Ministry must check quality of teaching in our schools

The recent research findings by the African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC) on what may be contributing to poor performance by pupils in mathematics is mind-boggling.

The report by APHRC showed teachers could be the source of poor performance. It blames the poor performance on ignorance among teachers. The organisation tested mathematics skills of students from many schools and the average score was 60 per cent for teachers while the average score for the students was 46 per cent.

The report indicate some teachers scored as low as 17 per cent while the highest obtained 90 per cent.

The study covered 72 primary schools and tested 2,437 pupils and 211 primary school teachers. Head teachers of the covered schools were also tested.

In most cases, the report stated teachers failed to explain to pupils why they get some questions right or wrong, since they subject the pupils to rot memorisation and recitation.

Ironically, Assistant Education Minister Prof Ayiecho Olweny , who was the chief guest at the launch, has already stated the report raises concern about the effectiveness of the ministry’s monitoring and supervision of school level curriculum implementation.

Olweny, who is among those supposed to be providing answers, feels the fact that a teacher scores 17 per cent in a mathematics test on the content he or she is supposed to teach raises a lot of questions about how we select, train teachers, and teachers’ competency.

He says the quality of curriculum delivery must improve for the country to consolidate the gains of the Free Primary Education Programme.

Olweny must be reminded that quality improvement of curriculum is the sole the responsibility of the ministry he serves, and no one has answers to why curriculum delivery has not improved, apart from the ministry.

Worse still, the report was released on the same day Higher Education Minister William Ruto warned of an influx in illegal middle-level colleges, another indicator of the rot in our education system.

Revelation that nearly 600 technical and vocational training institutions operate without Government supervision is indeed shocking and sickening.

It is not enough for Mr Ruto to give these illegal colleges a 21-day notice to register with the Government. They must be vetted to ensure they meet necessary requirements.

Under the Education Act, for a college to qualify for registration, its facilities, curriculum and teaching staff must be inspected by the ministry officials to meet the set requirements. The buildings, among other requirements, must have a title deed or leases of at least six years.

Bogus colleges have over the years fleeced unsuspecting parents and students and equally contributed to churning out of half-baked graduates who cannot contribute much to the country’s changing labour needs.

This should be effectively brought to an end, if the country has to nurture the right manpower that can propel it to realise the Vision 2030 dream.

Given minister Ruto has admitted the country faces a shortage of inspectors who are supposed to police hundreds of colleges, it would be in the interest of the country for more inspectors to be hired to ensure our children receive quality education.

The Higher Education Ministry should also fast-track the proposed Bill on Technical, Vocational, Educational and Training (TVET) to accredit colleges, a function currently performed by the Directorate of Accreditation and Quality Assurance in the Ministry of Education.

Above all, the Government should take seriously calls for periodical assessment of teachers’ competency in their subjects, and a review of the policy on teachers to be assigned subjects of their competence, as recommended by APHRC.

Periodic teacher in-service training, which was rare in most of the sampled schools, is one of the ways of rejuvenating teachers’ pedagogical knowledge to be re-empowered to adapt best teaching practices as the report indicates.

The Ministry of Education should ensure head teachers intensify lesson observations, mentoring, coaching, and professional guidance to improve teaching skills.