designated drop-off points which must be within proximate distance to their homes where parents should be notified to receive them.
All field officers (in the Education Ministry) must work with the National Government Administration Officers [NGAO] led by Regional Commissioners to ensure that no released learner is found unattended in bus stages.

Schools should give their learners instructions on how to keep safe on transit and while at home. In this respect, hand hygiene must be stressed and they must not shake hands or hug
anyone.
All learners are asked to keep a conscious record of people they interact with on their way home. These must be recorded for future reference.
You are required to bring the contents of this circular to all Heads of institutions in your area of jurisdiction for their immediate action.

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