Government Response to Teaching and Learning Processes During and Post COVID-19 Pandemic in Kenya

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic had widespread and unprecedented effects on food security, healthcare, agriculture, economic activities and livelihoods as well as in the educational sector (Workie et al., 2020). It affected the teaching and learning trends around the globe (United Nations, 2020). Many learning institutions were closed to control the spread of the pandemic and the education sector had to make reforms and innovations in the sector to adapt to the apparent crisis worldwide. Most educational institutions abandoned physical learning and began to offer education virtually de facto following COVID-19 emergence and irrespective of the resultant outcome and for both formal and informal learning approaches (Kamanetz, 2020; Sun et al., 2020; Zhao & Watterston, 2021). In virtual learning, student-student and student-instructor interaction, supplying of learning materials and assessment was done via the internet (Kumar et al., 2021). Teaching was done using the internet, traditional postal offices to send learning materials to learners, mainstream media such as radio and television unlike the conventional approach of physical learning and teaching. Learning in this case was either synchronous or asynchronous. In synchronous learning, students learnt similar concepts in analogous approaches at the same time while in asynchronous learning, students learnt at their own time and pace after being supplied with learning materials and information at various campuses and sites (Kumar et al., 2021). The learners as well as the instructors responded proactively to support the new shifts in the education sector. The United Nations highlighted about this transformation stating that the pandemic, “stimulated innovation within the education sector” (2020, p.2) following the quick uptake of virtual learning by both instructors and learners across all educational levels. Bashir et al. (2021) also noted that despite the lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic leading to the closure of colleges, universities and schools; teaching, assessment and learning was not ceased in the institutions since online contingency plans to continue education via digital interfaces were rapidly adopted and implemented, though at varied levels.

This chapter examines the role of the pandemic in infusing change in the teaching and learning process of higher institutions. The logic is from the rapid transition to virtual education, the need to make our education system adaptive to future pandemics and hence, a need to rethink about and inculcate flexibility unlike the traditional educational system. Several authors noted that despite the rapid transition to virtual learning and the adaptability by both learners and instructors, it is key to highlight the successes gained and the challenges experienced as such information will inform future trends in the education sector and in particular, the need to blend virtual and physical learning to make knowledge acquisition holistic (Lemay et al., 2021; Nicklin et al., 2022; Stoian et al., 2022). In particular, the chapter focuses on the responses by the government with respect to providing education during the pandemic and the lessons taken in terms of policy adjustments in the post COVID-19 era.