Tag Archives: Education

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

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

Posted on by Standard Reply

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

Posted on by Standard Reply

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?

Posted on by Standard Reply

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.

FIVE WEEKS LATER

Posted on by Standard 1

 

The reality of empty bank accounts belonging to 288,060 teachers with 40,000 claimed to have been paid, denote an enormous injury for the teachers. It has been a take up arms between the Teachers Service Commission and the teachers’ unions, which has led to the government showing a valiant spirit of defying court orders. After a long cross swords, it’s a question of who had the last laugh between the TSC and the teachers. Mr Justice Abuodha ordered that there would be no victimization of teachers and their September salary, but according to the Secretary General William Sossion , TSC and the government are up to the violation of those orders. The unions have put it clear that they have suspended their strike for 90 days as ordered by the court, it however remains unclear; should we expect another strike early 2016? Let this be pondered because the unions expect the government to comply with the court order awarded by Justice Nduma Nderi awarding teachers 50-60 per cent pay rise.

The bell rang today on 5th October 2015 for assembly after 34 days later after schools were desserted and padlocks remained on the gates in all Public Schools. Teachers were on low tones and could not fail to show their disappointment on the back to class order. They had nothing to rejoice about and hence the learners as innocent as they looked; they could not understand why the “holiday” was too long. Perhaps the USA president Barack Obama changed term dates when he visited Kenya in July. It is for fact that all the candidates fear had started to practically eat a hole in their hearts because they were uncertain of undertaking their national examinations which hang around. The teachers had an opportunity to encourage the learners to embark on their school work, having in mind that examinations are just about to start.

The whole controversy will then shift to the relief teachers employed by TSC this week on contract basis. The TSC had earlier advertised 70,000 vacancies for teachers, which looked like a weapon to scare teachers, especially those who are about to retire and those who had received posting letters in August. The employment and Labour relations Court Judge Nduma Nderi stopped TSC from hiring the teachers which is a case filed by the Trade Union Congress of Kenya. Rumour has it that 10,000 applicants had already entered an agreement of three months before the exercise was stopped. To these teachers, confusion and nightmare will mingle together before the whole issue is resolved by the court. Since everybody is moving to court for justice, the relieved teachers may also move to the court to seek for fair play. There is still a huge shortage of teachers in Public schools. Instead of the TSC taking these teachers into a contract basis, it is actually an opportunity of employing them permanently.

After five weeks on strike, teachers’ expectation has to be put on pending and lamentably enough, the teachers lack the pay rise as well as their September salary. They have gone back to their duties mournful and thinking of unpaid September bills. The schemes work and lesson plans were ready for the content to be delivered today, despite the teachers’ employer shying away from addressing the September salary issue. Teaching is a call and therefore, teachers have opted go back to school to perform their task diligently. The parents and learners especially the candidates, have a reason to smile again following the back to class order. Teachers weep NOT.