By MARY KAMANDE
As August school holiday draws near, Education minister Mutula Kilonzo has reiterated the ban on extra tuition.
However, even as the Government insists on the ban, there are sentiments the directive will remain unheeded as has been the case in the past.
“Some schools have made holiday tuition compulsory and parents are forced to comply to save their children from discrimination,” says a Thika parent, who requested anonymity, though he feels learners in Standard Eight and Form Four should be allowed to attend holiday tuitions to prepare for national exams.
Schools for safety
Despite the knowledge that tuitions have been banned, he says, parents with children in lower classes continue to take them for the extra coaching because they feel school is the safest place they can be while away from home.
Mr Peter Maina, a teacher and a parent, says teachers have been forced by circumstances to conduct tuition sessions.
“In the current setting, teachers are appraised on their pupils’ academic performance regardless of the children’s other talents. As such, teachers are constantly under pressure to increase mean score for the children and go at any length to achieve that,” says Maina.
Despite acknowledging the pressure under which teachers work to post good results, he says, he does not allow his children, who attend a private school, to attend holiday tuition.
No extra cost
“Children need time to rest and be with their parents and the normal school days are enough to learn,” he says. However, he adds, remedial lessons conducted during the school days are helpful to the children but should be at no extra cost.
Maina’s sentiments are shared by Thika West DEO, J M Ndundu, who says children should be left to develop socially, physically and cognitively, but are often denied the opportunity to develop their psychomotor and affective domains as academic performance is given prominence.
“Forcing children for weekend and holiday tuitions also denies them time to interact with other children and relatives and freedom to worship,” adds Maina.
And though the Government is pushing to have well-developed future generations, Betsy Mwikali, a Thika resident, says parents are to blame for having children grow in only one domain.
According to Maina, the children end up performing poorly in academics due to lack of rest during holidays and weekends.
Complex matter
Ndundu says it now lies on ministry officials to ensure tuition is not conducted in schools but there is an extent to which they can implement the policy.
“Some parents pay for private holiday tuition and our mandate only extends to schools,” he says, explaining that it is known that private tuition is often conducted at homes and education officers cannot venture there.
“There isn’t much we can do about it. If there is anything to be done to stem them, may be, the involvement of the provincial administration can help,” he says, explaining the complexity of the matter.
