Education sector at a crossroad

By Lillian Aluanga

The Education sector is at a crossroads.

The sector is in urgent need of reforms, which if implemented would restructure a system facing numerous challenges.

Recent reports of teachers being roughed up by parents over poor examination results, and pupils committing suicide for failing to score good grades in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE)exams highlight just how high the stakes have risen.

Recent findings of a Taskforce on Realigning the Education Sector to the Constitution and Vision 2030 point to various challenges of the current system, which include access, quality, equity, relevance, institutional management, monitoring and evaluation and financing.

While it is true that introduction of Free Primary Education in 2003 gave millions a chance to access basic education, resultant challenges in its implementation have compromised the quality of what is essentially viewed in many respects as a social equalising tool.

An increase in enrollment from 6.3 to 9.4 million, a current teacher shortage of 80,000, and weak infrastructure have compromised the delivery of quality service.

Cheating in examinations has been a perennial headache for the ministry, with at least 1,600 schools having their 2011 KCPE results cancelled for engaging in the vice. But even more worrying is the scar borne by the ‘cheats’ who cannot join Form One without their full results, as the ‘real culprits’ who include teachers, school managers and examination council officials go scott free.

A highly stressful environment coupled with harsh economic times have fanned the drive to excel academically, fostering sometimes impossible expectations of pupils and teachers in performance of exams.

This has resulted in the introduction of underhand dealings such as double registration of examination centres among some private schools.

Reports indicating that at least 70 per cent of teachers in the workforce are not interested in the profession is cause for alarm.

Experts say the current teacher training programmes offer little room for creativity, resulting in most within the profession relying on stock knowledge and inelastic experience.

For a nation that is keen on realising the objectives of Vision 2030, a second look at the running of its vocational and training institutions would be well deserved.

Outdated technical and vocational training program has seen these institutions shunned not only by the public but the Government which has starved them funding.