Studies costing a fortune due to coronavirus pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic is visiting astronomical financial burden on students. Some students are studying via Zoom and other internet-based programmes.
This costs an average of Sh300 a week. But a Kenyan has a nose for making some quick buck, when the opportunity arises.
A lot has been reported about tenderpreneurs who have become instant millionaires this year, thanks to coronavirus PPE procurement deals.
They are now expanding into education, which is one of the most affected sectors since the global pandemic struck early this year.
Secondary school students are being introduced to Zoom lessons, which is a good thing because it will make them continue with their studies during the intervening period.
The only challenge about this system is the cost of enrolling for a Zoom lesson.
Some schools are charging as high as Sh700, others Sh950. That is an average of Sh4,000 a month, which translates to about Sh20,000 for the five months, assuming schools will reopen in January as anticipated.
The question is why university students are spending much less for their Zoom lessons, while secondary schools are charging much higher.
Can’t there be a system that will cost parents and students less? There is no question about the financial implications of this pandemic on the Kenyan economy.
Jobs and other forms of livelihoods have been lost, private schools have closed shop, industries have ground to a halt.
In some first world countries, governments are giving financial compensation, which is practically impossible in Kenya.
But Kenyans just see opportunities to make a quick buck. Transportation charges have soared. It is costing the public a fortune.
Travelling between Kisii and Eldoret, for instance, that used to cost an average of Sh500 is now costing double that amount.
Owners of vehicles are arguing that due to the pandemic, they can only allow a certain number of passengers, which is compatible with government restriction on social distancing et cetera.
Which practically means that transporters are transferring the burden to a public already battered by the pandemic.
It would be prudent to strike a balance between what burden the public should carry and what service providers should handle.
The situation is such that travellers and students will be pushed to the wall, yet they don’t have a way of recouping this cost.
Parents are already suffering irreparable damage while students are staying at home.
The cost they are bearing of parenting, counselling, keeping an eye on students, especially girls, among others, is taking a heavy toll on them.
This is the time for providers of mobile telephony to show that they care for the general public that has made them rich.
They should have a system where students enrol to enjoy certain privileges in order to continue with their studies.
The public will appreciate this and they (providers) will be counted as having provided tangible services during this pandemic.
From the billions they make in profit, mobile telephony companies can afford this small favour, to students.
It is a terrible time for students. Not all of them can afford smart phones, laptops or palm tops to use for studies during this period. Yet there is no respite in the spread of the pandemic. The author is a veteran journalist and a syndicated writer
