By Jane Mbagi Mutua - Director Program Development and Quality at Save the Children 

The poorest and most marginalised children are being hit the hardest during this pandemic and many may never return to school.

All over the world, closure of schools has been one of the key control measures for Covid-19.

It has been a difficult choice that has affected the balance between education continuity and protection rights for children in order to flatten the curve and control the pandemic.

Already, we are witnessing an increase in cases of child abuse, neglect of children and child labour while children are at home.

Adolescent girls are especially at risk of sexual and gender-based violence, child marriage and teenage pregnancy.

RISING TEENAGE PREGNANCIES

Four months on, many counties are reporting increasing cases of teenage pregnancy, which means these girls will most likely not return to class when schools reopen.

While we must applaud the Ministry of Education and the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) for rolling out digital learning for primary and secondary schools, we have to face the reality that many children from low-income families and rural areas have no access to the internet or devices to facilitate distance learning.

A Save the Children report, “In their own words”, based on views collected from children in Turkana, Bungoma and Wajir counties, found that many respondents could not access the lessons on television, radio or the internet.

They said they were bored at home and doing a lot of domestic chores. Innovative solutions are needed to help ensure that children, even in the most remote areas, can continue to learn.

School closures have meant much more than loss of education for many children. They also means taking away safe places where children can play with friends, have meals and access health services, including for their mental health.

RESPONDERS AND PROTECTORS

Teachers are often frontline responders and protectors for children who might suffer abuse at home. With school closures, these safeguards fall away.

The government, partners and donors all need to come together and protect education during this crisis. First, we need to have a coordinated education action plan that is inclusive, gender-responsive, monitored and held accountable where all the stakeholders within the school system are involved.

Plans should also be put in place to ensure infection prevention control measures for safe school reopening, as well as provision of psychosocial support to learners and teachers as they have all been affected by the effects of Covid-19.

Secondly, the government must continue to prioritise investment in education, as it does towards health and economic recovery, to ensure we build a resilient and better education system that can withstand future shocks.

It is time to ensure that all children continue to learn while schools are closed through inclusive distance learning and continued payment of salaries and incentives for teachers.

Thirdly, children must be kept safe while out of school. We need to ensure that child protection reporting and referral systems are enhanced so that cases of child rights violations are dealt with quickly, fairly and effectively.

This article was first published on the Daily Nation on July 21, 2020.