Economy

Poll shows 75pc of learners missing out on homeschooling

pupils

The government shut schools indefinitely on increased coronavirus cases. FILE PHOTO | NMG

Education sector players have criticised homeschooling for entrenching inequality after it emerged that over 75 percent of learners are missing out on the available services.

Findings by Usawa Agenda — a not-for-profit company — show that only an average of 22 out 100 children are accessing online learning in the country.

This is despite insistence by Education Cabinet secretary George Magoha that children are engaged in coordinated remote learning during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The government should acknowledge the fact that there is no systematic remote learning going on and communicate that publicly,” said Usawa Agenda in its recommendations.

It reckons that such admission and a public announcement will help ease the tension that is mounting among a majority of the children who cannot access digital learning.

The survey titled ‘Are Our Children Learning? The Status of Remote-learning among School-going Children in Kenya during the Covid-19 Crisis sampled household heads, headteachers and sub-county officials.

It shows that a child in a private school is twice likely to be accessing digital learning compared to their counterpart in public school.

“Continued claims that there is learning going on is building anxiety, especially among candidates, who feel that their ‘lucky’ colleagues are leaving them behind,” said Emmanuel Manyasa, executive director, Usawa Agenda.

The government shut schools indefinitely on increased coronavirus cases with the Ministry of Education introducing electronic and digital lessons to prevent disruption of the school calendar and curriculum delivery.

Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) was charged with the mandate to design and implement the project accessed through radio, TV, computer and smartphone.

The survey established that only 10 out of 100 learners accessed digital KICD material and 42 out of 100 digital learners accessed TV lessons.

It also established that 27 out of 100 digital learners accessed materials sent by schools through WhatsApp.