By Victor Ochieng’
To begin with, SWOT is an abbreviation of Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Companies borrow this concept a lot when assessing their performance and progress in the corporate world punctuated with cut-throat competition. As we all know, the aim of every viable business is to maximise on profits and minimise loses. Moreover, talented technocrats and stupendous strategists borrow SWOT Analysis alongside PESTEL Analysis when writing Strategic Plans for Organisations.
Dear reader, permit me a little latitude. I want to use the same concept to write to students poised to sit KCSE. The examination bells have blared. Candidates are in school for the homestretch. The last lap. The exam set ahead is quite important. It has the potency to make or break a person. Peak performance can open the door to the university, but poor performance can make someone only qualify for choices
Therefore, to entice peak performance, it behooves every candidate to look at all the examinable subjects.
By and large, Strengths are those subjects a candidate can score A (plain). In my interaction with students, I become blunt with them. Calling something less than an A (plain) strength, is nothing but mediocrity. Mediocrity is what we call average. Mediocrity is being on top of the bottom. Mediocrity is being at the bottom of the top. Mediocrity is being the best among the worst. Mediocrity is being the worst among the best. Mediocrity is accepting to be good yet you can be great. Mediocrity is scoring a B yet if you stretch you can scoop an A. Mediocrity is showing the symptoms of a patient yet at the onset you talked of becoming a Medical Doctor.
I remember fondly, as if it was yesterday. Less than one score years ago. When I was a candidate at Nyamninia Secondary School, in the Gem of Siaya, History and Government, was one of my strengths alongside Geography, English, Biology and Business Studies. I did not settle for less. I believed in making a marking scheme in my areas of strength. Mrs. Martha Moyi, my noble and able History and Government teacher, with a well-fed frame, can attest to this fact. That I scored 100% in that subject. Not once. Not twice. Not thrice. But times without number.
How did I make them true strengths? I focused on content mastery, and built massive powers of memory. I have transferred the same to real life situation. As an orator and writer, I know reading is breathing in, but writing and speaking, are breathing out. Therefore, I read widely and wildly, and remember ideas presented in those books. That helps me a lot to weave words well.
In those years of yore, I realised that English was a skill-based subject. So, I honed the main skills – listening, reading, speaking and writing. English was my strength from the days I was in Anyiko Primary School. I scored an A plain in KCPE because I read a lot of story books, interacted with the best compositions, and wrote scintillating stories daily. I disturbed my teachers of English at that fledgling age. Messrs Ben Achieng’, Zachariah Hamisi and Asango son of Ogutu – marked my scripts on daily basis.
I transferred the same winning habit to Nyamninia Secondary School. Right from Form One, I disturbed Mr. Ben Nyerere with essays. While in Form One and Two, I read Class Readers enshrined in the Orange Book by KICD. At Form Three level, we were introduced to KCSE set texts: An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen, The River Between by Ngugi wa Thiong’o and Shreds of Tenderness by John Ruganda. My highly-proficient teacher of English Norich Shikuku can confirm that I was among her disciples in English who read those set texts with trenchant zest and zeal.
I know a candidate can be quick to say, but Son of the Lake, you started early, all the way from upper primary. What of me who is just remaining with a few months to sit for KCSE? Can I really wrought a miracle? Yes, you can. Any minute can save a bull at the cusp of death. Just hone the skills. Listen aptly to your teachers of English. Read the KCSE set texts properly so that the content remains etched like a printed book in your mortal mind. Dear candidate, this will save you from both factual and textual errors. Marvelous mastery of the set texts will reward you with high scores in the extract (excerpt) tested in English Paper Two (Question Two) and English Paper Three (Question Two and Three).
Most students perform poorly in English because they assume that it is a strength when in actual sense it is not. The truth is, there are skills that must be honed: listening, reading, speaking (oral), writing, comprehension, critical and creative thinking. Failure to chisel these skills, beckons disgraceful grades in the queen’s language. Then, being that it is a core subject, one eventually misses to pursue a career of choice like Law.
Candidates who want to pass with flying colours in English must stop expressing themselves in the sheng slang. While in the school premises, they have to strive to use English. This in turn will seduce the best grade in English itself – and by extension, entice most beautiful grades in the other subjects – for English is the language used in setting exams. Candidates are also expected to pen their responses using excellent English.
Back to the SWOT story, weaknesses must be identified, and fixed before it is late. Every candidate must ascertain areas s/he is weak and sick. As we all know, in the medical practice, diagnosis precedes treatment. In my case, I was weak in Kiswahili, both written and spoken. I was weak than weakness itself in Mathematics. I also struggled and grappled with Chemistry, a lot. So, how did I finally manage to fix this chilling challenge?
We had a very good Kiswahili teacher. Mrs. Peninah Nasimiyu did not give up on weak students. She realised that most of us goofed a lot when it came to reading set books. Therefore, she supervised the reading of Kifo Kisimani by Kithaka wa Mberia, Utengano by Said A. Mohamed, and the anthology of short stories – Mayai Waziri wa Maradhi na Hadithi Nyingine. She also put premium on subject-based ability groupings, discussion groups, and created ample time for one-on-one, group, class and peer consultations. This is what eventually helped me to leg-up in Kiswahili.
What of Mathematics? We were privileged to have a Principal who was also a Mathematical wizard. Mr. George Onyany – a man of a short stature like Zacchaeus mentioned in Luke 19. Onyany, the man of means, short like a traditional stool, introduced Mathematics Clubs – which were close to guided group discussions, academic villages and family units. There were group exams and making of marking schemes. Our hope and help also came from all forms of consultations. Once again, one-on-one, group, class and peer consultation.
I remember vividly, a young beautiful Madam with a stocky figure who reported to our decimal day school from Maseno University for her Teaching Practice. Madam Anastasia had a jaw-dropping beauty. She was endowed with all aspects of feminine beauty. As young people would put it, some boys ‘died’ for her. I seized the chance. I was tired of abnormal performance. Scoring an A (plain) and D for Disaster in Mathematics. My conscience was clear like crystal. I knew with the persistence of this terrible trend, I would misplace the key that would leave the university door ajar. Therefore, I sought help.
It was the madam full of pulchritude that helped me to know that my problem in Mathematics was not the inability to grasp concepts. Basically, my problem oscillated around poor choice of questions in section B, inaccuracy and poor management of time during exams. Any time I sat for Mathematics paper, time seemed limited. I used to do the paper under tight tension, duress and stress.
The day I knew the tricks on how to dodge these litany of challenges, my performance in Mathematics went up. I created time to do full papers alone. I focused on specialising in topics that would help me scoop good marks in section B of any Mathematics. I toiled and moiled to get it right in Graphical Methods, Trigonometry, Statistics, Probability, Vectors, and many more. Pairing up with Mathematical geniuses like Daniel Juma Omenya helped me to pull up my socks.
I needed good grades in all the subjects to make the dream to matriculate into university a reality, not just a pipe dream. Energy, synergy and strategy helped me a lot.
The writer is an author, trainer, and speaker. www.godspenconsultancy.co.ke.
