Category Archives: Uncategorized

A Most Unusual Friendship

Posted on by Standard 1


In the heart of a bustling city, an unlikely pair found solace in each other. A sleek, ginger cat named Oliver and a tiny, gray rat named Luna shared a bond that defied expectations. One sunny afternoon, as they strolled through a park, Oliver spotted an ice cream vendor. With a mischievous glint in his eye, he suggested a treat.

To everyone’s surprise, Luna agreed. Hand in hand, the duo enjoyed their frozen delights, a testament to the power of friendship, no matter how different the participants may seem.


After their ice cream indulgence, Oliver and Luna decided to explore a nearby pathway. As they ventured deeper into the narrow passage, they stumbled upon a group of stray cats huddled together for warmth. The cats were visibly hungry and shivering.

Without hesitation, Oliver and Luna returned to the ice cream vendor and purchased more treats. With their newfound generosity, they shared the ice cream with their newfound friends, fostering a sense of community and compassion among the strays.

Awful day

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Today, my thoughts are unstable. I can’t honestly tell what is eating me up. I kept on thinking about this and then about that. Infact I couldn’t get hold of my thoughts. This is absurd, right? Suddenly, my emotions changed from worse to worst! I think I should take writing seriously. Right now after this short piece I feel a relieve!

Scholarship

Posted on by Standard 2

It is incredibly surprising that most of students who do well in National examination in Kenya come from poor families. These are families which the parents cannot be able to afford three meals in a day.  After primary school, such students end up doing manual jobs so as to be able to support their parents and siblings.  If these students do not get help from relatives or well-wishers their dreams get shattered and we end up losing very important individuals in the society. The social media has played a big role in ensuring that needy and bright students are brought to public’s domain so that they can get necessary help.  My goal in this article is to highlight the impact of scholarship to such children and encourage more donors and well-wishers to continue supporting them.

However, my driving force to write this piece is the commendable work being done by Maendeleo Foundation which offers scholarship for both Secondary and University students in Kenya. Over the years the Organization has offered sponsorship to students right from Secondary to college/university level. The students undergo an interview to ascertain the level of their vulnerability before they are offered the assistance. An interview is one of the most effective strategy to ensure that you get the right candidates for sponsorship. This is due to the fact that most people are malicious and hence you cannot just trust what they tell you. Therefore, even if it means visiting their homes to ascertain the truth then it can be of great help. Individuals, churches, banks and also Organizations are doing a lot to make sure that the needy/bright children are given educational support.

Students who get sponsorship for university are lifted the burden of taking loans to cater for their university education. It is noted that most of students work several jobs over the course of their college and graduate school years in order to pay for their classes, books and hostel. This certainly detracts students from the time they are required to study and learn and hence academic performance can greatly suffer, (Community Force, 2017). Some other students engage in immoral behaviour to enable them to raise tuition fees and also hostel money. In the recent years Kenya has lost many promising young people in college and university. Their causes of death could be in one way or other another be associated with lack of finances while at the college or minimal support from the parents. There is also a certain percentage of students who do not graduate from college/university because they are not able to raise the tuition fee. On the other hand, students who manage to get sponsorship are able to attend to their classes well minus fear of being taken out of class due to fees arrears.

The needy students who are supported to either join secondary or universities are empowered such that after school they can change situation in their community. Therefore, sponsorship of needy/bright students is one way to reduce poverty rate in Kenya. The sponsorship mostly comes in handy with mentorship programmes for students so that they can remain focused in their education. Maendeleo Foundation for instance, conducts mentorship programme for sponsored students in secondary school every vacation. The learners a meant to review their goals and given support and guidance where necessary. Generally, there is a close monitoring of sponsored students by parents, mentors and the sponsors.

Sponsorship is an effective channel to contribute your help to individuals and communities in need, (Darrah, p Nov 2016). It is a pathway to touch a child’s life in a special way and changing their destiny for good. Students who get these sponsorships work very hard and most of them emerge successful citizens who impart the nation positively.  As mentioned earlier, sponsorship is a way of combating poverty and nurturing responsible citizens.

The efforts being done by sponsors cannot go unmentioned since Kenyan students are benefitting in a big way. The living standards of many families have been improved as the sponsored students succeed in their education.  However, the sponsorship slots given to needy students is not enough and hence the need for sponsors to increase the number in order to reach many students.

References

Appeal for Bible Camp Scholarship for Needy Children. (2022) Retrieved April 2022, from / https://churchletters.org/church-letters church-donation-stewardship-letters/appeal-for-bible-camp-scholarship-for-needy-children

Community Force. ( 2017) ‍ The impact and importance of scholarships.

www.communityforce.com/the-impact-and-importance-of-scholarships/

Darrah, P. (2016 .6 reasons to sponsor a child. WordPress. www.goabroad.org/why-sponsor-a-child

It’s an ailment

Posted on by Standard 2

social media

The year 2015 has checked in for a close up. The goals set at the beginning of the year have either been met or still pending. In the beginning of each year, there is need to have resolutions in order to put things factual.
My reference lies heavily on social media. It has deprived us of many things that we once used to treasure. We are using it mindlessly without even realizing the damage that is causing in the community. I am of the opinion that social media is, before long going, to bury the majority of us.
Since social media is here to stay, please add the following on your resolutions;

#Do not spend weekends on bed chatting
I am aware that there is need to relax after a long week of hard work. Sadly, I want to remind you that, weekends can be spent in a better way rather than chatting all day long. I bet you have friends to crack jokes with. Of lately, you have been gaining weight, why haven’t you thought of starting swimming on weekends? I presume you could also do a sport which will keep you physically fit. The year 2015, you have given your phone too much attention on weekends and that is why you even stopped doing many things like, going to parties, visiting your granny, having family picnics etc.
You wake up early and immediately put on your chat, therefore, by the time you take breakfast, it is 11am. You take your meals chatting and thereafter you take a nice pause on the coach or you go back to bed to continue chatting. Your days end so fast because you don’t even realize when it is lunch time. I still insist, weekend is supposed to be spent in a healthy way. Put off your chats on weekend, then lock your bedroom because you need to be constructive.
#Download an App lock
I assume you do not want your chats to be read by anyone else. When you leave your phone data connection on, your partner is definitely going to be tempted to read your text messages. That is the bitter truth because how hell on earth will five hundred messages show on your whatsapp and go unread when you left your phone in somebody else’s hands. You still have other messages on facebook messenger, imo, Tagged and the list is endless.
The app lock is free, so please get yourself one because you do not want another fight with your spouse this year. If not your spouse, then you do not want your friend to know what you have been up to. Avoid fights and misunderstanding now that you want the New Year to be smooth.

#Do not allow your boss to think you have been working less and chatting more
You work to be paid, so if the boss has been having that strange look on you, then please watch out. It is best you close your chats next year when you are at work or alternatively leave the phone at home. During working hours you can use the kabambe which will only allow you to receive and make calls.
Do not be surprised as a result, the boss may decide to give you a promotion. You will also come into a realization that you had been robbing the company your recommended working hours. You have been reaping where you did not sow, and do you want me to remind you that it is a sin? Utilize your time well, it could be your colleagues have also been complaining. Especially that workmate who is not in social media, you have been giving her a disturbing headache. Wink Wink.
#Immediately delete naughty videos and photos
You are in that high school group chat, chama members chat group or any other chat group. And you have realized there are some individuals who keep on sending videos and pictures which are not decent. By the way, such people are too idle and they have subscribed to unpaid job of sending videos in your group.
Once you see those videos delete them. Maybe you have children who have an access to your mobile phone, and I am quite sure that you do not want them to set their eyes on neither of them. It costs you nothing to delete that crap, after all its just taking up your phone’s memory. Delete.

#Slow down on flirting
You do not want to be caught again smiling alone by your spouse right? Or even last time your child asked you “Dad why are you smiling alone?” It feels awkward I presume. Start deleting those contacts or preferably tell your friends that 2016 no more flirting.
Trust me many are occasions when people have considered you as a crazy fellow. You smile alone in a Matatu, in waiting a queue, in a lift and many other places. It could be also you once bursted in laughter while you were chatting in a public place. Hey! Stop that craziness.

#Stop taking an adventure on your partner’s phone
I am sure you do not want to develop a heart attack soon or even develop other heart conditions. It is a mobile phone and not a simu ya jamii. Somebody might send a text message accidentally in that number. Please, if you have to use that phone, then call or receive the call and immediately return it.
If you want to know secrets you didn’t want to come across, again you can go on. But remember, the consequences will bring a bad impact on your relationship. I bet you can avoid this. Stay one metre away from that phone to avoid its explosion.
#Identify an appropriate time for chatting
Yes you can do this. And you will not suffer any disorder for putting your data connection off all day long. In fact, you will be cutting down on your expenses unless you want Safaricom CEO to earn more salary than his current millions. Have a predetermined time when you can reply to your text messages and especially the ones which are substantial.
There is need to evaluate your friends and you will come into a realization that, even some of them have nothing important to tell you. You can reply by saying, “thank you for checking on me, I will get to you later.” I don’t insinuate that you should ignore your friends, but if need be, please do.

Adding the above resolutions to your existing list, you will surely make your life excellent.

Mwalimu wa Maths

Posted on by Standard 2

Heed to me you traditional teachers. This time round I promise I will not be gentle with you because there are certain elements about you that agitate me. I want to jog your mind that a teacher is a parent to all students you handle. As you ponder on my argument, get the reminder of being a parent into your perception whether you have a child or not. Teachers are not police officers to an extend of being rough and acting mercilessly on their own students. Personally,  I do respect teachers because they are a strong pillar in any state. That is why every teacher deserves a applause.
It torments me when teachers cannot have a friendly relationship with their students. The parents at home don’t yell at their children day in day out. There are days when a parent will sit down and listen to his/her children and they also correct with love. That creates bonding between the parents and the children.
Esteemed teachers, that is what students expect from you. How hell on earth can you be too harsh to your students and anticipate them to pass in their examination? Maybe you will not want to agree with me, but trust me for once, too much of it instills fear in your very own students. A genuine smile from a teacher creates a warm atmosphere for learners. Howling at the top of your voice at students cannot help anything, this in return makes students not to be at ease with you.
When a student has a warm relationship with the teacher, outstanding performance in academics is guaranteed. Maybe you will not agree because you are that traditional teacher who walks in class with a no nonsense looks. When the students see you they feel like vanishing in the thin air. You never see any substantial thing in that particular student. And oh! You have been calling him/her names. Sluggish and empty debe girl who doesn’t know why she is in school. Don’t be astonished those are words from a qualified teacher.
Just to pause a question to you dear mwalimu, who is to blame when a student fails in examination? Certainly you. You the teacher. But you call the student names when he/she fails forgetting that it is you who failed as a teacher. Accept your incapacity because a teacher is supposed to try all he/she can for a student to capture what you teach. If you realize there is a problem it is your duty to make a recommendation, maybe you could be dealing with a special child. And oh! Yes, you cannot run away from it.  Anha, that is why mwalimu you went to college. And am exceedingly convinced that your lecturer did not tell you it is only the cane which does magic.
It is important to make your own assessment to ensure that the content was well delivered and stop blaming your students. You cannot police your learners in return instilling fear and the same time you are expecting them to perform well. Teachers it is high time that you stopped giving students negative reinforcement. How can you tell your student for instance, you are a good for nothing? Do ever ask yourself what you inculcate in the mind of that child?
Just ask yourself, why would a student run away from you when he/she meets you on the corridors? Probably your looks frighten. I thought a student should always want to be near his/her teacher. Imagine a situation where a teacher enters a class and in the process of teaching a student answers a question in a low voice. Then that traditional teacher asks, “Why the hell do you speak as if you did not take breakfast?” Suppose that student was Mike and in reality he did not take breakfast because his dad or mum is not able to put bread on the table. Now just ask yourself, what humiliation would you have caused that student?
Teachers you are supposed to be parents to students and treat them just as you would treat your own children. Stop seeing the worthless side of your students because some of them come from nasty families where family values have been eroded. They want somebody who can believe in them and that person is you the teacher. There are students who come to school wounded in their hearts because of sorrowful conditions at home. To worsen the situation, teachers cause these children more depression and you keep on wondering why that student cannot perform well. I read an article written by my associate about Butere Girls which runs without rules and prefects. The girls in that school don’t need a teacher to monitor them because of the discipline that has been instilled in them. I have once heard that a school is as good as the head teacher, today I am saying, a class is as good as the class teacher.
I am of the intuition that, if a student has a good relationship with the teacher she will work hard to perform well the subject that teacher teaches. In school I loved my Geography teacher and every time I wanted to do self-study, I would find myself studying that subject. She was a lovable teacher who corrected us with love and whenever I read Geography notes, her voice could echo in my mind.
In developed countries parents and teachers do not cane children. Children are deprived of their privileges like being denied a chance to play. If a child is denied something that he/she loves she will not have any other option but to listen.
Teachers should adopt other ways of pushing and relating with their students. Example, a student making noise in class would be asked not go to for breaks and instead stay in classroom during that time and write a composition. Traditional teachers, you need to style up.

Cheating 2015

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EXAM LEAKAGE PICI traveled more than 500 kilometers to meet this professional lady teacher. You know what? she needed my counsel. Upon arrival, I reminded her that she was a brilliant and an intelligent teacher who consequently uses social media as a platform to combat impunity. I didn’t want to be judgmental before I understood her viewpoint on the whole issue. I felt it was my duty to remind her that for once she had tested my trust in her. I looked into her eyes, guilt and baffling mingled together. I then used the opportunity to let her get the reality that she was supposed to hear from me. I let her know that she had messed her niece up by enabling her to access examination leakage. I maintain that our lengthy talk helped a situation.

But regardless of my effort I still depress. The examination leakage has left a bitter taste in my mouth. I disagree with every opinion analysts are trying to depict. And that is why the Cabinet Secretary of education is on the spot following widespread cheating in form four national examination this year.

I want to disagree with the opinion that teachers are to blame for the examination leakage. Analysts have recently said that, the massive spread of exams is as a result of face-off between the teachers and the government. It is for sure that their September salary has not been paid but it would be unrealistic to argue that it compelled them to leak the exam. I want to assert that KNEC has severally failed on its mandate even before.

I purport that this year’s examination leakage is of the highest order as compared to other years. Am yet to understand why KNEC has not asked for help from the cybercrime unit and yet the chairman of the house committee on education Mrs. Sabina Chege had raised the same concerns.

It is dispiriting that the Cabinet Secretary passed the rebuke on police officers who he believes they opened the exam papers and sent them through Whatsapp. He absolved his ministry from blame, sadly enough, he did not give an immediate solution on the same. And that is why am of the intuition the main source of exam leakage is the KNEC officials. They should expound to the Kenyan people how the examination leakage comes about.

Irritation lies heavily on the Kenyan corrupt officials and that is why I don’t find it convincing that the ministry of education is faultless. This is not the first time that the exam leakage is happening in our schools. More so, it is puzzling enough that those who are concerned have failed to curb it. KNEC had alleged that cheating will be seized at the marking stage. This is a predicament I do not want to comprehend because it is a mere wordplay.

As I was talking to this lady teacher in question, I realized that exam leakage is all over and it’s no longer a a big issue. According to her, it was an induce from the surroundings and therefore, guilt was washing her like an acid bath. Let our leaders be told that we are tired of their devil-may-care tendency. The country is sinking because of corruption and no one seems to heed about safeguarding the situation. The hornbills are too many and they are quick to loot before they check out.

The same students were affected by the strike and it is lamentable that their results will be faced with a lot of scrutiny. These students will be the leaders of tomorrow and I hesitate due to the fact we shall have a contaminated generation of leaders.

Lastly, I said to my friend, “let the students struggle just as we did while we were in school.”

#PERFORMANCE CONTRACT

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teachers work

“Teachers I am not yet done with you.” That is the message the government is trying to mutely pass to Kenyan teachers. The ministry of education intends to implement new education regulation which will pin down the teacher who is already sick and tired of intimidation from the government.
The new regulation requires the teacher to sign a performance contract with his/her employer who is the Teacher Service Commission. The Cabinet Secretary is of the opinion that over 50% of the teachers countrywide are not working. That is a statement that surprises many teachers when they are going an extra mile to do what can be done for learners to pass the examination.
It is with deep sorrow that currently teachers have not received their September 2015 salary. The ministry of education should be reminded that teachers are already in “a performance contract” be in the know that it is only a teacher who has to prepare a series of professional documents for teaching before entering the classroom.
The schemes of work are prepared for the whole term which guides the teacher on the work to be covered on a particular period of time. In addition to that, a teacher prepares a daily lesson plan for each subject to be taught, which gives a step by step guide on how to deliver the content therein. It is also mandatory that the same teacher prepares lesson notes for each subject to be taught.
And to intensify the whole matter the teacher is supposed to keep a record of the work covered everyday and a progress record for each learner.
All the mentioned documents are inspected by the officials from the ministry of education when they visit the institution. After the official working hours the teacher is expected to sit down and prepare all aforementioned documents for the following day.
When the government is grumbling about the performance; we wonder if they have forgotten the huge numbers of students in classrooms. It is very unreasonable that a single teacher can handle 70-100 children in a class alone. To heighten the matter, the learning conditions are terrible, the learning resources are not available and the teacher is required to improvise and use locally available material as teaching aids.
Did the world know that teaching profession is one in many professions? And yes they are! Because, they, at one point become nurses to the pupils in class. When a child falls sick it is the duty of the teacher to attend to the child. Teachers are counselors. Parents have left their responsibility to teachers. The already overworked teacher is required to spare his/her time to offer guiding and counseling to the learners. Teachers are lawyers, preachers and even parents to the children that they teach. When parents stopped doing their responsibility we saw the outcome at Eldoret and recently in Nairobi where school going children were caught in a night club. That was direct effect of the long strike that took place and children became indiscipline. Teachers now are faced with a challenge to rectify such behaviours.
If the teacher is to be subjected to more performance contract, oh! Because they are already in a contract, it would be fair if it could be in conditions. The teacher to learner ratio should closely be looked into. And with that effectively dealt with, the teacher will be able to handle the learners well. It is important that the government ensure that learning materials and resources are available for both the teacher and the learner. The question still lingers why would the teacher still be subjected to prepare all the documents mentioned earlier? It would be prudent the poor teacher be left to have only the chalk and the pen.
It is an allowable effort that the Cabinet Secretary wants to streamline the education sector. But such efforts should not entirely be meant to intimidate the teachers who are already doing a commendable work. Such regulations should at least encounter various consultations. Let teachers breath they are already in a performance contract.

HOW FREE IS FREE?

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Hold on! It is in uncountable setting that I have had this uncertainty. And I would like someone to cloudless expound to me the real meaning of a word in Oxford Dictionary which is not vivid enough to me in terms of its denotation. My scrutiny lie heavily in the word ‘free’ as used in Free Primary Education, commonly referred to as FPE. The ‘free’ in that version bring a lot of contradictions to many parents who have children in Public Primary Schools. These children in public primary schools are required to access education freely as stipulated in FPE policy. Children are considered to be anybody less than eighteen years of age, children (Act 2001).
Just to recollect the history of FPE it goes back to 1974 and later in 1979 when the Kenya Government launched the initiative.
That initiative was a new dawn for both parents and children.
The FPE initiative had innumerable challenges and collapsed only to be revived by NARK government in 2002 which was their campaign pledge for voters. In that case therefore, in January 2003 President Mwai Kibaki reintroduced the Free Primary Education.
The mystery still lingers, how free is free? It has been in many occasions when the parents have received their children back in their houses. It is for a fact that children have been taken back home asserting they have been sent to collect activity fee. The parents are required to pay the activity fee yearly pausing a question whether the government has exempted it? It is also comic that parents are required to pay other funds which amounts to a lot of money yearly. The schools which are understaffed employ teachers who are paid by the PTA that leading to emergence of PTA money. I also actualized that, a student who is a new comer is required to pay desk fee and admission fee. The same student is also required to pay money for interview which gives a hint the academic level of the learner.
In addition, there are schools where parents are required to pay other school bills like electricity which administrators allege it caters for cost of pumping water. Schools which are fortunate to have computers parents are required to pay computer fee and in other situations parents expected to buy photocopier papers. In most of Public Schools there are days where children are supposed to put on P.E kits uniform which is sold in the school store. These uniforms are overpriced. As that is not enough parents also pay report book money so as to access their children’s examination results.
And it will be imprecise to overlook the monthly examination fee. The examination is done monthly and in other occasions after a fortnight. If a child fails to pay that money he/she is not allowed in school premises leave alone the classroom. The parents are also asked to contribute money to pay the school watchman or the cook if there is a feeding program. Now the tuition issue that makes the Education Cabinet Secretary want to spit up. His directives have always fallen on deaf ears because children still pay money for remedial class.
Apart from wanting to really know what ‘free’ means in free Primary Education Policy, the initiative in question has faced many challenges. The increased enrollment in schools is demanding increment of physical facilities. The classes are crowded and the classroom teachers have to handle more than one hundred children in one classroom. The government should not leave the school administrators to go to bed having a disturbing migraine wondering where to place the children.
I wish ‘free’ would be free or alternatively have the word attached to another connotation altogether. Children from badly off families are not getting full access to their rights of education. If the government claims to be committed to providing Free Primary Education to Public Primary Schools, then it should be unconditionally free. The Cabinet Secretary of Education Jacob Kaimenyi put it incontrovertible that the government will be paying the National Examination fee for children in Public Schools. With that said, I reckon the government should take possession of full responsibility to pay all the examination money for children from lower primary to secondary school.
Let the parents be spared from the pressure of paying fees having in mind that many children in Public Schools come from poverty-stricken families. My esteemed government, it is a heyday for Kenyan children.