State will ensure safety of learners amid Covid, Education CAS Bonaya says
Education CAS Mumina Bonaya (left) and Isiolo TSC Director Alex Cheruiyot during a visit at Isiolo Barracks Secondary School on November 22, 2020.
Education Chief Administrative Secretary Mumina Bonaya has reiterated the government’s commitment in ensuring safety of learners who are currently in schools and the others who will report back in January amid a surge in Covid-19 infections.
While some schools have been hit by the virus with a number of learners and teachers infected and some dying from the coronavirus, Ms Bonaya said the government has put in place a raft of measures to stem the spread of the disease which has claimed over 1,300 lives in Kenya.
Speaking in Isiolo over the weekend, the CAS cited the Sh1.9 billion school desks and lockers programme and installation of hand washing facilities in learning institutions across the country as some of the ways meant to ensure that learners observe social distancing and a high level of hygiene.
To ensure learning is not disrupted, the CAS warned teachers against sending learners home over fee arrears, saying that the government is committed to ensuring the students transit to the next level.
“We are committed to ensuring the safety of the learners and stemming the spread of coronavirus so that the academic calendar is not disrupted,” said Ms Bonaya.
Education CAS Mumina Bonaya (centre) distributes sanitary towels at Waso Girls Secondary School in Isiolo on November 22, 2020. on November 22, 2020.
Face masks
While distributing face masks to Form Four students at Isiolo Boys' High School, Ms Bonaya, who was accompanied by Isiolo County Director of Education Hussein Koriyow, appealed to the candidates to take their education seriously ahead of national examinations set for March 2021.
The CAS asked chiefs and their assistants to trace Grade Four, Class Eight and Form Four learners who are yet to report back to school and ensure they resume classes.
She raised concerns over pregnant girls and boys said to have left for initiation rites who are yet to resume learning and directed school heads to liaise with chiefs in tracing them.
“We need to visit their homes and talk to them, encourage them and ask them to go back to school and continue with learning like others,” she said when she visited Waso Primary School.
Ms Bonaya also distributed sanitary towels to girls in the primary school and those in Waso Secondary School.
