The education system in Kenya has undergone many transformations – from 7:3:3 to 8:4:4 to now Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC). All these systems are meant to resolve the emerging issues and curb the problem of unemployment.
The biggest tragedy is that most of the service men and women in the education sector have little or no knowledge of the goals of education. Some of them are just in those offices because of their political loyalty.
The education industry is one of the industries that determine the current and future state of a nation. If it is not well handled, then there’s a looming failure and struggle in the next generation.
There’s a loophole, right away from the Ministry of Education (MoE) to bodies under it such as Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC), Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), and Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
There is a problem also in the unions; Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) and Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), among others.
If I may just briefly mention about CBC, many of our current learners have very little content in their heads compared to their age group in the previous system (8:4:4).
Most of the schools are yet to acquire the required facilities that can at least ensure 80 per cent of the objectives of CBC are achieved. The most affected lot is the pioneers, currently at Grade 8.
This group will really struggle in the job market. They are overloaded with more than the required learning areas that are being taught by limited number of teachers.
For instance, in government schools, most have two teachers who are handling 14 new learning areas. Most of these teachers are not comfortable with what they handle. They are doing it so as to earn some salary.
Most of the JSS teachers are interns – a demoralized lot. Above all, majority of schools have not blended well the primary and the JSS teachers since some of the heads of institutions have discriminated against the teachers in JSS.
Honestly, there’s little learning in our institutions, especially in public institutions. The body mandated to employ, deploy, recruit, transfer and pay teachers – TSC – has done so with a lot of cruelty, leaving many of its employees with scars, cries and broken hearts.
On the outward, teachers may seem alright, but they are hurting, yet no one is listening to them. The unions that were the voice of teachers have been compromised by the employer, leaving the teacher to his own devices.
Worse still, the Kenyan parent has never understood the humiliation that these teachers undergo.
Teachers will always put on a brave face before the parent and assure them that all is well. To all parents reading this article, let me just let you know that all is not well.
Teachers are currently using a mantra ‘teach and go home’. Though misguided, what else can they do? The slogan simply means ‘don’t stress or overwork yourself’. You might just as well interpret it this way: No need for intensive and extensive follow-ups on that child; what they do is up to them.
We are losing a generation, we are losing our ideals, we are losing good people, and we are losing ethics. We inherited a well guided culture, character, behaviour and ethics, but we are passing over weak, shambolic and wrecked ethics.
Parent, government, education stakeholder; wherever you belong, you have a role to play.
By Pamphil John
E-mail: pamphiljohn@gmail.com
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