Every child deserves a fair chance at making it in life

While Kenyans were still wondering how Kenya Certificate of Primary Education results came faster than Covid-19 tests, parents whose children scored more than 400 marks have been spotted lining up for the services of genealogy experts, as they’re still confused by the number of people coming forward to claim their children.

Everyone is in celebratory mood, even prison inmates who wrote their exams have passed with zebra colours on their way to meet the media.

Those who used to wake up at 4am to drench their feet in water buckets are being reminded to tone it down and be mindful of their mental health as it’s no longer a rare sight to meet medical doctors helping engineering graduates to tarmac, while those who were written off by the education system are employing first class students and paying them roasted legumes.

Many people have had their hands tied by sisal ropes simply because they asked the police how much they got in KCPE only for the police to remind them that they also can act like Will Smith.

Congratulations to everyone who got the marks they had worked for. There are many more in bandit prone areas who weren’t given a chance to meet their grades halfway. While other students were praying for God to help them tick the right answers and make their parents proud, their only prayer was for the visiting exam papers to travel back safely and reach Nairobi without an ambush.

It’s not the environment anyone would wish their child to grow up in. There were suggestions that the Ministry of Education should postpone the exams for bandit prone areas until the government puts the situation behind bars, but the pleas fell on deaf ears who weren’t tested for their proficiency in sign language.

Bandit-prone areas

The minister has made it known that this is his last KCPE before the change of regime in August. It appears he isn’t interested in reapplying for the job. He might have seen bad things during his time in office and just wants to go back home and play with his stethoscope. 

Whatever the case, we shall remember him as one of the few Cabinet Secretaries in the history of Kenya who conducted their duties without dabbling in politics, successfully fought hot weather in a suit without mood readers guessing whether he was happy or sad, and reminding Kenyans that all students in uniform are his children, even though his name isn’t Abraham Magoha.

We thank him for his service to the nation at a trying time when schools were visited by Covid-19 and making the difficult decision to send children home to go chase after locusts.

We would’ve wished him well on his last KCPE exams had we not been reminded of one final favour he needs to consider for his children in bandit-prone areas who didn’t get a chance to write their exams while sitting.

Since we last heard from our KCPE students in bandit-prone areas, no one has gone back to check whether they arrived home safely after seeking refuge in faraway exam centres looking for the same keys to a brighter future that schools in comfortable regions have painted on their main gates.

Every child deserves a fair chance at making it through life. KCPE results from hardship areas should therefore be put into context and those from conflict zones be favourably considered when the principals of national schools report for Form One selection next month.

It’s the humane thing to do for a minister who prides himself in being a frontline beneficiary of education equity. It will also go a long way in flattening the ground for fair competition and convincing bandits to look for guns that can shoot ink to go help their villagers kick poverty like polio.

Mr Oguda comments on topical issues; [email protected]