A group of parents from Garissa want the government to think of reopening schools in January 2021 year because the country has not been declared Corona virus free. Any early reopening may cause a wave of second spike.
Ahmed Yussuf, one of the parent said that parents could not risk the health of their children by taking them back to school because of a few ‘greedy business minded private school owners’ whom he claimed were pushing Education CS Prof George Maghoa to re-open schools.
“We are not ready to gamble with the lives of our children because of a few greedy private school owners who want to salvage their business empires in total disregard of the health of our children. We shall challenge in court any attempt to reopen schools anytime this year,” Yussuf said.
Ahmed hailed President Uhuru Kenyatta’s speech on Monday where he was of the view that it was not worth the risk to reopen the schools.
“I really don’t think that our schools especially the public can implement the required steps to enforce health protocols,” he noted.
Another parent, Rahma Hussein said that Kenya should learn from countries that rushed into re-opening their schools only to shut them down after a second wave spike.
“What this hurry by Maghoha and his team. Parents and other stakeholders should have a say on when schools should be reopened. After all, the Ministry of Health has not okayed the same,” Rahma said.
On Tuesday Education CS George Magoha told a Parliamentary Committee that ‘it is time to reopen all schools in the country’ and that they were prioritizing students in class 8 and Form 4 in the second phase of schools reopening to be announced soon.
Without giving express reopening dates, the CS however said it was time the country opened its schools citing examples of neighbouring countries which have allowed their students back after the pandemic.