Asking KG, lower primary pupils to go home problematic – Educationist

Fellow and Teacher Expert at the Africa Education Watch, Divine Kpe, has insisted it is in the best interest of the nation for pupils at the Kindergarten (KG) and lower primary levels to be allowed to remain in school.

According to the Educationist, closing down Kindergarten and lower primary schools would not be the best approach to ensuring compliance with COVID-19 safety protocols.

There have been calls on the government to ask kids in the basic schools to go home amidst failure to observe COVID-19 preventive protocols, coupled with reports of new coronavirus cases across some schools.

Such position does not resonate well with Divine Kpe who believes KG and lower primary are the core foundations of education for every child, for which reason much attention should be given to them.

“Their education is the most critical because that is the formative year. For quality education, the child should have a good foundation, because at that stage, formidable skills can be acquired; without a good foundation, you cause problem for the child,” he told UniversNews.

He, therefore, advised schools to “rather intensify the adherence of the safety protocols in schools and the district level should make sure schools are complying to the protocols.”

“In the first closure of schools, children were at home and playing all around putting them at a higher risk. The school is an environment where it can be monitored. It is a safer place to be than at homes,” he advised.