Social media should be about the message not number of tweets

Social media has revolutionized modern communication. Information flows at supersonic speed attracting real time responses. The world has indeed become a global village, especially with the advent of smart phones that easily connect to the internet.

But, the development notwithstanding, genuine concerns emerge when some of us take advantage of the fast growing social media craze to mislead unsuspecting members of the public on an issue of national importance like the ongoing curriculum reforms.

Delving into education matters with a football mindset poses threats to efforts to improve quality standards. That, if your favourite team is Arsenal, you can’t find anything useful in Manchester United and vice versa. And what with social media followers who are eager to re-tweet, share or like without a second thought of the accuracy of the initial message. Some see no harm in adding outrageous comments, not based on facts.

For instance, some Kenyans have been keen to discredit the government effort to ensure schools attain the 1:1 pupil to textbook ratio. This is through funding and procuring the textbooks directly from publishers for schools unlike before when the funds were sent to schools for the head teachers to buy the books. This has seen prices of textbooks come down by 50 per cent.

Machinations

Failure to attain the desired pupil to textbook ratio was attributed to theft, corruption, and conniving between schools and booksellers. The new book distribution policy therefore, will for the first time, put books in the hands of children in all the schools in the country. The curriculum support materials will therefore, be spread equally in all the schools and among learners.

Inspection tours across the country by education officers had revealed that learners in most schools went without textbooks, yet, student’s access to textbooks has a positive impact on learning outcomes besides the teachers’ influence.

We need to guard against widening the misinformation that KICD is busy curing. A case in point is a deliberate attempt to push a narrative that all the books released to schools under the free textbook policy have ‘multiple’ errors.

For journalists, when a man bites a dog, that is the story. But, we need to be careful not to create unnecessary panic amongst parents, teachers and learners by amplifying unsubstantiated claims. KICD has always stood for the highest quality standards in instructional materials. Deliberate efforts are made to ensure these standards are met in all the books approved for schools. The process of book evaluation is quite elaborate. Book evaluators from the institute who work alongside subject specialists from schools and various agencies rely on standard guidelines that any book must meet.

This include quality of the cover pages, relevance of content to the curriculum, appropriateness of language used, layout and use of illustrations that enhance teaching and learning. There is a checklist that eventually guarantees quality.

Printing errors

However, feedback from Kenyans cannot be taken for granted, hence KICD’s swift move to establish the accuracy of the claims and if the alleged errors affect teaching and learning. However, to enhance the quality standards, it helps if the specific errors are pointed out without resorting to generalization that all books belong to the dustbin. Tying the Sh7.5 billion allocated for printing and supply of all the textbooks to schools and in an attempt to whip up emotions claiming the money has been lost, is to miss the point.

First, KICD, based on the stakeholder feedback and its own random checks, confirms if indeed the books in question are contained in the Orange book (The approved textbook list). The books must be a reflection of the final copy that was endorsed for printing.

Ideally, publishers with manuscripts, which have been given a ‘conditional pass’ are expected to resubmit them to KICD, for confirmation that all the identified weaknesses have been acted upon.

Could the media be scratching the surface by overlooking the possible underlying reasons for this sudden criticism of books that have been in the market for over 10 years? Is somebody using the word ‘multiple errors’ to fight the one book per subject policy? Could the entire clamor be a case of publishers or head teachers not amused with the turn of events?

Are teachers, and indeed their representatives participating in evaluation of these books, reluctant to use the newly approved books? Some were used to the previous books that they could go to class without any reference materials? Kenyans have also been treated to instances where the alleged errors in the secondary school textbooks have been falsely linked to the new curriculum. This is wrong. The competency based curriculum is being piloted from Pre-Primary 1 and 2 and in grade 1 and 2. Piloting is also underway in some selected Grade 3 schools.           

Therefore, for those with the privilege to influence others, the joy of weaving facts through one’s arguments will help Kenya move forward as opposed to finding comfort in biased viewpoints, to issues of national interest. So, next time before you press the re-tweet, like or share button, take a moment to understand the context and not just that you are excited with the topic, the language or the person behind the message.

Mr Odunga is the Assistant Director-Corporate Communications at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development [email protected]