Human Rights Dimension of a Pandemic: Evaluation of the Effect of Covid 19 on the Right to Education in Kenya.

Abstract

The Covid-18 pandemic has had many political, social, economic, and cultural impacts on people's lives. The pandemic has altered regular human interactions. The education sector was among the worst-hit sectors by the pandemic. This study analyzes the human rights dimension of a pandemic: evaluation of the effect of covid 19 on the right to education in Kenya. The study was guided by three key objectives, to investigate the inequalities in the access to Education brought about by COVID-19 Pandemic, to examine the underlying Covid-19 factors hindering the right to access to education in Kenya and to evaluate the strategies that be employed to enhance optimal access to education in the Covid-19 and post-Covid periods. To analyze this, the study used the Classical Liberal Theory of Equal Opportunities advanced by John Locke in 1688. This study adopted the mixed-method design of data collection and make use of both qualitative and quantitative. The target population of the study 384 respondents comprising of Unesco officials, United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ministry of health officials, Ministry of Education officials, and Academicians. The quantitative data were analyzed through Statistical Package for Social Sciences Version 21 were as the qualitative data were analyzed through content analysis. The findings of the study were that the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic threatened access to education. The majority of the reasons caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have hampered access to education, which is a child's right under the Kenyan constitution. The study, therefore, recommends that The provision of an equal opportunity and inclusive way of making sure access to their right to education is also a move the government has to consider. This can be achieved through the government partnering up with various national media stations that are widespread to provide free learning classed for the students in the whole country.