consistent with a policy hence similar.
The future of this country’s
development seems to be on very
shaky ground as we have as yet to
integrate the educational system
into our Vision 2030. How are we
supposed to achieve the vision if our
educational system does not support
the dreams?
We have more or less unanimously
agreed that the 8:4:4 System has
failed dismally in addressing the
needs of the country. We have
complained of the ridiculous work
load that it places on our children
and the attendant teacher and pupil
stress but we are yet to review it.
We have made half hearted attempts
to change some aspects that were
actually silly in the syllabus but for
an unknown Kenyan reason we seem
unwilling to take the bull by the
horn and overhaul this system that’s
detrimental to our future.
We are also painfully aware that
the parallel GSE system that we
have knowingly allowed to thrive
alongside the 8:4:4 is inadequate
for Kenyan needs and is at best a
convenient finishing school for the
nouveau riche among us who send
their children abroad merely as a
social status statement.
The free education experiment, which
we know is not actually free, has put
undue pressure on classroom sizes.
The teacher pupil ratio is horrendous
and at times the best we can hope for
is that a child at least develops the
resilience and discipline of waking up
and attending school.
The children are unlikely to hear
anything even assuming that the
teacher is trained and motivated to
attempt to control an overflowing
class. Lucky are those with four walls
to the classroom as it is common
to have classes under a tree in the
scorching heat.
As if the situation is not sufficiently
dire, we also have a teachers union
that puts any trade union to shame.
The next time you hear them
speak will not be about the falling
educational standards but a new
threat to down chalk for better pay.
They are also likely to down tools for
frivolous reasons like not wanting to
be evaluated which is strange to the
extreme. To our famous KNUT there
is obviously no connection between a
teacher’s pay and a teacher’s output.
Apparently, as a teacher, you are paid
for simply turning up.
Then you have an examining body
KNEC that is more famous for
issuing hollow warnings about exam
fraud. It is an open secret that those
that are responsible for exam leakages
are employees of the same unit that
prepares the exams.
If we were to conservatively assume
that for every exam cheat that
is caught there are five that got
away, then the whole integrity of
our exam process is suspect and
certainly cannot be defended in the
international arena.
Of course the fiesta mood for these educational
Oscars was dampened by the absence of the
all important ranking of schools which gave
schools an excuse for bragging rights and
parents another reason to stress if you cannot
get your child into an ‘A’ list school.’’
‘‘The free education
experiment, which
we know is not
actually free, has put
undue pressure on
classroom sizes. The
teacher pupil ratio
is horrendous and
at times the best we
can hope for is that a
child at least develops
the resilience and
discipline of waking
up and attending
school.’’
More depressing is that any pupil
planning to cheat has the assistance
of the parents, the siblings, the
teachers and the random brokers that
are out to make a quick buck from
indolent students bent on passing our
highly competitive cut-throat exams.
So our question is: does it make
any sense to rank an exam that we
know to be hopelessly flawed and
untrustworthy?
Are we feting smart crooks or
diligent students? Are schools
resorting to criminal and fraudulent
practices to rank well for purely
commercial reasons?
Can we stop playing Russian roulette
with the country’s future and fix this
education dilemma.
Next time we see students who are
held shoulder high for exemplary
performance and they explain that
their good results is a culmination of
discipline, hard work and prayers, we
want to really believe them!