Education sector now seems to be moving in right direction

The move by Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i to meet education stakeholders is encouraging. This is especially so after the manner in which his predecessor ran the sector.

It must be noted that education in any country is the main driving force for progress in all spheres of the economy and thus should be handled delicately.

Sobriety and goodwill, therefore, are the main ingredients to a smooth and result-oriented system, not chest thumping and a show of might.

And further, all stakeholders in the sector should embrace dialogue and abandon the hard stance that has left our children in a mess.

No clinical method is applicable of determining the extent of damage this incessant breaks in learning - due to teachers’ and students’ strikes - cause our children and education in general.

Let it be noted that no one is against the teachers’ strike since the wide wage gap between the lowest earning public servant and the highest in Kenya is incredible – which must be addressed if discontent and strikes are to be averted.

Furthermore, the move by Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development to champion radical changes in the curriculum is also timely. It is encouraging to think that Kenya is now realising the error in giving too much regard to examinations at the expense of skills, which are key to progress and rapid development in any country.

In addition, the current spate of turning middle-level colleges into universities is misplaced and misinformed. This must be changed since these colleges are vital in imparting necessary skills to a workforce that is needed to turn the economy around.

{John Kirui, Mulot High School}

The ongoing meeting for the key stakeholders in the education sector at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development is heartening and praiseworthy.

Since the inception of the 8-4-4 system of education in 1985, several task forces have been formed with an objective of aligning the curriculum to market demand but to no avail. To be precise, the task force reports continue to gather dust in the Government’s archives as the the quality of our education continues to deteriorate year in year out.

There has been public outcry form the employers that the current system does not produce graduates who can take up the available vacancies in the job market.

The primary objective of the 8-4-4 system of education was to produce multi-skilled graduates who are job creators. However, as we speak now, the system has become a breeding ground for ill-prepared young Kenyans who are devoid of employable skills thus half-baked graduates who continue to languish in major towns in Kenya.

Therefore, as the stakeholders deliberate on curriculum review, it is imperative that they do a radical surgery to the current system of education and come up with an education system that can equip learners with skills and knowledge needed for the job market.

It is evident from our Constitution that the current system of education is wanting. In fact, it is not in sync with the Vision 2030 development blueprint. The profound deterioration of education standards speaks volumes.

 

The need for radical reform in our education system cannot be overemphasised. It is high time we address the obstinate problem of poor education by changing the curriculum.

{Joseph G Muthama