Let's create better humans from the best and worst performers as schools reopen

Denis Kibaki sits his KCPE examination at Joyland Special School in Kisumu on October 31, 2019. [Denish Ochieng, Standard]

Soon after the festivities, we will all focus on school opening.

This brings memories of multiple cases of unrest in the last term. Much has been said and broadcasted about the good performers but little about those who did not do very well in the same examinations.

I would, therefore, advise as a parent and cleric, that we make students who did not perform well understand that the battle to make it in life does not stop with national examinations.

There are many in society who failed in national tests, but are good examples for never giving.

Parents of such children should help them to be charged up as they join the next phase of life, be it getting into a technical college, a village polytechnic, starting a business or working on their sports talent like their life depends on it.

Many parents may make their children repeat classes to give the national examinations another shot. Such parents will have given up on their own broods because they failed to meet expectations.

The State should also establish the reason why more than 500,000 candidates scored C- or below in the recently released Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations.

This term Education CS George Magoha should help cut down on cases of unrest. In 2019, there were numerous reports of high school students burning property at the learning institutions and many more walking out to protest a raft of issues.

The demos can be attributed to lack in morals and inadequate guidance in schools. Teachers do not want preachers to teach religious practice at schools and most of the teachers will not teach the same.

The schools, some which were founded by religious bodies, have become over-secularised. Teachers have also not been keen to listen to students' grievances. They make decisions without consulting anyone.

The same teachers are behind the planting of school leaders who hardly gel with students. Prefects should be administrators and guide their peers to adhere to regulations wisely. Teachers have instead opted for selection of prefects through shoddy elections that produce bullies in the place of leaders.

Prof Magoha should also look into this issue and other challenges that face schools to enable us to have a productive first term in 2020.