Schools and parents across the country are doing last minute preparations as schools reopen on Monday.
In Migori county, many schools are facing a nightmare to maintain social distance among learners in the wake of poor infrastructure.
A spot check by the Star on Sunday across several schools in the county showed fumigation taking place.
Speaking on the phone, Migori county education officer Elizabeth Otieno said distribution of 18,700 desks to 150 primary and 164 secondary schools was “90 per cent done with last payment for contractors being finalised.”
She said government gave 70 desks to primary schools that benefited and 50 to secondary schools.
“We are ready for schools to be re-open and want all parents with students in Migori schools to ensure that they all go back to school,” Otieno said.
She said already fumigation of schools was done and they have trained school heads, teachers and board members on the best response against Covid-19 in case of outbreaks in schools.
“We have also formed committees around schools which also included health facilities for quick response in case a case of a case,” Otieno said.
She also said they have ensured all schools have thermoguards and soaps for handwashing.
But Uriri MP Mark Nyamita on Sunday while leading fumigation of all 155 public and private public and private learning institution in his constituency and Ndemra Primary School head teacher Jared Nyakie separately said what government did was not enough.
“The truth of the matter is that maintaining social distance in schools will be a nightmare, we have classes with over 100 students and government has not released money to NG-CDF kitties,” Nyamita said.
The legislator said the fumigation exercise he undertook was done by personal donation of his friends.
“We need government to put an executive economic stimulus purely to improve schools infrastructure through the NG-CDF kitty,” he said.
Nyakie said the school has 500 students and still lacks water, functional toilet, classes and the move by government to improve infrastructure skipped them.
“We did not even get facemasks from government, we are afraid how parents will afford to get them for their children when paying for fees was hard,” Nyakie said.
Nyakie and Nyamita called for more to be done to salvage the situation.