Education can be pain free during a pandemic

Are you happy with the Public Health System and its response to the COVID 19 pandemic. Let  us leave the Ministry of Health alone for today. They have enough on their plate. As a responsible citizen do your bit and follow their advice.

We will consider the Public Education System, which like the health system has public schools and private schools.Schools are two tiered for the private and public sector.The latter is supposed to be free but that will be a topic for another day.

George has children in a high cost private school – the school like others of its type, reduced school fees by 20 -30% even though the school is closed due to the pandemic. They rapidly deployed their teachers to provide online teaching , which is apparently more demanding. Lunches, clubs and other exotic activities are not costed any more but the teachers have to be paid and the expansive grounds have to be kept in fine fettle. By Gods grace George has managed to pay their fees.

Gladys is a teacher in Nairobi based National School. She and her fellow teachers are providing distance learning. The School is not collecting fees from the parents. Not all the children have access to internet.

Muthoni’s daughter is in Grade 1 in a Nairobi County Primary School, one of those European only schools, left behind after independence . The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development has ostensibly arranged to have teaching done on Radio but there are no assignments. Muthoni is at sea. She has not paid fees and her child is not benefitting from the Public Educatio system

Which school would you want your child to attend? See the attached fees of one of the best high cost schools in Nairobi. Whichever school you take your child to some financial planning is required. This is the best time to think of getting an additional education policy for your child.The fault lines in the socio-economic classification of schools have been thrown wide open. You get what you pay for. Your child gets the education that you save for.

Dr Melvin D’lima is a Financial Advisor with Britam. He helps parents secure the future of their children by advising them on appropriate educational savings plans.