Thursday, 30 April, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Children in Kenya are facing the greatest disruption to their education in living memory due to closure of schools as a measure to prevent further the spread of COVID-19, says Save the Children. Since the directive was issued by the Ministry of Education for schools to close by 20th of March 2020, an estimated 16,528,313[1] learners in Kenya are out of school, from Early Childhood Development Education to Secondary school learners.

Besides offering a critical pathway to employment and supporting children to become productive and informed citizens, education also plays a critical role in keeping children protected through a safe and consistent place to stay while their parents are at work, nutrition in the form of school meals, and where necessary ensuring vulnerable families have access to more specialized services like psycho social counselling, assessment and possible referral for specialized interventions

The closure of schools is not only preventing children from learning and enjoying all the other benefits that education provides, but it is also exposing children to increased risks of abuse, neglect, child labour, and human trafficking. The closure of schools and containment measures means children are confined in spaces with possible perpetrators. Reports have shown that parents are the most common perpetrators of violence against children[2]. Girls are more likely to drop out of school completely since they face a disproportionately larger burden for caring for family members who contract the virus, and taking care of younger children while their parents seek work. Girls are also at greater risk than boys of negative family coping mechanisms increased risk of sexual exploitation, early and unintended pregnancy, and child, early and forced marriage. In this crisis, Save the Children has noted the profound effects on the psychosocial well-being of children and youth, especially when the routine of schooling and the sense of normalcy that this routine provides were disrupted.

Save the Children calls for the Ministry of Education to urgently ensure that systems for inclusive remote learning are in place, recognizing school closures will hit the most marginalized children hardest. It’s also vital that local and the national government supports and equips teachers with the skills to provide quality distance teaching.

Particular priority should be given to children who cannot access digital learning tools. These are children from low-income households, rural and marginalized areas, those with disabilities and children from the refugee camps.

Wang Le, Country Director Save the Children Country Kenya and Madagascar said:

“It will cost more if we don’t act now. We know from other public health crises, that once older children lose access to education, they are less likely to return. This is also the case for the most vulnerable children, who end up in child labour, child marriage and facing other life threatening protection risks. For younger children, even a few months of missed education can have long-term effects on their lifelong learning, requiring additional and intensive remedial efforts to catch up.”

Since the start of the outbreak, Save the Children continues to respond to the needs of communities in countries impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. We are supporting distance learning by sensitizing families on the available radio lessons being offered by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development and working towards providing radios where necessary for continued learning, particularly in Dadaab refugee camp in non-formal schools, Nairobi informal settlements and Arid and Semi-Arid counties in Northern Kenya. We are also providing remote counselling and psychosocial support for children and sensitizing communities via mass media on the increased risks for children and how to protect themselves during this pandemic. We will be leading back to school campaigns when the worst is over to make sure that the most vulnerable children return to, and stay in school.

About Save the Children

Save the Children has been providing support to children in Kenya through our development and humanitarian programmes since 1950. We work with communities, local partners, and the government to design and deliver programmes to meet the needs of the most deprived children. We also advocate for greater investment of public and private resources for children.