Time to act and stop the madness before it ruins our education

*Barn-storming Cabinet Secretary for Education, Dr Fred Matiang’i. He is at the centre of the school fires storm – a man who seems to have more purity of intention than political tact – and whose appointment, without doubt, represents the Jubilee* *government’s best attempts to streamline this important sector.* (PHOTO: COURTESY)

Yet more schools were set ablaze yesterday as the chilling wave of student unrest continued its deadly march. A
dormitory at Iten’s St Patrick’s, a respected national school, joined the smouldering heap of school buildings
destroyed since the teenage madness began two months ago, bringing to 104 the institutions struck so far.

In the last 36 hours alone, seven schools were laid to waste.
Something has gone terribly wrong in Kenyan education. And whether it’s our children reeling from a deadly form
of juvenile delinquency or some dark forces hostile to the Education Ministry are on the ascendancy, it is right and
proper that the public are demanding an explanation.

At the centre of this storm is the barn-storming Cabinet Secretary for Education, Dr Fred Matiang’I – a man who
seems to have more purity of intention than political tact – and whose appointment, without doubt, represents the Jubilee government’s best attempts to streamline this important sector.

These fires are distressing for more than one reason. Schools are expensive to build and the damage caused to property so far – estimated at more than Sh500 million so far – will be impossible to fully repair. Secondly, the unavoidable closure of affected institutions has disrupted learning and put in peril the fortunes of national examination candidates.

Third is the frightening thought that, possibly, shadowy forces aggrieved with the running of our schools have unleashed this monumental wave of subversion in fulfillment of narrow self-interest.

Just as alarming as the mounting incidence of vandalism is the absence of indignation from our ruling class. Normally quick to denounce the smallest political demonstration, our MPs, Senators and civil society have reacted to what is effectively a national crisis with little more than a whimper. Most pointed has been the deafening silence of the presidency.

What is lies at the heart of this nightly outbreak of arson? We are told that the fires constitute an expression of grievance; mostly from students and in some cases, from the teachers over decisions taken by the Education ministry. If that is so, then those grievances are being expressed with criminal destructiveness and should be dealt with, firstly, by courts of law. Arson is no way to seek dialogue.

Many of the controversial decisions taken by Dr Matiang’i, have been timely, courageous and well-intended. Some
may be wrong-headed, but there can be no doubt that the man genuinely wants to wants to sort out long-neglected
problems in education.

It may well be that the minister, in triggering such violent discomfort by his decisions, is guilty of poor change management; that because the changes he has rolled out were abrupt and radical, there ought to have been wider consultation.
That is a point he should reflect upon.

Of the reasons advanced for the carnage, the more plausible one is that the stricter management of national examinations to prevent leakages has drawn the wrath of school cheats and suppliers of stolen examination questions. Corruption, we are told, is fighting back.

Cheating in examinations undermines years of hard work and sacrifice by parents, teachers and students. Test room fraud kills the wonderful spirit of competition and undermines public trust in merit. When he sent home the much-discredited Kenya National Examination Council team, Dr Matiang’i sought to reclaim Kenya’s status as an academic giant in the region, which standards, despite colossal investment, have worryingly dropped.
A compromised exam process is symptomatic of a rotten education system.

And therefore, restoring confidence in examinations is one way of redeeming Kenyan education.
But there is more to our examination headaches than leaked papers and fake grades. We are saddled with schools,
public and private, which glorify grades rather than knowledge; where rote learning has greater premium than
practical and logical application of skills.

That has to change. The need to overhaul our education curriculum never been more urgent.
Another plausible reason cited for the dormitory destruction is the ongoing audit of school finances. It is claimed
that head teachers who collect thousands of shillings from parents and have nothing to show for it welcome student
chaos to hide funds misuse. If this were so, then some schools are being run by thugs rather than educators.

Local politics have been cited in some instances where the composition of the schools board of governors then
leads to a fratricidal struggle. Also, the bad blood between the teachers and the school administrators is said to be nurturing a corrosive cold war in the administration blocks. What to do? This is no time for politicians to score points
against each other; it is no time for pointing fingers. Something drastic must be done without demur.
This newspaper believes that closing down the schools for at least three weeks for the crisis to blow over offers the best option at this point. In any case, a lot will have happened in those two weeks; the multi-sectoral team formed last week to investigate the causes of the fires will have finalized its findings; students will have been let off from the pressure-cooker climate they find themselves in; and, quite simply, many school dorms will have been spared a mysterious fire outbreak.

Above all these, there has to be a strong signal to our boys and girls that there are consequences for criminal behaviour.

That is why this newspaper is opposed to out-of-court settlements to resolve the recent of cases of arson.
Whatever the conclusion of the various investigations going on, it is imperative that the reform of our education
system resumes and continues to its logical conclusion.

That means that the minister’s decisions should be based on facts, that he re-examines his personal style and defers to the established wisdom of change management and that all who have have a stake in Kenya’s education offer their support to its managers.
But first, take a pause and close down what remain of these schools.