© Victor Ochieng’
During the release of the 2022 KCPE form one placement results at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), Education Cabient Secretary Ezekiel Machogu noted that the computerized selection abutted on principles of merit, choice, equity and availability of space in secondary schools.
On the other hand, education stakeholders hoped that affirmative action also takes centre stage in this important exercise. Affirmative action is an active effort to improve the availability of educational opportunities for members of minority groups. It started as a government’s strategy to address the devastating effects of the long standing discrimination against marginalized groups.
In a broader sense, affirmative action focuses on policies and programmes and relies on procedures that give fair chances to minorities in reference to admission into government institutions.
In the recent past, the Ministry of Education has been using affirmative action in matters
placement of learners in national schools. Through the system, the best five candidates of each gender in every sub county secures placements in top schools. It’s worth noting that this relies on choices they made while selecting secondary schools hence good guidance of the same is necessary.
National schools are symbols of national unity. Therefore, when a child from Turkana meets, interacts and appreciates peculiarity of a peer from Kisumu or Mombasa, our education system fulfils one of its great goals of fostering nationalism and patriotism.
The public takes keen interest in secondary placements because in the past, there have been cases where the prime principles of fairness, especially in entry into national schools, were intervened.
Some parents whose children merited, but were oblivious about subtle schemes dragged into placement process, have always been short-changed and left weeping uncontrollably. This is a sad state of affairs since there’s nothing bad like when an opportunity that rightfully belongs to someone is wrongfully wrested.
We all wistfully remember the story of an elderly woman who wept bitterly in the full glare of the cameras. She had travelled all the way from Western Kenya to a national school in the slopes of Mt. Kenya region where her daughter had secured a crucial chance.
Unfortunately when she arrived at the school, she realised that some clever and crafty characters had tampered with the system and transferred her daughter to a school of ‘low’ status. All Kenyans of good will condemned the obnoxious behaviour.
For reasons best known to them the arrowheads of that school had chosen to transfer the lass to another school. Maybe they didn’t know they were contravening the government’s policy on secondary schools placement.
Maybe they perceived the girl did not merit not to learn in that national school but what if she secured that coveted chance due to affirmative action?
Former Education CS Professor Magoha’s presser at Kenya High School about the exigent need for affirmative action to take preeminence in secondary schools’ placement was lauded by most Kenyans.
Affirmative action should reign supreme in secondary schools’ selection so that learners from squalid slums and marginalised counties get a fair share of the infinite spectra of opportunities in our motherland.
Affirmative action ensures that when it comes to the notion of dolling out open opportunities, we develop a soft spot for those who are from marginalised communities. It means we give marginalized people a face-lift. Through this, somewhat, the government meets another special goal of education: to promote equity and responsibility.
In conclusion, it is only through affirmative action that the government can waive off qualifications required for bright but needy learners to join top-tier schools in the land. With that knowledge, powers-that-be can also fast-track scholarship and philanthropic programmes for students who whose challenge is acute cash crunch.
The writer is an editor, author and public speaker. vochieng.90@gmail.com. 0704420232
