Kenya: Teachers Service Commission releases guidelines for tutors to resume teaching

The Teachers Service Commission, Kenya has released guidelines for tutors to resume teaching even before the reopening of schools in January 2021, according to a news report by Kenyans.ko.ke.

Teachers have been asked to submit their current locations and start teaching small groups of students in their localities.

"The commission has directed that all teachers under its employment shall undertake community-based learning without charging parents, with effect from August 12 until further notice," TSC CEO Nancy Macharia said in a circular.

Teachers were told to utilize social halls and other community spaces to teach not more than 15 students at a time for a maximum period of four hours per session.

Villages and estates without adequate social halls and open spaces will have to utilize nearby schools.

School heads were directed to visit their institutions at least once a week to supervise and monitor the program.

Tutors will have to develop an activity program to teach agriculture, and life lessons apart from the normal curriculum.

The community teaching will utilize radio, TV, or online content to impart knowledge.

Apart from the onsite learning, teachers will also have to create an activity program for parents to take their children through.

The program targets more than 10 million learners in public schools that are not receiving virtual lessons like most private academies.

The children have been home since March when schools were shut to contain the spread of COVID-19. They remain closed until next year.

With many study weeks lost and cases of early pregnancies and drug abuse among learners reported each day, the community-based program is expected to ease parents' burden.