Managing Education in Kenya amidst the Covid-19 Pandemic (A Theoretical Perspective)

Abstract

The education sector in Kenya is among the greatest casualties of the COVID 19 pandemic. The educational complexities presented by prolonged closure of learning institutions have had varied impact on educational stakeholders. For majority of the population, 2020 is a lost academic year. Divergent views on managing education amidst the crisis have been proposed and different measures taken. The ministry of education has also been subjected to pressure and litigations to fully open up learning institutions in spite of rising cases of infections in learning institutions. The pressure has exacerbated with the increasing involvement of school-going children in disruptive behavior. As the ministry juggles the critical issues relating to children’s right to life, best interest, and their right to education, the need for stakeholder management has conspicuously stood out. It is at such a critical time, when the ministry is receiving a lot of limelight that the minister in-charge must call upon his leadership skills to keep the sector afloat. This article offers insights drawn from select educational leadership theories that could provide guidance to educational managers and other education actors.

Keywords: Pandemic, education, stakeholder management, leadership theory.