Parents and teachers in shock as MAGOHA tells them to buy desks and foot for other COVID-19 bills in school despite Uhuru setting aside billions for the same

Tuesday, October 6, 2020 – Parents and teachers are set to finance some expenditures when schools reopen after the Government opted to share the cost of upgrading institutions.

An Education Ministry training manual signed by Basic Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang and Director-General Elyas Abdi, detailed how the Government, teachers, and parents will share responsibilities.

In the document, the Government indicated that parents will facilitate the purchasing of desks.

The Government fears that its Ksh 1.9 billion allocations towards this project may not cover all public schools. 

622,257 desks will only be offered to 5,254 secondary and 5,136 primary schools. Parents and teachers will add more desks in an effort to facilitate social distancing. 

Secondly, parents and teachers were directed to cover the cost of purchasing masks.

It would require over Ksh 1 billion for the Government to offer two masks per student. 

Parents Associations, Board of Management (BOM), and County Education Boards were also tasked with hatching resource mobilisation strategies to aid in upgrading schools. 

“Participants may have to come up with extra learning rooms, additional finances, staff (teaching and non-teaching staff), ICT infrastructure, sustainable supply of running water and sanitisers and sanitising facilities,” the document states. 

The CS George Magoha-led Ministry directed also parents, teachers, and BOMs to find and convince potential donors to partner with schools. 

Teachers and a few select parents will be taught how to create strategies and maintain policies.

The donors will aid them in ensuring that schools set measures that curb the spread of Covid-19. 

This includes having clean running water and hand washing points, construction of extra classrooms, and availing sanitizers. 

Last month, Education CS George Magoha assured parents that no student would be sent home over fee arrears. The parents will also cover the cost of tuition fees only. 

President Uhuru Kenyatta declined to reopen schools on Monday, October 26, arguing that schools were not adequately prepared to effect social distancing. 

E! News Blog