Education

Kenyan Private Schools in a Dilemma

As schools reopen after closure to control the spread of the coronavirus, some of them will remain closed. Some affected learners are still not sure of where they will prepare for or sit for their national exams. RoGGKenya visited some affected schools and talked to the stakeholders to understand the challenges that they are facing.

Priscila Mutego, 37, is worried after her employer decided to shut down her school rendering her jobless.

The Grade 4 teacher at Bridge International School in Maweni slum, Mombasa County, is among 400 affected teachers in Mombasa.

With nothing to do in Mombasa, she decided to relocate to her rural home in Msambweni, Kwale county .She started farming together with her family.

“I was declared redundant by the school where I had taught for close to 12 years. My life came to a standstill. But I had to collect myself and restart. I am now trying my hand in farming,” she said.

Brightons Academy in Changamwe, Mombasa County, is yet to reopen following financial constraints.

The proprietor of the school, Elder Galgalo, says he needs a grant from the Ministry of Education to reopen the school. “I cannot reopen the school because I have huge bills which must be paid but no source of income,” he said.

Priscilla Mutego in class before the COVID-19 pandemic. She is one of the many private schools teachers who lost lost their jobs. Picture: Lydia Mwawasi

Difficult situation for candidates

When RoGGKenya visited the school, deafening silence could be ‘heard’, emphasising the emptiness of the institution. Not even a watchman to guard the property.

“I had 200 pupils, eight candidates who are supposed to sit for their Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination this year. I need at least Ksh1 million to reopen. Some of my pending bills include the accruing county rates, wages, NSSF and NHIF for the seven months the schools were shut,” he said.

Galgalo has managed to place his candidates at Kimbilio Academy , another private school to ensure they revise ahead of their national examination.

Migration of learners

Galgalo said the pupils had to move to the other school with their desks to avoid congestion and observe the social distancing rule.

When he noticed that he could not reopen the school, he made a notification at the Education office in Changamwe Sub County.

Many private schools in the port city have been hit hard by the pandemic and remain shut.

The Ministry of Education through the County Office advised parents to get in touch with the head teachers of the schools and get alternative schools for their children. He added that public schools are open to everyone with the help of the County Director of Education.

According to statistics from the Kenya Private Schools Association (KPSA), over 100 schools, especially in slums are struggling to reopen.

Winnie Ouma, a parent of a Grade 4 learner, had to transfer her daughter to a public school after her school was shut down.

“I was in a dilemma, my daughter’s school was shut down permanently. She was set to sit for her Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) assessment but I lacked the fees. I am happy that she got admission in a public school in Changamwe,” she said.

In March 2020, the government through the Ministry of Education closed down all learning institutions, when the pandemic hit the country. The ministry, later on October 12, 2020 ordered schools to reopen for Grade 4, Grade 8 and Form 4 learners.

Nowhere to go

Mombasa County Education Chief Officer John Musuve told RoGGKenya that some  private schools are struggling to operate.

“I would like to advise the schools that are struggling to report to their associations which will then table them before us and find a way forward. So far, the information on my desk is that 20 to 30 schools in Mombasa are struggling but I have not been given the exact issues they are going through,” he said.

Teachers are members of various associations. Like the Kenya Primary Schools Head Teachers Association and the Private Schools Teachers’ Association.

However, he advised parents of the students who had been affected to get slots at the nearest public schools to proceed with learning.

This might be a challenge because there are not enough public schools in Kenya and private schools are trying to fill the gap.

Some parts of Kenya, like Kitengela in Kajiado County do not have a single public primary school. The existing public schools are in neighboring towns , which makes commuting a problem.

Shortage of public schools

To make matters worse, in 2019, the  government had shut down its own 1,665 public schools. 955 public primary and 710 public secondary schools were closed for not meeting basic standards provided by the Ministry of Education.

4,837 private primary and secondary schools were also closed during the countrywide assessment, bringing the number to 6,502.

Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha in October 2019 revealed that there were 3,000 unregistered schools in the country. This was after shutting down 2,000 similar schools.

Kenya Private Schools Association chairman Elisha Mwango, said, so far three major private institutions, including a secondary school, have shut down in Mombasa, due to the effects of the pandemic.

Mombasa has 800 primary and secondary private schools, but only 400 are registered by the Ministry of Education.

Moses Makori, the County Director of Education in Mombasa County, says that there are 98 public primary schools and 41 secondary schools, with over 30,000 students.

“Any proprietor struggling should come forward and report to our association so we can see how to help them. We want our members to be given grants to reopen the schools. Many parents are struggling to find schools for their children,” he said.

He added that the schools are suffering because they only relied on school fees. Makori also urged the county government of Mombasa to waive licenses due to lack of business.

Though they couldn’t operate their businesses during the lockdown, they are still expected to pay for license renewal.

“Parents are scared of paying school fees because they are not sure whether the schools will remain opened, there is uncertainty,” he added.

What journalists should do:

  1. Visit schools around your area and find out those that are struggling to reopen. Highlight their struggles.
  1. Get the number of learners whose schools were affected and find out from the Ministry of Education what plans it for them.
  1. Report any case of learners who have been denied access to public schools.
  1. Find out the status of the public schools that were shut down for not meeting basic standards. Were they improved and reopened or do they remain closed?

 

 

 

Tags
Show More

147 Comments

  1. I think this is among the most important information for me.

    And i’m glad reading your article. But should remark on some general things, The web site style is perfect, the articles
    is really great : D. Good job, cheers

  2. Howdy! I could have sworn I’ve been to this site before but after checking through
    some of the post I realized it’s new to me. Anyways, I’m definitely delighted I found it and I’ll be bookmarking and checking back
    often!

  3. Magnificent goods from you, man. I’ve understand your stuff previous
    to and you’re just extremely fantastic. I actually like what you’ve acquired here, really like what
    you’re stating and the way in which you say it. You make it entertaining and you still care for to keep it
    smart. I can not wait to read much more from you. This
    is actually a great website.

  4. Hi there! Would you mind if I share your blog with my twitter group?
    There’s a lot of folks that I think would
    really appreciate your content. Please let me know. Cheers

  5. Hi there, just became alert to your blog through Google,
    and found that it is truly informative. I’m going to watch out for brussels.
    I will be grateful if you continue this in future.
    A lot of people will be benefited from your writing.
    Cheers!

  6. Hey there I am so glad I found your blog, I really found you by accident,
    while I was researching on Digg for something else,
    Regardless I am here now and would just like to say thanks a lot for a marvelous post and a all
    round interesting blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to go through it all
    at the moment but I have saved it and also added your RSS feeds,
    so when I have time I will be back to read much more,
    Please do keep up the excellent b.

  7. Just want to say your article is as surprising. The clearness in your post is just nice and i can assume you are an expert on this subject.
    Well with your permission let me to grab your feed to keep updated with forthcoming post.
    Thanks a million and please carry on the rewarding work.

  8. I read your article. I can say that it is a really useful last post. I will definitely be waiting for your other article on the subject. A very useful text. I love following your blog.

  9. Hello there! This article couldn’t be written much better!
    Looking through this article reminds me of my previous roommate!
    He always kept preaching about this. I’ll forward this post to him.
    Pretty sure he will have a very good read. Thank you for sharing!

  10. Simply want to say your article is as astonishing.
    The clearness to your post is simply spectacular and i could suppose you are a
    professional on this subject. Fine with your permission allow me to grab your RSS feed to keep up
    to date with impending post. Thanks one million and please continue the rewarding work.

  11. It’s really a nice and useful piece of information. I’m happy that you shared this useful info with us.
    Please stay us informed like this. Thank you for sharing.

  12. Wonderful goods from you, man. I have understand your stuff previous to and you’re just extremely wonderful.
    I actually like what you have acquired here, certainly like what you are saying and the way in which you say it.

    You make it entertaining and you still care for to keep it sensible.
    I cant wait to read far more from you. This is actually
    a terrific site.

  13. I admire the useful facts you offer inside your articles. I will bookmark your weblog and have my kids check up here generally. I am fairly certain theyll learn lots of new things here than anyone else!

  14. I like the valuable information you supply on your articles.
    I’ll bookmark your weblog and take a look at again right here regularly.

    I am relatively sure I’ll be told plenty of new stuff
    right right here! Best of luck for the following!

  15. I am going to go ahead and save this article for my sis for the study project for class. This is a nice-looking internet site by the way. Where do you acquire the theme for this web page?

  16. I was very pleased to discover this page. I wanted to thank you for your time
    due to this fantastic read!! I definitely enjoyed every bit of it and i also have you saved
    to fav to look at new stuff on your website.

  17. Does your site have a contact page? I’m having a tough time locating it but, I’d like
    to send you an e-mail. I’ve got some suggestions for your
    blog you might be interested in hearing. Either way, great
    website and I look forward to seeing it expand over time.

  18. Greetings I am so delighted I found your web site, I
    really found you by mistake, while I was looking on Yahoo for something
    else, Regardless I am here now and would just like to say thanks for a incredible post and a all round
    entertaining blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to read
    it all at the moment but I have saved it and also
    added in your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read much more, Please do keep up the fantastic job.

  19. Just desire to say your article is as amazing. The clearness on your submit
    is just nice and that i can think you are a professional on this subject.
    Fine along with your permission let me to grab
    your RSS feed to keep updated with forthcoming post. Thanks one million and
    please carry on the enjoyable work.

  20. An impressive share, I just given this onto a colleague who was doing a little analysis on this. And he in fact bought me breakfast because I found it for him.. smile. So let me reword that: Thnx for the treat! But yeah Thnkx for spending the time to discuss this, I feel strongly about it and love reading more on this topic. If possible, as you become expertise, would you mind updating your blog with more details? It is highly helpful for me. Big thumb up for this blog post!

  21. This post was very nicely written :), and it also contains a lot of useful extra facts. I enjoyed your professional way of writing this post. Thanks, you have made it very easy for me to understand Interesing Links in

  22. Very well written information. It will be helpful to everyone who employess it, as well as myself. Keep up the good work canr wait to read more posts.

  23. Youre so cool! I dont suppose Ive read anything like this before. So nice to find somebody with some original thoughts on this subject. realy thank you for starting this up. this website is something that is needed on the web, someone with a little originality. useful job for bringing something new to the internet!

  24. What’s up it’s me, I am also visiting this site regularly, this website
    is genuinely fastidious and the people are genuinely sharing good
    thoughts.

  25. It’s perfect time to make some plans for the future and it is time to be happy.
    I have read this post and if I could I wish to suggest
    you few interesting things or tips. Perhaps you can write next articles referring to this article.
    I desire to read more things about it!

  26. What’s up to every one, the contents present at this website are
    in fact remarkable for people experience, well, keep up the nice work fellows.

  27. It’s a shame you don’t have a donate button! I’d most certainly donate to this fantastic blog!
    I suppose for now i’ll settle for bookmarking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account.
    I look forward to new updates and will share this blog with my Facebook group.
    Talk soon!

  28. I do consider all the ideas you have offered on your post.

    They’re very convincing and will certainly work.
    Still, the posts are very short for newbies. May you please lengthen them a little from next time?
    Thanks for the post.

  29. Excellent website you have here but I was curious if you
    knew of any community forums that cover the same topics discussed here?
    I’d really like to be a part of group where I can get suggestions from other experienced individuals that share the same interest.
    If you have any suggestions, please let me know.

    Cheers!

  30. I have been exploring for a little for any high-quality articles or blog posts on this sort of area . Exploring in Yahoo I at last stumbled upon this site. Reading this information So i’m happy to convey that I’ve an incredibly good uncanny feeling I discovered just what I needed. I most certainly will make sure to don’t forget this website and give it a glance on a constant basis.

  31. Hello there, I found your blog via Google while looking for a similar topic,
    your web site got here up, it looks great. I’ve
    bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.
    Hi there, just turned into aware of your blog
    via Google, and found that it’s really informative. I’m gonna be careful for
    brussels. I’ll appreciate in case you continue this in future.
    Many other folks can be benefited from your writing.
    Cheers!

  32. Hello! I’ve been following your website for a while now and finally got the bravery to go ahead and give you a shout out from Porter Texas!

    Just wanted to say keep up the excellent job!

  33. Can I just say what a relief to discover an individual who really understands what they are discussing on the net. You definitely know how to bring an issue to light and make it important. More people must read this and understand this side of your story. I was surprised that you aren’t more popular given that you certainly have the gift.

  34. I will right away grab your rss feed as I can’t in finding your email subscription hyperlink or newsletter service. Do you’ve any? Kindly let me know in order that I may just subscribe. Thanks.

  35. Nice post. I was checking continuously this blog and I am
    impressed! Very useful information specially the
    last part 🙂 I care for such info much. I was seeking this particular info for a long time.
    Thank you and best of luck.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button
Close
Close