Allow Grade 4 learners to be back in school

Grade Four learners completed Third Term in March and will join Grade Five on July 26.

Only learners in Pre-Primary One, Grades One, Two and Three, Standard Five to Seven and Forms One to Three have reported to school for the third term from May10 to July 16 this year. Grade Four learners completed Third Term in March and will join Grade Five on July 26.

Schools reopened after a seven-week break to a unique crash academic programme amid tight health measures due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Third Term is usually the shortest in the school calendar and will last only two months.

A total of 1,392,385 Grade Four learners, 347,636 in 14,086 private schools and 1,044,749 in 23,157 public schools, are still at home. That is despite efforts by private school owners to initiate extra-curriculum programmes to accommodate the learners at school during the two months they will be at home. Education CS George Magoha has, however, ruled that out.

Parental responsibility

The disagreement is not healthy. The parties should iron it out. According to the Children Act, every child has the right to education. All should have the means to go to a classroom and have access to books and other learning materials that can enrich their intelligence and skills.

The five Ps of child protection are prevention, paramountcy, partnership, protection and parental responsibility. Most parents are happy when their children are in school as they don’t need to employ people to look after their children at home. But here is a Grade Four pupil, who is under 12, is at home but his brother or sister in Grades One to Three is studying, or he or she is the one guiding the sibling to school.

Homes have become dangerous as there are many cases of fire, rape, abduction and injury to which children who are left alone are exposed. Children can also leave home to go and steal, be knocked down by a vehicle or even get lost.  The best remedy is to have this child in school.

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