[ad_1]
Millions of pupils wearing masks in Kenya have returned to school nine months after it closed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
The temperature of the students was checked and they were asked to use disinfectant before entering the classrooms.
There was enthusiasm in most of the schools when the students came together, reports the BBC’s Ferdinand Omondi from Nairobi.
Kenya reopens schools nine months after they closed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus https://t.co/DBuXrtqFZ2
– BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) January 4, 2021
Authorities say efforts have been made to ensure that students and teachers are safe.
But the general secretary of the National Union of Teachers of Kenya, Wilson Sossion, told the BBC’s Newsday program that the back-to-school plan was “inappropriate.”
He said the government had failed to provide funds to schools to purchase thermometers, disinfectants and other items necessary to implement health protocols.
Education Minister George Magoha has been particularly criticized for suggesting that schools should consider learning under trees as a way to avoid overcrowding in classrooms.
Some said the minister was expressing an arrogant attitude towards public schools, which, compared to private ones, often have fewer resources to serve their huge student population.
Kenya has reported nearly 97,000 Covid-19 cases and more than 1,600 deaths since the outbreak began in March last year.
Over the weekend, President Uhuru Kenyatta extended the curfew from dusk to dawn until March to help prevent the spread of the virus.
The BBC’s Focus on Africa program has been talking to a teacher and a student about their experiences after their first day at school.
[ad_2]
