Despite the ongoing floods causing widespread damage, the Ministry of Education has reaffirmed that schools will reopen on Monday, May 6, as previously announced.
In a circular dated May 2, 2024, Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu emphasized that the rescheduled opening date remains unchanged, underscoring the importance of prioritizing the safety of children.
Machogu urged parents to ensure their children arrive at school punctually, while also calling upon institutions to implement measures to safeguard learners amidst the persistent heavy rainfall.
“Ahead of the schools opening on May 6th, 2024… the prevailing weather conditions pose accessibility challenges due to flash floods, swollen rivers and landslides thus affecting the transport system for learners to and from school. Parents are, therefore, required to ensure that their children safely report to school on time,” Machogu stated.
“All heads of institutions, field education officers, parents and stakeholders are urged to prioritize the safety and wellbeing of learners, teachers and school community guided by the Meteorological Department weather forecast reports released from time to time.”
While the Ministry acknowledged the severe damage caused by floods to certain schools, resulting in infrastructure destruction, it stated that these schools will remain closed due to concerns about the feasibility of learning taking place.
Machogu pointed out that the sanitation facilities might have been compromised, potentially posing health hazards to students.
“In some cases, the school infrastructure may be unsafe for use by learners thereby affecting their readiness to resume learning… This poses a health risk due to contamination of water sources, which may lead to an outbreak of waterborne diseases. BOMS, headteachers and principals are directed that students and staff should not be hosted in life-threatening buildings,” Machogu noted.
In efforts to ensure the safety of students, CS Machogu emphasized that Education officials have been assigned the task of devising strategies to enable learning and enhance safer access to educational institutions.
Given that many schools are currently sheltering individuals displaced by heavy rains, Machogu instructed field education officers to collaborate with local government authorities to secure alternative accommodation for students.
Furthermore, Education officials have been instructed to supervise the sharing of resources among neighboring schools to maintain continuity in learning activities without interruptions.
Consequently, School Boards of Management (BoMs) have been instructed to evaluate the impact of the floods, convene urgent meetings, and submit reports to the County Education Boards (CEBs), who will in turn report to the CS.
