Risk Management Seminar “Equity Issues in the Provision of Basic Education during the Covid-19 Pandemic in Kenya” by Dr. Francis Malenya

On March 29th, Dr. Francis Likoye Malenya, a Lecturer at Kenyatta University, delivered a seminar titled “Equity Issues in the Provision of Basic Education during the Covid-19 Pandemic in Kenya”. His presentation was part of the Risk Management Seminars of the Kobe University Campus Asia Plus Program.

At first, Dr. Malenya described the situation in which schools have been closed across Kenya since March 2020, leaving approximately 18 million students without education for nine months. He also pointed out the efforts of the Ministry of Education to continue educational activities during the closure period, citing the COVID-19 Emergency Response Plan developed in May of that year. Specifically, he highlighted the enhancement of an online learning platform called the Kenya Education Cloud and the distribution of learning materials.

While Dr. Malenya appreciated these decisions by the Ministry of Education to close schools and formulate emergency responses, he also pointed out that equity issues remained. For example, as of 2019, only 17.9% of Kenyan households have access to the Internet. Therefore, the benefits of deploying online learning platforms would not necessarily benefit everyone.

Dr. Malenya identified the following six equity issues under COVID-19 pandemic in Kenya: 1) disparities in home learning environments, 2) gender disparities, 3) socioeconomic disparities, and 4) regional disparities, 5) technological disparities, and 6) disparities between public and private schools. He remarked that the COVID-19 has brought these challenges to the surface, and stated that addressing them is essential to the achievement of SDG 4.

After the presentation, Associate Professor Asayo Ohba from Teikyo University led the discussion and invited questions from the participants. Dr. Malenya kindly answered all of them as time allowed. Through this seminar, we were able to rethink the nature of education in post-COVID era and learn some lessons for tackling further educational issues in the future. In addition, it was a truly meaningful opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the situation in Kenya, even though we were currently unable to visit.

Related link: ​​：Malenya, F. L. (2021). Provision of Basic Education in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Kenya. Journal of International Cooperation in Education, 24(2), pp.27-44. (Center for the Study of International Cooperation in Education, Hiroshima University. Journal of International Cooperation in Education)

Authored by Ayumu Yagi (Doctor student)