Before Covid
As a Nursery and Primary School, which is both a day and boarding, learning programmes used to run from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm. In addition to teaching the national curriculum, school offered diverse activities like computer, swimming, specialized sports training and piano lessons. One can only reminisce those open faces, smiles, hugs and high-fives that children used to share within themselves. Life was at its normal for teachers, learners and school managers. Each was drawing plans for the term, or even beyond that.
Our school routine was business as usual until that fateful day of March 17, 2020 when the president ordered all education institutions closed for initially 30 days in fear of the covid-19 virus, which, till then, we only read about in the news and watched on television under International News. We were all hopeful and saw one month as nothing to worry about. Learners were sent home with homework activities to cover this timeframe. However, the next presidential directive was a lockdown extension, which was phased into 14 days, then 21, next was 28, and before we knew it, we had accumulated to months.
During Covid
Unless it was a holiday session, one could always wake up hopeful and determined. Hopeful of the life school gives, and determined to see through a week’s programs as outlined on the school schedule. The joy of children’s smiles all over the school was such a marvel. In a flash, the hope and determination died instantly. We found ourselves scrambling to maintain our children academically active. For the plight of our pupils, the school management scrambled to introduce distance learning to learners through physical print materials that they would pick, attempt and drop weekly. Zoom lessons were initiated and an online learning portal was developed to continue with the curriculum. We all at this time referred to Covid-19 as “Beautiful Trouble”.
Printed materials were prepared and parents were tasked to pick them up on weekly, however, when a total lockdown was implemented with restrictions on passenger transport, this option became unviable for parents from a distance, who coincidentally form the larger proportion of our clients.
The online interactive portal was designed for all classes, primary one through seven. Through this, weekly lessons, videos and follow up assignments were posted for the four major subjects. The System was designed with the ability for pupils to complete, submit and receive feedback. Even the parent could send feedback to the teacher through email.
In addition to this platform, zoom lessons were introduced for a primary seven learner-teacher interaction since they had to sit national exams at the end of the school year. Being new to both teachers and pupils, the start had challenges in set up, time management and ignorance of how to connect these devices. But, after a few sessions, these class sessions became effective on all fronts. Some pupils failed to consistently attend the zoom classes due to internet data, and the few who didn’t attend at all lacked the needed gadgets.
Eight months later in mid-October, schools were reopened in shifts starting with candidate classes. There was a need to create SOPs in schools. We organized all the SOPs and both teachers and pupils attended lessons from October to the end of March when they wrote the National Primary leaving examinations.
Primary six and five classes followed suit from March, till May when their term ended, followed by primary four and three which completed their eight weeks’ term on 4th June 2021. Primary six was then expected to return for a final term on 7th June, however due to the upsurge in COVID infections, another lockdown on all education institutions was slammed with effect from 7th June for another 42 days. Nobody really knows when this will end.
The normal face to face learning sessions also came with challenges of observing SOPS among pupils, especially keeping their hands to themselves and thick face masks on throughout, in addition to maintaining the mandatory 2-metre social distance.
Many parents also failed to raise the school fees in time. As such, some learners reported for the term two to three weeks late into the term, while others totally failed to turn up.
As school management, Operational Budget remains a challenge, maintaining all the needed teachers and support staff without income has been and still is our biggest challenge. We are however learning to cope with continual adjustments, flexible planning especially for the worst, as we don’t foresee any immediate end to this.
Post Covid-19
From the teachers’ front, one greatly feels the emotional sadness that comes from the social cut-off from their learners. It’s undeniably true that educators and their learners are in a relationship, one in which the absence of one party saddens the other. Even so to the children, there are no more benefits of social interaction with peers.
Many teachers are also concerned about the imbalance in society, where the closure of schools automatically means leaving behind those without gadgets. It’s an obvious thing that our society is economically classified, and obviously, the lower class only survives on the basic needs of life. To forfeit just about 100 dollars to procure an internet-enabled gadget, on a society that survives on less than a dollar a day is equivalent to insanity. Needless to mention are the highly-priced costs of maintaining an internet connection, that’s if it is even reliable.
It is notable that the pandemic and consequent lockdowns have emotional and mental consequences to both learners and educators. Many of our systems don’t possess social support systems to prepare both parties for departure and resumption of business.
As a result, the psychological and mental pressures asserted on the teachers and learners alike have no immediate solutions.
Teachers are left to engage in odd jobs to survive, or even hustle life through the unpaid periods of the lockdown, and it cannot be confirmed that they actually would return to teaching when schools reopen. Our societies direly need a “Care Before Content” approach.
Like one of our teachers said, “This pandemic is a reflection of all that was wrong with education before Covid19 hit. And, every time a crisis emerges, there is a perception that we, as teachers, are supposed to be handling it.”
Education data facts on Uganda
Kenya has benefited from its relations with the world. Multilateral, plurilateral or bilateral relationships with other countries has increased Kenyan firms and individuals market access, peace cooperations, import sources and aid. Kenya has trade relations with the United State of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran. One of the most consequential relationships between the […]
The National Infrastructure Fund Act (No. 4 of 2026) took effect on 25 March 2026 with a headline financing target: to raise about Ksh 5 trillion over ten years for highways, railways, ports, energy, information and communications technology, water and irrigation. The plan works like this. Privatization proceeds become the Fund’s starting capital. That capital […]
Introduction The matatu metaphor can be used to analytically frame Kenya’s budget as a system that is subject to binding constraints, evolving expectations, and continuous adjustment to shocks. Like the matatu sector, fiscal policy reflects a balancing act between efficiency and quick action seeking to respond to public service delivery while constrained by competing sector […]
Introduction Imagine paying the same fare to travel at 6 a.m. as you would at 6 p.m., even though the matatu is half-empty in the morning and packed in the evening. At 6 a.m., there may be more seats available than passengers willing to pay for them. By 6 p.m., the situation is reversed. Hundreds […]
Absurd hypotheticals are useful precisely because they stress-test a system until its constraints become visible. This note asks what would break first if SpaceX, now a public company following its record-breaking Nasdaq debut in June 2026, with a post-IPO market value of approximately US$ 2.5 trillion, sought a secondary cross-listing on the Nairobi Securities Exchange. […]
| Post date: Mon, Sep 27, 2021 |
| Category: Education |
| By: Martha Baka, |
Before Covid
As a Nursery and Primary School, which is both a day and boarding, learning programmes used to run from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm. In addition to teaching the national curriculum, school offered diverse activities like computer, swimming, specialized sports training and piano lessons. One can only reminisce those open faces, smiles, hugs and high-fives that children used to share within themselves. Life was at its normal for teachers, learners and school managers. Each was drawing plans for the term, or even beyond that.
Our school routine was business as usual until that fateful day of March 17, 2020 when the president ordered all education institutions closed for initially 30 days in fear of the covid-19 virus, which, till then, we only read about in the news and watched on television under International News. We were all hopeful and saw one month as nothing to worry about. Learners were sent home with homework activities to cover this timeframe. However, the next presidential directive was a lockdown extension, which was phased into 14 days, then 21, next was 28, and before we knew it, we had accumulated to months.
During Covid
Unless it was a holiday session, one could always wake up hopeful and determined. Hopeful of the life school gives, and determined to see through a week’s programs as outlined on the school schedule. The joy of children’s smiles all over the school was such a marvel. In a flash, the hope and determination died instantly. We found ourselves scrambling to maintain our children academically active. For the plight of our pupils, the school management scrambled to introduce distance learning to learners through physical print materials that they would pick, attempt and drop weekly. Zoom lessons were initiated and an online learning portal was developed to continue with the curriculum. We all at this time referred to Covid-19 as “Beautiful Trouble”.
Printed materials were prepared and parents were tasked to pick them up on weekly, however, when a total lockdown was implemented with restrictions on passenger transport, this option became unviable for parents from a distance, who coincidentally form the larger proportion of our clients.
The online interactive portal was designed for all classes, primary one through seven. Through this, weekly lessons, videos and follow up assignments were posted for the four major subjects. The System was designed with the ability for pupils to complete, submit and receive feedback. Even the parent could send feedback to the teacher through email.
In addition to this platform, zoom lessons were introduced for a primary seven learner-teacher interaction since they had to sit national exams at the end of the school year. Being new to both teachers and pupils, the start had challenges in set up, time management and ignorance of how to connect these devices. But, after a few sessions, these class sessions became effective on all fronts. Some pupils failed to consistently attend the zoom classes due to internet data, and the few who didn’t attend at all lacked the needed gadgets.
Eight months later in mid-October, schools were reopened in shifts starting with candidate classes. There was a need to create SOPs in schools. We organized all the SOPs and both teachers and pupils attended lessons from October to the end of March when they wrote the National Primary leaving examinations.
Primary six and five classes followed suit from March, till May when their term ended, followed by primary four and three which completed their eight weeks’ term on 4th June 2021. Primary six was then expected to return for a final term on 7th June, however due to the upsurge in COVID infections, another lockdown on all education institutions was slammed with effect from 7th June for another 42 days. Nobody really knows when this will end.
The normal face to face learning sessions also came with challenges of observing SOPS among pupils, especially keeping their hands to themselves and thick face masks on throughout, in addition to maintaining the mandatory 2-metre social distance.
Many parents also failed to raise the school fees in time. As such, some learners reported for the term two to three weeks late into the term, while others totally failed to turn up.
As school management, Operational Budget remains a challenge, maintaining all the needed teachers and support staff without income has been and still is our biggest challenge. We are however learning to cope with continual adjustments, flexible planning especially for the worst, as we don’t foresee any immediate end to this.
Post Covid-19
From the teachers’ front, one greatly feels the emotional sadness that comes from the social cut-off from their learners. It’s undeniably true that educators and their learners are in a relationship, one in which the absence of one party saddens the other. Even so to the children, there are no more benefits of social interaction with peers.
Many teachers are also concerned about the imbalance in society, where the closure of schools automatically means leaving behind those without gadgets. It’s an obvious thing that our society is economically classified, and obviously, the lower class only survives on the basic needs of life. To forfeit just about 100 dollars to procure an internet-enabled gadget, on a society that survives on less than a dollar a day is equivalent to insanity. Needless to mention are the highly-priced costs of maintaining an internet connection, that’s if it is even reliable.
It is notable that the pandemic and consequent lockdowns have emotional and mental consequences to both learners and educators. Many of our systems don’t possess social support systems to prepare both parties for departure and resumption of business.
As a result, the psychological and mental pressures asserted on the teachers and learners alike have no immediate solutions.
Teachers are left to engage in odd jobs to survive, or even hustle life through the unpaid periods of the lockdown, and it cannot be confirmed that they actually would return to teaching when schools reopen. Our societies direly need a “Care Before Content” approach.
Like one of our teachers said, “This pandemic is a reflection of all that was wrong with education before Covid19 hit. And, every time a crisis emerges, there is a perception that we, as teachers, are supposed to be handling it.”
Education data facts on Uganda
Kenya has benefited from its relations with the world. Multilateral, plurilateral or bilateral relationships with other countries has increased Kenyan firms and individuals market access, peace cooperations, import sources and aid. Kenya has trade relations with the United State of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran. One of the most consequential relationships between the […]
The National Infrastructure Fund Act (No. 4 of 2026) took effect on 25 March 2026 with a headline financing target: to raise about Ksh 5 trillion over ten years for highways, railways, ports, energy, information and communications technology, water and irrigation. The plan works like this. Privatization proceeds become the Fund’s starting capital. That capital […]
Introduction The matatu metaphor can be used to analytically frame Kenya’s budget as a system that is subject to binding constraints, evolving expectations, and continuous adjustment to shocks. Like the matatu sector, fiscal policy reflects a balancing act between efficiency and quick action seeking to respond to public service delivery while constrained by competing sector […]
Introduction Imagine paying the same fare to travel at 6 a.m. as you would at 6 p.m., even though the matatu is half-empty in the morning and packed in the evening. At 6 a.m., there may be more seats available than passengers willing to pay for them. By 6 p.m., the situation is reversed. Hundreds […]
Absurd hypotheticals are useful precisely because they stress-test a system until its constraints become visible. This note asks what would break first if SpaceX, now a public company following its record-breaking Nasdaq debut in June 2026, with a post-IPO market value of approximately US$ 2.5 trillion, sought a secondary cross-listing on the Nairobi Securities Exchange. […]