The Kenya Private Schools Associations – (KEPSA) has unveiled a platform that’s aimed at ensuring learners in private institutions continue with their education regardless of the current pandemic. Learning materials will be made available to all private entities from a single source dubbed “Masomo Iendelee, Linda Mwalimu” meaning Education to continue and save the teacher.
While the government is doing everything to ensure learners in private institutions continue accessing their education, private schools have been adversely affected as a result of the novel corona virus with many teachers now turning to hawking to provide for their families.
The latest development from KEPSA comes amid uncertainty in private institutions and is therefore expected to bring some hope to over 11,600 private schools in the country that faced total shut down struggling to pay tutors, rents and overhead costs.
Speaking on the development, KEPSA’s chairperson Mutheu Kasanga said the move was to bridge the digital divide by ensuring online learning for the poorest child and put some money in the teachers’ pockets.
Before launching Masomo Iendelee, Linda Mwalimu virtual learning platform, private schools utilized various technologies to educate more than 2.4 million students and, in some instances, the platforms were unreliable, underscoring any efforts to tutor learners.
The latest move was made possible by a partnership between the private school’s association and Absa bank Kenya. In addition, KEPSA has also sort partnerships from digital education system and content provider EduVOD to activate the virtual schools, provide content and training for teachers.
The platform is expected to run concurrently with the government’s Community Learning Initiative that will use teachers employed by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC). The current crisis has forced many private institutions into financial crisis since a good number of them solely depend on fees paid by learners to operate.
Schools will offer their own charges to use the platform and are expected to enroll anyone from any part of the country.