Education Process in Kenya

By: James Otumba RScP

Learning and education are two terms which could loosely be used inter-changeably. However, there is a slight difference in that education deals with methods of teaching and learning in schools, whereas learning is knowledge or skill acquired by experience, instruction or study. It’s more holistic.

Formally, learning was so repetitive as change was so slow. Knowledge was passed from one generation to the other by word of mouth through folktales, riddles, proverbs, sayings and songs. This is because you were likely to experiences exactly the same challenges your grandparents and parents went through. The elders were greatly respected and some honoured as they were custodians of cultural wisdom.

Presently, the rate at which change changes is so fast such that whatever was learned and valued just a few years ago has become obsolete. Education no longer involves only learning, but includes unlearning and re-learning so as to keep pace with the rate of change.

Educational system in Kenya was crafted by the colonialists to churn out those who would fit into their economic system, especially clerical works in their farm and government offices. After independence, several commissions have been set to formulate an educational system which is responsive to the new economic realities and aspirations of Kenyans. Little success has been achieved by them since they are themselves products of the same colonial educational system. This is the system that has given them their way of thinking, reasoning and value system. Truly, you can’t know beyond what you know.

The latest attempt at change at the education sector, whose implementation is in its second year today, is dogged by a myriad of challenges ranging from lack of teachers trained to implement the new system; overcrowding in classes with some having as high as 90 pupils due to inadequate classrooms; lack of textbooks for the new syllabus, and a general resistance by the teachers who are supposed to implement the same. This has made a whole generation of young people helplessly watch as their lives come waste.

In Kenya, the very minimal qualification for the very basic jobs like watchman, or subordinate staff doing cleaning and preparing tea, is high school certificate. It is also the level for any further education or skill training with professional training pegged on the grade attained in specific relevant subjects at this level. It means therefore that without high school certificate, you miss out in so many things, if not completely in life.

This is how important high school certificate is in Kenya.

With very high unemployment rate, nobody has an advantage edge on the account of high school certificate. Those with a fighting chance are those with college degrees and those with an advantage are those with master degrees and above.

Getting qualification for admission for college education is so cut-throat such that parents compete to admit their children in the best performing schools, with some offering as high as Ksh150,00/= bribe, to get their child admitted. This intern puts school Principles in great pressure to equally perform in the national exams and end up getting involved in exam cheating to meet the demand of parents and also raise the demand for admission into their schools in the next academic year.

This pressure is not only confined at high school level, but even at primary level. In a bid to make extra money, despite the government making primary education free, the school heads introduces all manner of demands from parents. The commonly used is the requirement for remedial classes. This is demanded for children as low as grade ones. Kenyan children are rarely allowed to be children, because too much work in school, at home with home works and even during holidays with a lot of assignments to be done during holidays.

Based on the above, education sponsorship is good if it covers up to high school and far much better if it covers college education; for with a college degree, one is given a life line.

James Otumba Adero.