You Are Transforming Schools To Covid-19 Super Incubation Centres: Sossion Tells Government
The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) has faulted the government over its failure to fund infrastructure development in schools in a bid to curb Covid-19 infection cases among learners and teachers.
KNUT is also demanding that the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) employ and deploy more teachers since there is increased workload in learning institutions as a result of social distancing rules set by the Health Ministry.
Knut secretary-general, Wilson Sossion, accused the government of failing to provide extra facilities in public institutions, despite the spreading of covid-19.
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“It is unfortunate that the Ministry of Education has failed to provide extra infrastructure facilities in primary and secondary schools to cater for learners and avoid the spread of Covid -19,” said Sossion.
According to Sossion, the government had enough time and resources to build extra classrooms ahead of re-opening.
“The TSC and the government, besides building more classrooms, dormitories, and dining halls, should employ more teachers to cope with increased workload in schools,” the disappointed Sossion stressed.
Sossion said countries like Rwanda had constructed more classrooms to cope with the need for additional space in learning institutions, yet the Kenyan government with a better performing economy had failed to do better.
“We have failed to construct more classrooms, dormitories and libraries to cater for the learner yet countries that have poor economies have done better than us,” He noted.
The SG fears that Failure by the government to comply with basic public health protocols set by the Ministry of Health will transform schools to Covid-19 super incubation and spreading centres.
Sossion feels that the government would have at least provided masks, sanitizers and soaps to learners when the schools re-open on Monday to curb the spread of corona virus.
He also accuses the government of opening schools at a time that the health workers are on strike.
“Opening schools at a time the country faces health workers’ strikes is ill-advised,” said Sossion.
Sossion’s concerns were echoed by Kericho Senator Aaron Cheruiyot, his Bomet counterpart Christopher Langat, Konoin MP Brighton Yegon and Mr Japeth Mutai (Bureti) and Nelson Koech (Belgut), who said that the government should not experiment with school children in the backdrop of a second wave of Covid-19.
“The billions of shillings stolen through Kemsa Covid-19 deals are enough to be recovered and channelled towards expansion of classrooms, dormitories, purchase of desks, lockers and provision of other amenities to fight spread of Covid -19 in the country,” said Cheruiyot.
“Masks in public and private schools should be provided by the government to curb spread of Covid-19. The cost should not be passed on to parents and guardians,” said Langat
“The government should use the tens of billions of shillings from donor agencies to buy masks for school children.”
“The government should quickly end the strike by medics in public hospitals to deal with emergencies arising when schools re-open,” said Koech.
