Parents must keep learners on straight and narrow during long holiday

Kibera children

Children play soccer in Kibera, Nairobi County on April 11, 2021. They are home for a lengthy April holidays this year.

Photo credit: Sila Kiplagat | Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

  • If last year’s long break is anything to go by, parents must do better at providing guidance, especially for girls.
  • It was also apparent that a big number of boys were left unattended, with some straying into drugs and child labour.

With the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination results out, parents and guardians must brace themselves for another long period of providing proper guidance to the youngsters.

Unlike the past when the children moved to Form One in less than a month after getting results, the 1.2 million KCPE class of 2020 will remain at home until July.

The long home stay has been forced on us by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Ministry of Education had to reorganise the school calendar and streamline terms to ensure learners do not lose the whole 2020 academic year, which was marked by a long closure.

But while the long stay at home will provide ample time for parents to find school fees, it will also come with challenges.

If last year’s long break is anything to go by, parents must do better at providing guidance, especially for girls. Many girls were pushed into marriages or became mothers last year. 
In fact some gave birth as the KCPE tests went on last month.

It was also apparent that a big number of boys were left unattended, with some straying into drugs and child labour.

Though the government provided online and broadcast learning, the programme could not reach all pupils, especially those in far-flung areas. 

Remain responsible 

Even then, many parents failed to provide the discipline that could ensure learners remained focused on the programme.

Parents therefore must not let down our KCPE candidates. Since all of them are assured places in high school under the 100 per cent transition policy, we must devise ways of mentoring them  to remain responsible. 

We should also do this for Grade Four competency-based curriculum pioneers who will spend the same period at home.

This holiday has coincided with President Uhuru Kenyatta’s order on Covid-19 containment measures.

While the holiday was an ordinary school break, the context of the third wave of the pandemic has to be taken seriously by the learners while at home.

Though they were used to wearing masks within the precincts of their schools, it is important that this and other safety measures are upheld during outdoor engagements. 

Ideally, the safest thing would be to stay at home as much as possible. Learners themselves have a responsibility in flattening the Covid-19 infection curve.

Parental support

Unlike the past when parents organised academic and social activities usually at centralised places, the luxury has been put on hold because of the pandemic.

Such groupings would pose a potential for infections. We must encourage learners to study from home and minimise contact with others.

The holiday should provide a chance to perfect other skills and strengthen family ties. For those who can afford, there is a chance for learners to use online technology.

The most important thing that came out of the first lockdown was the increased parental involvement in the academic progression of learners. Our education system cannot survive without the collaborative efforts of the two most significant institutions - the school and home. 

The learners must advance their scholarship in both spaces, meaning parental support is key. The boys and girls at home are counting on this support to keep advancing their academic work.

Alongside academics, learners are encouraged to keep on initiating, participating or supporting other constructive activities. Upholding these and other gains will ensure the break will be productive.

In sum, this being the longest of the breaks in the school calendar, parents and learners are encouraged to keep safe, catch up academically and develop skills and values. 

Mumina Bonaya is the Education Chief Administrative Secretary Email:[email protected], Twitter: @muminabonaya