Safety at school a herculean task; treat reopening idea with caution

Despite the continued spread of the virus, many countries in Africa, including Kenya, have started lifting containment measures so as to reopen schools and other institutions.

In that case, the health, safety and the wellbeing of students, teachers and support staff should be accorded special priority. A back-to-school roadmap that minimises, not only the immediate impact of the closure, but also addresses the long-term safety precautions, is a prerequisite for a return to school.

The ministries of Education, Health and Interior and other competent authorities should ensure key indicators are adhered to when deciding to reopen or keep schools open during the pandemic.

Equally, the Stakeholders Post-Covid-19 Conference slated for September 16 or thereabout to audit the response to the virus will shape the country’s grand plan for reviving the economy.

However, we need to first have crystal-clear information supported by statistics as regards the drop in Covid-19 cases.

Reports show an over 50 per cent drop in the country’s Covid-19 cases, with laboratory test positivity rate also declining from 12 per cent to seven per cent.

These assertions, however, are being disputed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and some health experts, who argue that the latest testing results by the Health ministry mask the true situation.

11.9 million learners

Kenya has 11.9 million learners in public basic education institutions with close to 350,000 teachers of on Teachers Service Commission (TSC) payroll and over 30,000 non-teaching staff in public schools. Private schools have their population to take care of.

The government must come up with clear policy guidelines to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in schools with a committee set up in each institution to ensure the full enforcement of health protocols. The school community must be provided with accurate education, information, guidance and timely updates regarding the pandemic.

Adequate learning space must be assured to facilitate safe social distancing between the learners and teachers and the modes of travel to and from school outlined.

More so, the government is expected to fully address provision of safe and healthy teaching and learning environment that includes adequate running water and sanitation.

There should be continuous voluntary testing of teachers, students and support staff at no charge. Institutions, as recommended by WHO and Unicef, should have temporary isolation rooms and sick bays run by health professionals for those who test positive for Covid-19 while in school. Where teachers and learners test positive, resumption of classes must only happen after full recovery.

Education support

As a matter of priority, the government should provide adequate teachers and education support personnel to effectively handle the extra classes and provide the requisite support and services to meet the new conditions.

 It should also ensure the return of all learners, including those with disabilities, and equity audits undertaken to identify those who don’t show up. Concrete measures should be taken to prevent and deal with Covid-19 stigma and discrimination.

The Health ministry should formulate guidelines on how to support learners and teachers with pre-existing health conditions such as HIV/Aids, diabetes, hypertension and asthma, as well as mechanisms to address symptoms of mental illness.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) — face masks, gloves and aprons/dust coats — for teachers and support staff should be provided and their use enforced. The Education ministry should provide face masks for all learners.

There should be continuous cleaning and fumigation of schools and education environment, particularly before resumption of classes, and regular cleaning thereafter.

Finally, the government should ensure social dialogue mechanisms are in place to facilitate continuous engagement with teachers and education support personnel through their representatives. This is essential in developing and implementing effective safety and health measures.