RETURNING TO SCHOOL DURING A PANDEMIC - A WISER INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE
The government of Kenya has been positive and supportive of getting girls back to school. Kenya re-opened its schools in January and despite the reservations, parents trooped back to school in droves accompanied by their children. A lot of concerns were raised on COVID-19 Protocols and Guidelines but the Ministry of Education assured the country that social distance and the respective protocols will be adhered to. True to its word, the ministry has tried to ensure that schools follow strict protocols. Speaking to Dorcas Oyugi, Principal of Wiser International, I came to discover the extent of the effect of these protocols. The students, in addition to the hard psychological hit form COVID-19 have been greatly affect by the new protocols. These protocols dictated further separation of classes and addition of new streams. Best friends were separated and class teachers changed. These may seem like miniature problems but they have greatly affected the girls. Dorcas further unpacks for me the challenges of COVID-19 Protocols and distance learning.
Following the closure of schools because of the COVID 19 pandemic, WISER International School started an online learning program to constructively engage their students while at home. To do this efficiently, they distributed hard copies of learning materials to those who were not able to access the program because of lack of access to stable data network connectivity. WISER engaged their alumni interns to distribute the education materials.
In addition, WISER NGO availed a smart phone to effectively run the program. The entire WISER faculty were fully engaged in this program. They set up weekly zoom meetings to FastTrack content transmission to and from the students, correction of the students works done, students-teacher consultation and monitoring participation through online student class registers. During the school closures, Wiser had to hold a fundraiser to buy girls smart phones to enable them attend schools seamlessly. This was because family members and predators had started using the smart phone access as bait to lure girls into sexual exploitation.
In addition, being at home also meant being vulnerable in terms of healthcare. When some of the girls got sick, they could not access health care as they did in school where they are covered under the national government schools` insurance scheme called NEMIS. As such, some stayed home sick and could not adhere to distance learning schedules. Times were harder for student mothers who could not concentrate once their children got sick at a time when hospitals were paying special attention to COVID-19 patients. The prolonged stay-at-home period resulted in the increased number of pregnancies and in some cases child labor accelerating girl’s dropout rate as these circumstances led to despair and loss of hope for a better life.
It is against this background that Dorcas saw it necessary to conduct home visits to ascertain that girls were in conducive learning environments at home. Some of her findings were devastating. Poverty levels had increased with the decrease in socio-economic activities within the community, sinking many families into abject poverty. Starvation threatened most families who even felt like stealing the smart phones meant for distance learning to sell and get food. The fact that there were additional mouths to feed hurt and devastated most households. The schools had provided a safe haven for the girls and also lessened the economic burden from the parents. Through the lens of WISER, which is not only a school but also a community driven organization, the board quickly came together to try and assist their students’ families so that their girls could learn in peaceful and stable environments. As such, a monthly relief program was instituted where students came to school in small groups to receive supplies worth Kshs. 3500 in form of food stuff such as maize, beans, rice, sugar and wheat flour and hygiene products such as bar soaps and sanitary towels coupled with return transportation cost. This largely cushioned the students and their families who were seriously devastated by the effects of the COVID 19 Pandemic. WISER ensured that each trip a student made to collect supplies was coupled with a counselling session on sexual reproductive health & psychosocial support by the WISER faculty members.
Come time to re-enter school, Dorcas noted the girls were really affected and had separation anxiety that was exacerbated by further separation protocols in schools. There were separate meal times to ensure strict distance protocols. Shared eating is a treasured African practice where people bond. This was no longer an option. There was also a lot of anxiety over who was infected and this led to unnecessary rifts and accusatory glances every time a student had a cough. Through collective counselling amongst the staff and with the girls, Dorcas built a trust system and a safe space for everyone in the Wiser vicinity. Their new country director Grace supported Dorcas by instituting a new anonymous suggestion box meant purely for SRHR issues which helped understand what the girls have been going through. In some cases, the girls shared their names and were privately reached out to.
The reason WISER`s approach is unique is that we must really be aware and alive to the fact that, it is NOT enough to tell a girl to go back to school. It is not enough for the governments to have positive re-entry policies. There must be a plan to alleviate the causes preventing girl’s re-entry. Many times, Community Driven Organizations bridge that gap by being front line and first responders to domestic issues girls face, sometimes in total violations of their rights. CDOs get justice for girls in cases of early marriages, GBV & SGBV event against their own families and provide safe havens for them and eventually facilitate their re-entry. Despite the free education government policy, there are underlying costs like uniforms and books and food and sources of energy needed at home, water that prevent girls from fully being a present student. By Dorcas making the sacrifice to visit each home at great personal risk to her health, she served as reminder to households and parents that they would be held accountable for their actions towards the girls. For the girls, it served as a protection matrix and a promise that one day, they will return to the safe haven that is school.
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Blog Post written by Anika Dorothy Jenne, AMPLIFY Coordinator