In the quiet aftermath of Kenya’s annual academic ritual, the release of the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) results often sparks a national frenzy of celebration. Headlines scream about the top performers, schools parade their star pupils, and parents beam with pride over those who clinch the coveted Grade A. Yet, in the shadows of this jubilation lies a sobering reality.
For the 2025 KCSE exams, only 1,957 candidates out of over 900,000 achieved this pinnacle, leaving the vast majority to grapple with grades that society deems mediocre or worse. It is in this context that Dr. Mary Kinyanjui, an independent scholar residing in the United States, penned her thought-provoking article, “Why we are producing Grade ‘D’ mindsets,” published in a local daily. Her words have lingered in my mind, compelling me to reflect on the unintended consequences of our fixation on excellence at the expense of the ordinary. With her consent, I want to paraphrase her talking points in this piece.
Dr. Kinyanjui’s perspective is both timely and piercing, especially as we navigate the evolving landscape of Kenya’s education system, including the Kenya Junior Secondary Education Assessment (KJSEA), which serves as a gateway to senior secondary under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC). While KCSE remains the high-stakes culmination of secondary education, KJSEA introduces formative assessments aimed at holistic development. However, both systems inadvertently perpetuate a hierarchy where only the elite are affirmed, mirroring the KCSE’s emphasis on summative grading.
By lavishing praise on the top tier – those who score As and A-minuses – we inadvertently consign the rest to a psychological purgatory. These students, the silent majority who earn Cs, Ds, or Es, internalize a narrative of inadequacy. They convince themselves that their efforts were insufficient, that they lack the discipline to follow rules, or that they are devoid of creativity and analytical prowess. Worse still, they begin to believe they are undeserving of success, labeling themselves as lazy failures destined for the fringes of society. How cruel!
This mindset doesn’t evaporate upon leaving school; it metastasizes into a cultural phenomenon that Dr. Kinyanjui aptly terms the “Grade D” culture. At its core, this culture erodes the foundational tenets of good citizenship—hard work, rule adherence, innovation, and a sense of deservingness—that are essential for social transformation in a developing nation like Kenya. When we fail to recognize the potential in every learner, we breed resentment toward the mainstream systems that exalted only a few.
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These individuals grow up questioning the value of societal norms. Why adhere to traffic rules while navigating Nairobi’s chaotic matatu routes if the system has already deemed you a non-achiever? Why respect property rights by avoiding hawking in front of established shops when education has branded you unworthy? In more insidious ways, this disillusionment fosters a willingness to undermine the very structures that ignored them – abetting corruption in public offices, engaging in petty crimes or simply opting out of civic participation. The ultimate query echoes hauntingly: Why should I care when nobody cared about my grade?
The ripple effects of this Grade D mindset are palpable across Kenyan society, manifesting in ways that hinder national progress. Consider parenting, a domain where the cycle of disempowerment reproduces itself with tragic fidelity. Parents who themselves bore the scars of academic dismissal often approach child-rearing with apathy or defeatism. Their children arrive at school unkempt, without the emotional or material support needed to thrive. Homework goes unchecked, school fees are paid sporadically, and motivation wanes under the weight of inherited low expectations.
Consequently, these young ones replicate their parents’ grades, perpetuating a generational loop of underachievement. In rural areas, where education is often the sole ladder out of poverty, this translates to families trapped in subsistence living, unable to break free from the chains of self-doubt instilled by an unforgiving grading system.
Agriculture, the backbone of Kenya’s economy, suffers similarly under the shadow of this culture. The Grade D scorer, feeling condemned by education and ignored by society, shuns the labour-intensive work on tea, coffee or maize farms. Why toil in the fields when the system has already pronounced you a failure? Instead, many migrate to urban shopping centers, idling in groups that breed further discontent. This disengagement exacerbates food insecurity and rural depopulation, as productive land lies fallow or is managed inefficiently.
In urban settings, the mindset fuels informal economies rife with shortcuts – evading taxes, cutting corners in business or engaging in illicit trades. Even in professional spheres, it manifests as a lack of innovation; employees with internalized inferiority complexes hesitate to contribute ideas, stifling organizational growth. Dr. Kinyanjui’s analysis rings true: by not affirming all learners as valuable, we create a populace that views success as an exclusive club, leading to widespread apathy and antagonism toward collective advancement.
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The irony is stark in light of KJSEA’s intentions. Designed to assess competencies beyond rote memorization – such as problem-solving, creativity and collaboration – KJSEA offers a chance to shift from the KCSE’s rigid focus on top performers. Yet, without systemic changes, it risks reinforcing the same hierarchies.
Media coverage of KJSEA results, if it mirrors KCSE’s, will likely spotlight high achievers, ignoring the progress of those mastering practical skills. This selective celebration undermines the CBE’s goal of nurturing well-rounded individuals equipped for real-world challenges. To counteract this, we must rethink how we measure and affirm success. Education should not be a zero-sum game where only a fraction wins; it should build a critical mass of self-assured youth who believe in their worth regardless of grades. The notion of C4 schools is already creeping in. Soon no learner will want to enroll in those schools.
Achieving this requires multifaceted reforms. First, invest in quality education that emphasizes inclusivity – teacher training programs that equip educators to identify and nurture diverse talents, curricula that integrate life skills and emotional intelligence, and assessments like KJSEA that value growth over perfection.
Schools should implement mentorship programs where every student receives personalized feedback, celebrating improvements and efforts rather than just outcomes. Community initiatives can play a role too: parental education workshops to break the cycle of neglect, and youth empowerment programs that channel energies into productive outlets like agribusiness or entrepreneurship. Policymakers must amplify voices like Dr. Kinyanjui’s, advocating for media guidelines that highlight stories of resilience among average performers, not just prodigies.
Ultimately, fostering a positive self-image in our youth is not merely an educational imperative but a national one. By affirming all learners as integral to society’s fabric, we dismantle the Grade D culture that pervades our roads, farms, homes and institutions. In doing so, we pave the way for a Kenya where hard work, creativity and civic responsibility flourish among the many, not the few. As we reflect on the latest KCSE and emerging KJSEA results, let us commit to a paradigm shift – one that transforms potential failures into empowered citizens driving sustainable development. Only then can we truly celebrate a nation’s progress, inclusive of every grade.
By Ashford Kimani
Ashford teaches English and Literature in Gatundu North Sub-county and serves as Dean of Studies.
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