Education CS Prof George Magoha will be summoned by the National Assembly for allegedly giving false information on the government’s preparedness for reopening schools during Covid-19 pandemic, The Standard has reported.
Ndhiwa MP Martin Owino, who is a member of the National Assembly Health Committee, said his committee accused Magoha of lying to Parliament that the government had put all measures for ensuring that learning by Form Four, Class Eight and Grade Four pupils would take place in a conducive atmosphere.
Such preparations included availability of sanitisers, water points, and desks for enabling the pupils to keep a social distance.
The arrangements also included disbursement of capitation fees to cushion students from being sent home due to the inability of their parents to pay school fees.
But Owino said their findings had revealed teachers and pupils in many schools live at risks of contracting Covid-19 due to lack of adequate preparations by the Ministry of Education.
“A lot of risks of contracting covid-19 still lurk in schools and that is where infections many students have been infected,” Owino said.
Speaking when he began the distribution of 1600 pairs of lockers and chairs to 32 secondary schools at Ratang’a NG-CDF office in his constituency, Owino described Magoha’s promises on the safety of teachers, parents and pupils in schools as a mirage.
The MP said that the government had also failed to disburse capitation fees to schools, a situation which had forced principals to send the children back home for fees.
He argued that the unpreparedness of the Ministry of Education had burdened parents. However, many parents are currently suffering from a financial crisis due to joblessness caused by Covid-19 pandemic.
“Many parents complain of financial challenges due to covid-19. Principals have told me they lack funds for running schools because the government has not released the capitation fees,” Owino said.
The MP said the Parliament will seek an amicable solution for the challenge facing the education sector.
“We must summon Magoha because we are concerned by the health of teachers and pupils in our schools,” Owino said.
A number of schools majorly in the Coastal region have been closed after the disease hit the region killing medics and teachers. Some of them include Tononoka Secondary School that lost principal to Covid and Star of the Sea Secondary School.