Back to School the Kenyan Way

Two weeks ago I had the rare privilege of seeing my 9 year old nephew back to school. He was moving on to class four and mighty excited about it. Well, me, not so much. Among the list of items he had to bring was a dictionary, an atlas, a Good News Bible, Kamusi (Swahili dictionary), a ruler and a geometrical set.

Now the list is not so much the issue as is the fact that my boy had just graduated from class three and barely learnt to take care of his pencils. To be honest we’ve had to get him a new pencil, rubber, and sharpener every other day ever since I can remember. He has a way of misplacing even his items of clothing, putting jitters in us all night as we wonder whether the new track suit we just purchased will be found safe and sound somewhere in school the following morning.

So you can understand my apprehension when this same little ‘not-so-careful’ boy has to daily be entrusted with textbooks whose value runs into thousands of Kenya shillings. Lots of questions run through my mind like, why does a class four child NEED all these books? I sure don’t remember owning an atlas or a dictionary till I was in class six. And I’m pretty sure I turned out alright. No wonder the never ending hue and cry about revising the Kenyan education system.

That however is the tip of the iceberg. By some stroke of fate he needed to change schools. Fate did I say? Hmmm, let's review that. His school had made it clear it was phasing out the primary school over an eight year period or sooner if need be. The sooner turned it to be a manic suddenly that left all parents and guardians baffled. A week into his first term of the year, I dropped him to school in the morning but, when I went to pick him up in the evening I was casually informed that the school had CLOSED and he was not to report the following morning - figure that! I had a mind to sue but couldn't muster the strength for the long, probably futile, court battle, but I digress....

His new school seemed even more determined to make a tiny scholar out of him. On his second day back from school my little nephew groaned his way up the stairs to our flat, his school bag weighing him down, threatening to roll him back down the stairs. His new school had blessed him with all of eight or so textbooks (did I mention he is in class four?), not counting the ones we had bought earlier. Besides, I was informed, we needed to buy him SIXTEEN exercise books – that’s right, sixteen!

‘How are you expected to carry all that?’ I asked my little boy and he gave me a little smile in desperation. I felt his pain. Each morning after that as I watched him drag his bag to the school bus I would ask him, ‘Are you sure you need all those books today?’ I’ve asked him to get me the school timetable so I can decide what books he carries to school and which ones he doesn’t. 

His new school seems to be aware of this mammoth task and has now issued him with a lockable desk (whew!) so he can leave some of the books behind. Now all I have to worry about is whether or not he will lose the keys (that I am as sure as day going to have to fasten somewhere around his neck,) and find himself unable to access his books for that day.

I am for education as much as, if not more than, the next person. But I am not convinced class four pupils need more than twenty textbooks and exercise books. Neither am I convinced it is healthy for them to carry to and from school bags that look like a back-packing expedition. 

I think the academic competition in our country amongst schools has reached dangerous levels and is threatening to stunt the physical, emotional and even mental growth of our children. There is a time and place for lots of books and study, but lower primary just isn’t it. Amongst all the homework schools need to factor in play time for children. I hate to break it to you but this too is an important part of human development. Those schools that have done away with Physical Exercise lessons in their timetables, as well as games in the name of academic excellence need to reinstate this crucial part of a child’s development.

We must pace the education of our children. We really must be careful to give them only what they can reasonably handle at every stage of their studies, that way they will be better prepared and motivated for the next stage. I am no advocate for the silver spoon for kids, but our education system has gone too far, and the competition for top slots in National Exam results has become unhealthy, to put it mildly.

Let’s go back to the days when education was primarily for the benefit of our kids, not that of school heads, management, owners and teachers. Then maybe our children will enjoy going to school a little more than they do now.