Students Stranded Following Abrupt Closure Of Schools
The sudden closure of schools on August 2, 2022, threw the education sector into disarray as parents scrambled to get their children home safely.
Some students were left stranded because their parents were late picking them up, and prior transportation arrangements made by schools were disrupted.
Parents polled across the country said Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha’s directive on Monday should have been communicated sooner.
Students at some Nairobi schools, including Buru Buru Girls, Huruma Girls, and St Anne’s Girls Jogoo Road, were still waiting to be picked up by parents or to receive bus fare at noon.
Rockfield Junior School administrator John Misigo said the sudden closure caught many schools off guard.
The Ministry of Education issued a circular directing all school administrators to send the children home by midday.
Schools were also required to implement safeguards to ensure that all students arrived home safely. However, the closing day was marred by confusion.
Many students were stranded at the city bus station. Some students claimed they had not received bus fare and were relying on their pocket money, which was in some cases insufficient.
The chairman of the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association, Kahi Indimuli, admitted that the directive had caught parents and teachers off guard.
He stated that students who were inconvenienced could stay in their institutions a little longer.
“Some schools may be forced to accommodate the students for an extra day to allow parents to arrange on how to pick them, especially boarding schools.”
Some parents had to miss work to pick up children from different counties. Others had spent all of my money on school fees and had not expected schools to close on such short notice.
A matatu driver on the busy Nairobi-Mombasa road, John Mwadime, warned that scores of secondary school students were stranded.
“We stopped at Taru trading center to pick passengers, among them students. The students claimed they did not have bus fares and were boarding lorries. This is dangerous for the young girls because they could be molested,” said Mr. Mwadime.
The management of ENA Coach, one of the main bus companies that travel between Kisumu, Nairobi, and Mombasa, stated that they were forced to make unplanned trips.
The company’s Kisumu manager, David Alaka, told The Standard that they had to cancel several bookings to accommodate learners, but that wasn’t enough.
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The matatu and bus termini in Murang’a County were clogged as students struggled to find affordable transportation home.
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Students Stranded Following Abrupt Closure Of Schools
