TEACHERS' AND PARENTS' PREPAREDNESS TO SUPPORT VIRTUAL LEARNING DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN KENYA

The COVID-19 pandemic led to the abrupt closing of schools all over the world. As a result, virtual learning became an alternative to classroom teaching. Administering virtual learning has become a challenge for both parents and teachers who must ensure their children's education continuity. This study aimed to look into the experiences of virtual learning during COVID-19. A descriptive qualitative study was designed to investigate teachers' and parents' preparedness to support remote learning to gain insight into real-life experiences. A purposeful sampling technique was used to obtain data from target respondents. The findings indicate their sentiments were on virtual learning. The results show that both teachers and parents were not well prepared to support virtual learning during the COVID-19 lockdown. This issue affects all schools: public 8-4-4 schools, private 8-4-4 schools, international schools, and private schools. The results point to a weak support system for virtual education in Kenyan schools during COVID-19 outbreak affecting virtual learning delivery in the country. There is thus a need to enhance the capacity of teachers to offer virtual learning. It is also recommended that the teacher's college curriculum encompasses virtual learning courses for upcoming teachers. Parents should also be encouraged to support virtual learning by procuring computers and other communication devices for their children. Parents without the requisite skills in virtual learning should be encouraged to seek training to offer direct support and supervision of their children as they study at home. Development actors such as not-for-profit organizations should be encouraged to implement projects to strengthen access to virtual learning in schools.