Learning institutions in Kenya have been closed since 15 March 2020 in a bid to curb the spread of Coronavirus. The government of Kenya has now announced a tentative reopening date for educational institutions of 19 October 2020, with teachers directed to report to schools by 28 September 2020. On 15 September 2020, the Ministry of Education issued health and safety guidelines on the physical reopening of educational institutions that will apply to pre-primary schools, primary, secondary, adult and continuing education centres and teacher training colleges.

We highlight some of these guidelines below:

Preparations on the reopening of institutions

Educational institutions are required to implement hygiene protocols and social distancing measures, and must identify an emergency health facility to conduct regular health monitoring and sensitisation. They are also required to submit a preparedness assessment tool (annexed in the guidelines) to the Sub County Director of Education two weeks before reopening and seek the issuance of a letter of compliance.

Operations after the reopening of institutions

An institution is required to constitute a COVID response committee to coordinate response strategies. Anyone at the premises must wear face masks at all times. An up-to-date register of contact and next-of-kin information on all learners, teachers and non-teaching staff should be maintained, alongside the collection and maintenance of health records of an institution’s learners, teachers and non-teaching staff. Institutions must comply with the provisions of the Data Protection Act, 2019 when collecting and processing personal data.

The renovation and maintenance of the institution’s sanitation infrastructure should be accompanied by the regular cleaning and disinfection of an institution’s buildings and surfaces.

Institutions are expected to submit weekly health and safety reports to the Sub-County Director of Education. 

Social distancing protocols

Social distancing of at least one meter will be required in all shared areas, including the classroom/lecture halls/laboratories, boarding facilities, washrooms, administrative offices, library, dining hall and transport facilities. All gatherings or group activities are suspended until further notice. Instead, institutions are encouraged to utilise other methods of communication with their staff and students, such as the use of memos, mobile chats, text messages and emails to minimise physical meetings.

Vehicles must not carry more than 50% of their capacity, and records of the passengers and their respective pick- up/drop off points must be maintained.

Hygiene and sanitation protocols

All learners and staff must be trained on respiratory and hygiene etiquette and institutions must have a qualified nurse in charge or make arrangements with local health centers to manage any health-related issues. The sanatorium or sickbay should be equipped with emergency medical supplies and maintain a proper record of patients.

Liquid soap and water should be used and where they are not available, learners should not use alcohol-based sanitisers without adult supervision.

Where an institution suspects that a learner or staff member has contracted Coronavirus, they should inform the County Rapid Response team and the relevant parents, isolate the person in the designated room as they wait for the response team, and later on clean and disinfect the room.

Where an institution is closed to curb the spread of the virus in the school, the guidelines provide that it should continue its education through other flexible learning environments, such as the use of online strategies, the access of offline learning materials to learners without internet connectivity and the use of blended learning.

Non-compliance with the guidelines and specified protocols

The guidelines urge institutions to ensure implementation, failure to do so will mean they will not be allowed to provide education services until the necessary plans are in place. The guidelines are not meant to operate in a vacuum, as they should be implemented alongside the Public Health Act and the existing legal frameworks.

Going forward

As the education sector awaits an official announcement from the President on the official reopening date, institutions will have to establish a balanced and clear-cut strategy on how to apply these guidelines with the participation of all their stakeholders. In Petition No. 143 of 2020BPA v. The Directors, Brookhouse Schools and Others, the court held that schools need to consult and gain consent from parents before implementing policies or changes.

These guidelines herald the start of a highly monitored and regularly disinfected education system when schools reopen to their learners.

Please refer to the Ministry of Education guidelines for a deeper analysis.