Covid-19 Response

The closure of schools during the Covid-19 pandemic meant students needed digital learning platforms to ensure that they could continue their studies and resume attending school once they reopened.

On 15 March 2020, the Government of Kenya (GoK) announced that all learning institutions in the country would close to minimise the spread of Covid-19. Schools closed on 10 April, cutting short the first term of every early childhood centre, primary and secondary school by three weeks.

The announcement surprised education providers as none had prepared for this unprecedented event. In Kalobeyei, a crowded refugee settlement in Turkhana West, the closures meant that over 17,000 students were out of school. FCA developed a plan to deliver learning materials to students as they waited for schools to reopen. Further interventions were needed to ensure that parents, students and communities were also equipped to continue students’ learning. Digital learning platforms were urgently needed to ensure that when schools reopened, children could continue learning.

As a result of the school closures FCA implemented the following:

Students

Procurement and distribution of solar radios with lights to students at home so that they could listen to lessons on air.

Acquiring airtime at a local radio station so that teachers could broadcast lessons from the Government curriculum to students.

Producing information, education and communication materials such as brochures, stickers and posters about COVID-19 and broadcasting the timetable of radio lessons.

Teachers

Training teachers through a virtual mentorship programme with teachers in Finland to help them conduct home-based learning.

Schools

Installation of hand washing points in schools along with the supply of sanitizer, soap and the distribution of 10,000 reusable facemasks to students. All FCA primary and pre-primary schools were fumigated and awareness of Covid-19 was spread through radio programmes on local radio stations.