I want to pinpoint a few issues of concern to start the year on a literary note.
Unlike pre-Corona period, release of national exam results for primary schools during December holiday has not been possible for two years running.
The same applies to secondary schools exam results whose release would excite citizens immediately after ushering in the New Year.
Whether this tradition has been disrupted by the outbreak of Coronavirus or not, its effect on the education sector cannot be overlooked.
Has the rituals outlived their usefulness? What value do such rituals add to the improvement and growth of the education sector?
Many educationists and generally stakeholders in the education sector may not want to hear it but this overemphasis on academic achievements by some may have destructive effects on students, parents, teachers, school managers and the entire education system.
There is no gainsaying that education in Kenya is too much commercialised.
It is characterized by cutthroat competition as different players compete for the best positions, thereby making education expensive and prone to exploitation and corruption.
Before a tough, Dr. Fred Matiang’i appeared in the scene, exam leaks, cheating and schools ranking manipulation was the order of the year.
Many school Principals and even teachers would do anything, including bribery and dishing out favours to ensure their schools and students performed exemplary.
Those were the days when certain schools in the country would have a whole class of students achieving As in all subjects.
To say that the annual exams release rituals have and continue to play a role in disruptive and corrupt education sector is an understatement.
To the students, the rituals is a time to recognise and reward the achievers and with it comes the joy and limelight.
Their schools are also inadvertently glorified by the ministry of education and the media.
For weeks, students who perform well and their schools receive accolades and acres of media coverage.
Such schools become very popular and attract parents’ attention in equal measure.
On the other hand, millions of students who perform dismally or average and thousands of schools unworthy of mention bow their heads in total shame.
It is worthy to note that countries that have the best education systems in the world have discarded these discriminatory rituals and Kenya should not be an exception.
The trauma that hits pupils (children) because of being labelled as failures is too much to bear.
Moreover, the mental anguish teachers in underperforming schools experience is also a big problem.
By and large, cheating and manipulation of results and ranking has been minimised after the government initiated thorough reforms in the education sector.
Unfortunately, the concerned Ministry has not realised or discovered the negative effects that the annual exams result release rituals have on the overall well-being of the stakeholders in the education sector, students notwithstanding.
Some people may argue that the public display and announcement of results and best performers is necessary in order to make education free and fair but I beg to defer with that line of thinking.
Behind the big ceremony, many are left wounded, tormented, ostracized, blamed, cursed, dismissed and in a nutshell viciously affected, some for the rest of their lives and careers.
If openness was the real and best way to do things in this country, then all learning institutions, including universities and colleges should make public their results in similar ceremonial manner.
Similarly, all government ministries and agencies should make public winners of tenders and contracts at ceremonies equivalent to the exam results announcement.
It behoves the government and the ministry of education to re-look these rituals and remove them from the education sector’s calendar of events.
In any case the best time to do so is now when the education sector is experiencing reforms, foremost being the introduction of the Competence Based Curriculum (CBC).
This and the introduction of continuous assessment tests (CATS) is also a welcome idea, which if properly implemented would greatly make education attractive and fun for pupils.
Certainly, these good reforms and ideas shouldn’t be undermined by a culture and mentality of ‘failure’ in our children during their formative stages in life when learning should be gaining knowledge and not necessarily achieving better grades than compatriots in schools.
Hopefully, these annual exam release rituals will one day disappear so that our children could enjoy learning in an environment devoid of intimidation and discrimination but one whose emphasis is academic freedom.
It hurts nobody or anything by simply announcing national exams results as a process and not an event.
The media too must be careful not to perpetuate this culture of placing attention on the quantitative rather than qualitative factors in learning.
Exams should be perceived and appreciated by all as normal school activities that encompasses total quality learning.
Kaunda wa Muchunku
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