Tag Archives: students

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.”

Chemistry, ain’t ready!

Posted on by Standard Reply

 

Am not ready for Biology, and heck am not ready for Chemistry and to be more precise, me myself and I are not ready for the entire 2015 Kenya National Examination, which starts on 12th October. I feel like my rights have been violated by the people I trusted the most and I won’t let any folk drag me into blaming my teacher, neither will I blame myself. This very moment, I wish I was the Cabinet Secretary for education or even an official at the Kenya National Education Council because, I would act with speed and precision to save the suffering students of Kenya. The issue of the teachers strike has dug a hole in my heart and what I am feeling is what animals feel when an earthquake looms. Spare me your opinions since I don’t have phobia for examinations neither am I an indisciplined student because trust me, I have never been summoned to the principal’s office.

What troubles me even more is this question, Who the hell will mark my exams? Rumour has it that it could be the NYS, the mention of NYS makes my heart jump into my throat. Perhaps it could be the Kenya Defense Forces which leaves me more faint-hearted that they will confuse my well written composition paper for an Al-shabaab leaflet. Therefore, let me remain idealistic that our teachers will soon go back to school and take us through the examination process. But even with the return of the teachers to schools, I still insist that am not ready for Chemistry. My classroom hours have not been utilized well and yet I will still yell. My teacher completed the syllabus but she was to go through remedial classes during the entire third term. Even as I lament now, the topic Matrix gives me a migraine and what saddens me most is that, the last time I had a talk with my dear teacher, she assured me that this term, she would take my dismay on disturbing topics.

Somebody needs to revisit children’s rights because I have a feeling that somebody has slept on his/her job. My guardians have invested so much in my education through a lot of strain, and they have high expectations from me. My counter parts at Private Schools are doing final touches on revision and I know they won’t suffer the panic that I will go through, especially the initial day of examination. I think the invigilators should let the ‘Mwakenya’ trend in examination rooms in 2015. This won’t be cheating; on contrary esteemed Kenyans, the students will be confirming what the teachers had taught them earlier. Is it not so, that the teachers confirm the answers from a pile of books too when marking our exams? Yes they do for accuracy.

It won’t be a blow to me that mine will remain a voice in the wilderness because my feelings are so true and real. The consequences will be so bitter in that it will affect the youth of tomorrow and that generation is us, the 2015 candidates. Failure in exams will not be received with gratification but instead, there will be a lot of disappointment in every student who will have performed unsatisfactorily. Some will not even attain grades which will enable them join secondary schools of their preferences. And to form four leavers, the reality will dawn to them that courses that they intend to pursue will be out of the question. It is alleged that the government of Kenya has been trying to curb the menace of drug abuse and youth radicalization. If so therefore, I don’t know what this honoured government is doing to ensure that more youth do not become vulnerable to the same. Let it be known today that the outcome will bring awful repercussions in us who are the youth of tomorrow. Oh! The migraine again.