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International schools have aborted a plan for the second phase reopening of its institutions that was slated for October 26. In a circular to the institutions, Kenya Association of International Schools notes that the decision was reached following a surge in infection rates. “The earlier advice to recall our other year groups including our early years from the October 26 is hereby vacated. In-person learning will continue only for final year and key transition years /grades,” it reads. The circular dated October 22, and signed by the association head of secretariat notes that those already in school will continue their stay in school as the Education Ministry plans to conduct an audit on the reopening. International schools, just like other institutions began Phase One reopening for in-person learning on October 12. However, despite the institutions proving the ability to accommodate their entire student population they were restricted to only prioritize final year and key transition years/grades. “Irrespective of the availability of space, all International Schools shall strictly adhere to a reopening that mirrors the stated levels as outlined by the Ministry of Education for national curriculum schools,” an earlier memo by the association reads. Phase Two of the reopening was set to commence on October 26 and was to consider the other classes. “At the time, Kenya’s Covid-19 positivity rate was below 5 per cent. Since then, the positivity rate has spiked and now stands at a high of 14 per cent,” the circular reads. It further goes on and notes that the Education Ministry had made a decision to postpone further reopening of other levels for in-person learning. This, Mwangi says, will give a chance to conduct an audit of this initial phase and iron out a decision model for reclosing and reopening schools as needed due to a resurgence of community transmission. For those taking the British curriculum, the key transition years per curriculum include those in year 6,8, and 9, while those taking Exam Years will include those in year 10,11,12 and 13. Mwangi further notes that the institutions will continue offering a hybrid academic model blending in-person and virtual learning. “In order to build resilience and ensure continuity of learning amid the pandemic, a hybrid model that incorporates in-person and virtual learning is encouraged so as to minimize the number of learners present in the school at a time,” the circular reads. So too, the association has given leeway to the institutions to revert to virtual learning should in-person learning of any kind is impossible to implement.

Kindergartens of Privilege: How much parents are paying as nursery fees Friday January 24 2020 Grade 2 for Kindergartens at Sabis International School at Runda in Nairobi. PHOTO | SALATON NJAU | NMG How much should early childhood education cost? For bespoke education, some Kenyan parents are willing to pay up to Sh2.7 million for children aged under seven years, in addition to extracurricular activities like learning how to ride a horse or playing musical instruments. As incomes grow and more people born in financial hurdles seek a higher social status for their children, investing heavily in the early years education, which starts from one and half years to six years, has become the new luxury. Carol Ondembo, a mother-of-two, has a daughter who attends an international kindergarten. For her four-year-old at Braeburn Imani International School, she pays Sh111,800 per term. By the time the child finishes kindergarten she will have paid more than Sh1 million and even spent more on primary, secondary and university education. Mrs Ondembo says that it is not really about the amount of money spent on fees. “There is more a parent pays for than a child getting education. We pay for a child to acquire good mannerism, get exposure that she would not have got in a normal school and learn in a pretty good environment. My daughter doesn’t feel like she is really in school because they play and explore, which sparks their curiosity to learn more. For instance, they are allowed to take bikes to school. The school has a bike track. The school assembly is also open, allowing parents to participate,” Ms Ondembo says. However, most important, she says, is the size of the class. “A class has between 10 to 12 children attended to by three teachers,” she says, adding that there is also a lot of engagement between the teachers and parents, which fosters learning. On whether the money is too much for a young child, she says: “I went to school over 30 years ago. Obviously, the cost of education can’t be the same. I’m not sure I look at this in terms of money spent but more of how my daughter is embracing the learning process. And to that end, I am happy.” Another parent whose son is in Year Four at Braeside Primary School joined the institution at the crèche level for half a day. This is a class for babies in the British curriculum where they are cared for during working days. For the six years that her son has been at the school, she has so far paid about Sh3.7 million and the cost keeps rising. Last year, a survey found that Nairobi is the most expensive city in Africa for international schools, charging fees of up to Sh2.9 million a year, thanks to the high demand for international education.   Kenya Association of International Schools Head of Secretariat Jane Mwangi. PHOTO | COURTESY Jane Mwangi, the Kenya Association of International Schools Head of Secretariat, says these institution are favoured because they provide curricula that are skills and competence based be it the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE), International Baccalaureate (IB), French baccalaureate, Montessori or stand-alone curriculum. “In these schools, a child is their own competition. A teacher reports progress of a particular child and assessment is mostly summative as opposed to formative. That is, is a pupil able to perform a task? That is why the schools charge that much for that quality of education,” Ms Mwangi says. “Despite the high fees, the pupils can read, write, express themselves, understand their bodies, go to the toilet unaccompanied and function independently than they could without this foundation,” she says. These international kindergartens, which also court foreigners living in Kenya, have to hire qualified graduate teachers who are paid on average Sh100,000, invest in top-notch facilities akin to those in the US or UK, extras that are passed on to parents. Keeping in mind the elite class as the target market, the schools have digital whiteboards instead of the common chalkboards, the play areas are rubber-tiled to prevent accidents and they have clinics with professional nurses unlike in the old days when a matron doubled up as the doctor. “The cost of running the schools is too high. For instance, the toilets and other facilities have to be customised for the small children,” Ms Mwangi says. For years, early learning was not the focus of the Education ministry and parents too. Parents and teachers started most private early year schools and it is this same gap that the international schools are trying to fill. Sh220,000 for playschool There are currently more than 40 institutions under the Kenya Association of International Schools and more investors are setting up elite schools. What parents favour in these schools is the focus on activities outside the classroom, which are an additional cost. “It’s an entire lifestyle with play. Swimming is compulsory as it is considered a life skill, with other add-ons like horse riding, soccer training to help them identify the skills at early ages,” says Ms Mwangi.   A heated swimming pool for Kindergartens at Sabis International School at Runda in Nairobi. PHOTO | SALATON NJAU | NMG Others include skating and enrolling at Swim Africa, a renowned programme for babies and toddlers to master the strokes and prepare them for competitive swimming. “The extra-curriculum is good for their minds. They get to experience a lot and have a different approach to education. A child gets to appreciate why they are doing a certain activity rather than being told they have to do it,” says Ms Mwangi, who also has a child in an international school. Kindergarten education starts at the age of three years, but some parents take their children to playschools and paying around Sh220,000 a year. At playschool stage, children do sandpaper writing; practically learning without recognising and at the same time registering new things in their minds. “At three years, they