By Kanchori Daniel
Following the recent efforts by the then Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi to instruct the county commissioners and all education stakeholders to rally behind the call aimed at addressing low student turn out in schools, I am of the opinion that the same public schools and education stakeholders are the main problem to the realisation of the above noble agenda.
Several public schools have been preoccupied with good results that they go to an extend of conducting interviews to students before they admit them and even charge interview fees which is a big financial burden to the parents.
The interview is normally a culture among the private schools but to subject a student from a poor family to an interview in a public school to determine their eligibility for admission is absurd and a recipe to keep a lot of students out of school.
The public schools have a constitutional mandate to admit every student willing to attend school irrespective of their political, cultural and financial status.
The interview if it must be done should be to determine the class to enrol the student but not whether to admit them or not.
If a poor student fails to get admission in a public school, where do you expect them to go if not to the streets?
The CS for Education Amina Mohammed should strike first to eliminate this ungodly act by public schools which is an impediment to uptake of free education to all.
The head teachers must stop enriching themselves through collection of interview money and subjecting parents and students to a cartel like system which has hindered many students from poor background from accessing education.
Most public schools in counties and especially within the urban centres are over stretched due to limited facilities against a huge population of students.
The Government must urgently inject funds towards expanding and building current and news schools respectively to curb the sorry state of affairs.
In addition, the head teachers must endeavour to be seen to sympathise with the parents and students from poor background rather than punish them for the Government failure to provide modern and sufficient facilities.
The public schools must be enabled to accommodate the growing number of students seeking admission rather than hindering them.
All the education stakeholders should urgently address the sad state of our public institutions so as to remedy the repercussions of poor education facilities.
The private schools have mushroomed greatly within the urban centres due to an influx of many students who fail to pass the interviews as well as manage to pay the huge charges for interviews by public schools.
The numbers are so many that some private schools have been set up within residential areas without following basic education requirements at the watch of corrupt education officers.
Can the Government urgently address the above issue which is eroding the gains in the education sector?
It is important to note that it’s no longer a must to have your child in a big known school to pass exam since the examination play ground has been levelled. Irresponsible acts by both public and private institution will blow off the gains if no measures are employed promptly.
The National Government Constituency Development Fund and the Ministry of Education should look into the plight of education in the counties especially within the urban centres so as to give our students conducive environment for learning and hence compete with the rest of the country and the world at large.
Kanchori is a Lawyer and PHD student.
