Education in Kenya is no longer the key to a great life

We are all born different. Some may be lucky as to be born with a silver spoon, others not as much. For the majority who are raised from humble backgrounds, they could only rely on a good education to emancipate not only themselves but their societies from destitute and poverty.

Take the good example of a weak young boy who was taken to school by his father just because he could not tend the herds. He rose through the ranks of academia to become the third president of the Republic of Kenya. There are numerous other stories that we can cite including most of you who are reading this article.

It is therefore quite disheartening when I see what the current government has done to the education sector. Education has metamorphosed from the great emancipator to a tool that is now used by the elite to maintain the status quo. Primary education especially in the public schools is no longer adequate and the standards are quite appalling. There is little chance that a small village boy would get a chance to join our prestigious national schools let alone afford the school fees charged.

The elite have monopolized the few national schools since they can afford to take their children to private academies and then afford the fees to take their children to the national schools. The other issue has to do with the government's mishandling of the human resources that are supposed to man and ensure that the education system runs like clockwork. The perennial teachers - government tug of war over remuneration isn't good for the country.

It's ironical that a teacher who teaches a school like Maranda high school would struggle to pay school fees if his son joined the same school. University education has not been left behind in killing the great emancipator. Today, joining university is no longer a guarantee of good life in a few short years. Stories abound of university graduates struggling and hustling to make it in life. The institutions themselves are in a rat race to open new campuses and introduce new courses even without accreditation. They have turned into commercial enterprises and disregarded their main mandate.

All these issues have culminated into creating a nation full of frustrated citizens with criminal intentions and graduates who would rather join the likes of Al Shabab. It’s time we woke up and smelt the coffee and worked towards redeeming the education sector and creating a nation where all citizens can pursue their dreams and happiness.