They say practice makes perfect,and patience pays.But coming to our Kenyan educational system,the narrative seems to have been bended a bit to allow room for laziness.
The Ban Of Preps by the Cabinet secretary of Education Ezekiel Machogu it’s not just mending the education sector but it’s like over placing patches on a torn trouser.
Over time our educational system has been effectively proving it’s strive for better performance but now the incoming minister is over fixing a small issue.
The Education sector has been facing different problems regardless of the minister in charge. Former minister Dr.Fred Matian’gi seemed to have understood his assignment well enough and was getting the answers right.
For Hon. Machogu,he is being faced by allegations of exams cheating countrywide by candidates in his era but no action seems to be taken.
He has appeared to give heed to issues that have been there and don’t need to be acted upon with the energy he is driving at. Focusing on preps in schools is a misplaced idea.
As much as mental health for our pupils is a concern. But many of us have gone through the same system and excelled.
The same preps that is being claimed to have an negative impact on the students mental health,was the same preps that allowed us to create time and understand by ourselves what doesn’t need a teacher’s explanation.
Some students are slow learners and need extra time to get to understand by themselves what they had been taught. Thus banning of preps is a disadvantage to them.
Teachers who used to sacrifice their time and for an extra income, are now endangered.
Their salaries they argue from time to time to get an increase is not enough to sustain them. The banning of the same preps is equal to denying the teachers any extra money to allow them deliver effectively.
Some of these teachers would expound further to the students who didn’t understand what was taught during the lesson. This is a disadvantage to the focused students who benefited from the extra time with their teachers.
The CS should have focused more on the cause and permanent remedies to exam cheating. Removing of preps is equally encouraging laziness to the students who’s outcome is well known.
Most Education experts will arque that schools are now offering more leisure time than it’s intended purpose.
The funding of Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) should have been given more emphasis than any other thing. Exam malpractices and the issues affecting examiners should have been prioritised before
I believe the CS is working on his role,and is an experienced person and streamlining the sector should be easy.
By Anthony Odongo, Sutdent Maseno University
