Parents' insights on schools reopening during the pandemic: voices from Kenya

Author: Samuel Kimeu, Executive Director, Africa's Voices Foundation (AVF), February 12 2021 - The COVID-19 pandemic overwhelmed the education system all over the world. The closure of institutions of learning, compounded by economic and public health crises, posed major challenges to parents, students and teachers. The education sector lacks sufficient infrastructure and human resources to support learning and training in a pandemic context.

Many governments across the world have reopened schools for learning. With the pandemic still with us and some governments considering closing learning institutions once again, it's time we think through and determine how best learning can take place while ensuring that the pandemic does not find a breeding ground in the schools. This is the main challenge learning is grappling with during this period.

At this point in time, it is only wise for governments and all stakeholders to understand what learners, parents, teachers and schools are struggling with to meet the COVID-19 protocols. Efforts should also be directed towards areas that need more support. This will enable teachers do their work effectively, learners to recover the lost time, and schools to deliver on their goals and excellence and contribute positively to the flattening of the COVID-19 curve.

Even though parents and the majority of stakeholders are in agreement with schools reopening, there are underlying concerns about the spread of the virus and resurgence of the pandemic in some parts of the world if proper measures are not adhered to.

In November 2020, at Africa's Voices Foundation (an organisation that specialises in creating platforms for engagement of citizens and decision-makers using a combination of radio broadcast, SMS and mixed method analysis to make sense of these conversations), we conducted a project called Awareness Creation and Feedback Collection on COVID-19 Through Interactive Radio Shows in Kitui and Makueni counties in Kenya. (Editor's note: For a summary of, and access to, the final project report, click here.)

Through the interactive radio shows, we conducted three radio episodes that sought to create awareness and gather feedback from listeners on COVID-19. In one of the episodes, we sought to gather information from parents on the impact of COVID-19 on education, especially with schools reopening.

Almost half of the participants demonstrated there is a stronger need for schools to reopen as long as measures are taken to reduce risk of COVID-19 spreading in schools.

"In my view concerning covid as a parent, I am supposed to be in the forefront in making sure my kids have to wear their masks, therefore if I have prepared my kids with masks, the teacher should also have masks." Woman, 62 years, Kitui

Some participants gave recommendations on how to make schools safe enough.

"Every school should have its own doctor....Parents should teach their children to follow government protocols." Woman, 58 years, Kitui

Some of the respondents who engaged in the session had questions about the measures and precautions in place to ensure schools were safe. Others inquired into what sanctions the government had put in place against schools, teachers and staff who did not adhere to the prescribed guidelines.

More women than men suggested recommendations for schools to be made safe by following Ministry of Health protocols and adopting guidelines such as the deployment of health workers in schools. This gendered perspective is important, particularly in placing women as pillars in ensuring health protocols are promoted and observed.

Other episodes covered what families are doing to protect themselves against the pandemic and economic hardships as a result of COVID-19. Across the three episodes, 1,200 participants sent in a total of 2,300 messages on COVID-19.

Unlike before, there has been better appreciation of the importance of investing in essential services, key among them being education and health systems. It is important that the government puts in place mechanisms of engaging with school stakeholders on the progress and challenges faced in implementing COVID-19 prevention guidelines in schools with a view to collaboratively and proactively addressing them.

Image caption/credit: Listening group session during episode 3 of the radio sessions in Kitui County in November 2020. AVF.

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