28 December 2011
editorial
The release of national examination results always marks an important moment in the education cycle.
It offers a chance to assess mastery of the primary level curriculum and determines who progresses to secondary school.
So, it was, with Wednesday’s release of this year’s Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examination results. In general terms, the performance was far better than it has been in the past two years.
The top two candidates scored 442 marks, compared to 434 and 438 in 2010 and 2009 respectively.
For good measure, the two were a boy and a girl — Martin Irungu Waiharo of Moi Educational Centre and Christine Muthoni Kagiri of Tender Care Academy, both in Nairobi, demonstrating gender balance, but unfortunately, regional imbalances too.
Secondly, the number of candidates who scored more than 400 marks rose significantly to 5,806 compared to 2,723 last year.
These two indicators illustrate good mastery of the curriculum and therefore, positive learning outcomes.
Nevertheless, some perennial challenges persisted. One, there were marked disparities between regions.
The worst-performing counties were from one region — Kilifi, Lamu, Taita Taveta, Kwale and Tana River — all in Coast.
Alarmed by this regional imbalance, Education Minister Sam Ongeri promised to visit the counties to inspect the learning processes.
Fair enough, but such ad hoc visits do not tackle the problem. A more strategic approach should involve discussions with parents, teachers, political and religious leaders to get to the bottom of the problem.
Cycle of poverty
Inequalities in performance by regions easily translate into imbalances in access to training, jobs and business opportunities, and thus undermine upward social mobility.
Such inequalities perpetuate a cycle of poverty and exclusion, which might spur social unrest and despondency.
Inasmuch as performance was better this year, more than half of the candidates scored less than 250 out of 500 marks. Such candidates are technically locked out of secondary education.
The question is: What do we do with thousands of 14-year-olds who cannot proceed with education?
The obvious choice is for them to join youth polytechnics, but most of these institutions are now moribund. Expecting the children to join the informal sector is also not feasible.
By and large, cheating was minimal this year, standing at just 1.5 per cent of the 22,000-plus centres.
But what was disturbing was that headteachers, teachers, supervisors, and in one case, a district education officer, colluded to cheat.
Whatever tough measures are put in place will not succeed in ending cheating until the moral dimensions are addressed.
The results come at a time when the education sector is poised for major changes that seek to alter the architecture, school calendar and curriculum.
It is critical that the government provides a platform for serious discussions of the proposals to ensure that whatever changes are implemented reflect the aspirations of the people and realities of the day.
AllAfrica – All the Time