So the striking Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers have been sacked? The futures of close to one 1,000 very bright young Kenyans, future tax payers, parents, leaders, name it, have been nipped in the bud, as they say. It has been fluffed out, like a candle in the wind. And by who? Dr Nancy Macharia, a mother; acting with a clique of commissioners at Upper Hill.
I am a parent. I know the pleasurable pain of seeing a child through school. And the joy of attending a graduation ceremony; experienced it a few times. Then the joy of seeing that child get employment.
If Nancy Macharia followed the normal, human path, as I did, she would think twice before sending out those letters. If she knew what the impact of that act portended, the pain of a parent seeing their child beaten would assail her (I am told it erupts in the midsection, when the child initially grew).
If anybody thinks that the JSS issue can be solved by acts as thoughtless and simplistic as hollow threats, show-cause letters, and unlawful sackings, then the they have, as the Americans say, ‘another think coming’. This is an issue that needs a thorough professional introspection. It is urgent; almost an emergency of sorts. A realistic, holistic, lasting solution is needed so fast that one feels, on issues educational, everything else should be downgraded to backstage to give enough room for this particular issue.
That is the JSS saga.
Time is moving fast, and leaving us in a dilemma. And as it moves, it is carrying with it our charges and children towards a precipice beyond which lies chaos; disaster; if we don’t act quickly enough to avert this cataclysmic catastrophe.
As I have severally stated, when it comes to the education of our children, we cannot afford to tolerate shoddiness. Neither can we afford to be dismissive or complacent. We must elect to be deliberately thorough; for we are dealing with the future of our children; which is the future of our country.
I am talking here of us; the parents, teachers, learners, and, most of all, the executives, and the rank and file, in the Ministry of Education.
As we deliberate on steps to take vis-à-vis the issue of JSS curriculum implementation, we should be asking ourselves certain salient questions. Paramount among them is the issue of the sort of human capital we hope to realise when these youths will have gone through the CBC system.
The answer to the above question depends on the deliberate steps we opt to take during this formative implementation stage of the curriculum. The type of human capital we hope to realise precariously depends on the decisions we make now. And time is not on our side. We cannot afford to oscillate between diverse views like a lot of clueless human pendulums.
Observe: the fact that there is understaffing in the JSS is known and acknowledged. Some of us, being scribes, have had occasion to fellowship with these teachers – and their Heads. It is pathetic. In one school, a teacher who was trained to teach English and literature had been called upon to teach Science, Art, Mathematics, and a host of other subjects. And she had to do it; they were only two teachers at that level. So, can we pretend the implementation is effective? Yes; if we are a bunch of clueless ostriches sticking our heads in the sand.
To add onto the staffing issue, there is basically no infrastructure for curriculum implementation in practical subjects. From my information and observation, no school has a laboratory, or a home science room. Nothing. Yet we can say we are implementing the curriculum at that level. Surely, what Science can be taught without a lab and lab equipment? What about home science? Using badly drawn diagrams of sausages and microwave ovens? Test tubes? Acids and bases? Come on!
And one can imagine content to be covered not being found in any available course books. Once upon a time, Jogoo House B used to supply books. Has the supply lapsed? And where is the money for these supplies? Without supplies, it thus becomes an imperative to go back to parents and request them to buy books and other learning material. If they don’t….
Sometimes back, we mentioned that these JSS be domiciled in high schools. This idea was badly received. But an administrative issue has come up between the JSS teachers, who have attained the appellation of ‘Moguls’, and the school administrations. There is quite some amount of disquiet on this issue. Some head teachers view these poor, overworked and underpaid youngsters as some sort of threat to their authority. The salient question is, are all the primary school head teachers qualified to be heads of JSS, in order to execute their duty without any bouts of inferiority issues? Many of the JSS head teachers are uncomfortable with the presence of these more learned teachers.
And lastly, the Salary circus.
These teachers are qualified to be employed as Graduate, or Diploma, teachers. That someone can say they are on internship is simply groping for an apologia; prevarication. Internship, Dr Macharia? What internship; and for how long? From TSC history, has there been a proviso for internship? From what we all know, internship is a way of a raw trainee sharpening their skills. For teachers, it is called teaching practise; and it is done for three months. One term. Twelve lessons maximum in a week. Under the close supervision of the teachers’ tutors and colleges. The supervisors come and evaluate lessons by their charges, and write a report. If you pass, you become a fully trained teacher.
These youngsters are fully trained and qualified. They have been given the POWER to teach. By their Chancellors. They are doing a great job: implementing CBC. Call them interns no more, Dr Macharia. Hoodwink us no more. Pay them. You are a parent. You hear me? Don’t sack them. PAY THEM.
By Charles Okoth
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