Education Strategies and the Right to Education During Covid-19: an Assessment of Kibra Sub-county, Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

Nations have a duty to guarantee rights of all citizens. This includes education. Kenya has ratified several human rights instruments to effect that right. Similarly, its national laws also obligate it to provide for its implementation. Quality education should be enjoyed equally as a right. The State’s response plan aimed at providing equal and inclusive access to education during and after the pandemic. Furthermore, it sought to facilitate the development of virtual instructional material for learning. The concept of critical junctures was applied in this research to highlight the potential long-term impacts of the pandemic on access to the right to education and the resulting institutional advancement or lack thereof. Furthermore, it found that the decisions and steps taken by the State in its education strategies during the pandemic have potentially far-reaching consequences on the lives of children. This disproportionately affects children from informal settlements. This study used the mixed-method design and employed qualitative and quantitative techniques. It also employed a case study and survey approach through engaging teachers and parents from five primary schools. The institutions were limited to those in Kibra sub-county. Utilizing cross-sectional survey technique, data was collected from selected teachers and parents, chosen to represent the experiences of low-income families in informal settlements. The sample frame was drawn from five schools and the sample size was fifty respondents, including teachers, parents and key informants including ministry of education officers. The schools were chosen using simple random sampling. The data relied upon was derived from both primary and secondary sources. The researcher used both semi-structured and structured questionnaires to collect data. The study suggests that the effect of the COVID 19 on children from informal settlements’ right to was exacerbated by pre-pandemic inequalities. Children who were already facing the threat of exclusion from enjoying their rights were largely impacted. The strategies outlined by the State did not sufficiently safeguard the accessibility of education for students from low-income backgrounds. Preparation of teachers to teach virtually was insufficient, as they were accorded few training sessions. Moreover, students could not access digital learning devices. Additionally, the State did not provide any resources for remote learning, and students and parents could not afford to purchase the resources. Parents’ inability was aggravated by loss of livelihoods. Some students took up manual jobs to contribute to the family’s finances. In this regard, children in informal settlements were disproportionately affected by the pandemic and the inadequate strategies of the State. Interruptions of learning caused by the directives on school closures during the pandemic led to increased drop-out. There was significant difference in children’s school performance after re-opening of schools. Thus, the challenges related to accessibility of education prior to the pandemic worsened. This study’s findings indicate that there is need for the State to develop practical strategies that ensure education continuity in emergencies on an equal basis. The study recommends that any future strategies should ensure equitable distribution of resources to safeguard education as a human right.