These issues in the education sector demand attention starting this year

Desperation • As Form Ones continue to report to their schools for admission, it’s disheartening to see the many cases of desperate but bright needy students who scored impressive marks in the 2022 KCPE exam, says F. Mukembu. “These children should not be ignored. It’s high time the Ministry of Education intervened. Day secondary schools can come in handy.” His contact is [email protected].

Defection • Would somebody, please, remind the politicians that the “elections are over and Kenyans have moved on?” pleads Carey Yiembe. “Vilifying one another and wooing others to defect from one party or coalition to another isn’t the way to go. In leading democracies, defections or party-hopping are rare. The government and opposition should play their roles effectively.” His contact is [email protected].

Coin baggage • The Kenya shilling coin has become worthless and is “a big burden to carry in our pockets”, remarks Patrick Ikaale, disappointed that the supermarkets still indicate their prices in coins—such as 30 cents or 75 cents. “Can they be informed that the coins are an unnecessary baggage so that they consider rounding of the figures in their prices?” His contact [email protected].

Garbage menace • The residents of First Parklands Avenue, just after the Masari Road junction, are suffering the brunt of the senseless dumping of garbage into the Nairobi River, says Neha Gudhka. “Unfortunately, the river is never cleaned up and now smells really badly. We request the city county leadership to kindly and urgently do something about it.” His contact is [email protected].

Electric bus • Nothing has lately excited Jotham Ndung’u as much as spotting a few electric buses in Nairobi’s city centre and some suburbs. He’s been asking himself whether the end is approaching for the diesel-powered commuter buses. “Could this be a fad or will the electric buses finally peacefully coexist with matatus in the chaotic sector?” His contact is [email protected]. Have a desirable day, won’t you!

In the first 45 days of this year, a number of issues have arisen in the education sector that could form the bases for discussion in the sector for the rest of the year and beyond. First, and significant, is the release of “Guidelines for the Implementation of Junior Secondary School [JSS] Education”.

The guidelines provide a good roadmap and meet the expectations of stakeholders. However, there are sections that show a huge amount of financial resources would have to be sought and deployed to make JSS operate as envisaged. They anticipate that schools will have at least one room each for a science laboratory, music, pre-technical studies workshop, computer science laboratory, counselling, home science and language.

Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu has said Sh4,000 from the Sh15,000 per student yearly capitation will be used for infrastructural development in these schools. Considering that the average number of the students per class is 50, it implies that most schools will barely manage to receive Sh200,000 for that. Add to this the fact that the schools would have to construct a classroom for Grade Nine students to appreciate the boards of management’s nightmare.

Education Reform

The Presidential Working Party on Education Reform need to consider this challenge and make appropriate recommendations to the government on how additional resources for infrastructure would be sourced before it submits its report next month.

The second major issue is the proposed privatisation of public universities. Whereas no motion has been tabled in the National Assembly so far towards amending the laws governing the management of public universities, the statement by a CS regarding the matter cannot be ignored. Already, trade unionists within the sector have opposed the proposal. It is likely that, in the short run, students and their parents will also oppose it, leading to a situation in which elected leaders at all levels may follow suit.

The opponents will be raising issues about this deviation from the promises contained in the education charter that the Kenya Kwanza leadership signed with the stakeholders prior to the 2022 elections. And is it all or a few of the universities targeted?

 The third issue is the performance of the candidates in the 2022 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination. Whereas there is no evidence so far to suggest malpractices in the management and award of marks in it, it is baffling that a few schools had their performance shoot up by a positive mean grade of up to four points in just one year as established schools rose or dropped marginally by a few decimal points.

Experienced educators

Experienced educators say teaching and learning in secondary school is long and arduous, requiring skills and endurance. A time series analysis of previous improvements in performance is normally incremental over a long period before it stabilises. The performance of the students does not usually take a pattern of the “snakes and ladders” game that is entirely dependent on rolling a dice.

The fourth issue that will be of concern for the next three years is deployment of teachers to JSS. Traditionally, posting of teachers to primary schools was based on the TSC providing one teacher per class plus one more who would step in for an absent colleague.

At the secondary school level, teachers are posted on the basis of the curriculum offered in the school. Employment of JSS teachers as per the number of classes does not seem to be curriculum-based. And the recent move to get the TSC reverse its policy on the delocalisation of deployment of teachers restricts it from posting teachers to ‘hard to staff’ areas.

The fifth issue, which needs to be implemented in the long term, is the concept of a comprehensive school. This is the kind that will have students from Grade 1-12 in the same compound. Whereas that can be achieved through expanding primary schools to have JSS and, eventually, senior secondary schools, a reverse method can also be concurrently considered to achieve the goal.

The current secondary schools with large tracts of land may need to consider starting primary and JSS wings as well.

Mr Sogomo, an education expert, is a former secretary of TSC. [email protected]. @BSogomo