I CALL IT DOWNRIGHT LOGIC!

By Timothy Simwa
As we continue to grapple with the Kenyan curriculum of education that has been condemned of being devoid of the basic essentials that education in developed countries encompass, voluminous files of review commissions on education continue to gather dust in our national archives. (Just as many other reports with the latest but already mutilated TJRC report to exonerate the untouchable just as our culture of freeing the big fish demands.) Grave issues remain unsettled.

In the recent past, Kenyans have woken up to news of at least three satellite colleges that underwent an overnight evolution to become fully-fledged universities. While you might view it a plus to whoever does this, you are probably not giving it a critical evaluation or you are a continuing undergraduate who ostensibly has no idea of what lurks in the world of tarmacking for public university graduates. I blame it on popular politics, flicks and tricks that are now playing a role in our education spheres.

The sector's role in realizing a transformed society (in Kenya we call it vision 2030) cannot be underestimated but it remains crystal clear that roadside declarations by the head of state, or any other mandarin who matters in our worshipped political structures, is uncalled for in our education systems .Such moves have seen village polytechnics transform overnight to become universities. This is what I term as downright and warped logic as a way of empowering our people education-wise.

I watch in amazement as pundits succumb to pressure of locals in political rallies to establish a university within their walking-distance even when KCSE statistics reveal the whole districts had only a dozen students making it to public universities albeit the harmonized threshold by the Joint Admission Board.

Notably the head of state, particularly during the coalition regime, was characterized by institutions mushrooming in tremendous numbers. Under the same reign, as if it was a succession of awards from the head of state, we saw a number of districts upsurge to over 160 maybe to create opportunities for employing DOs as part of the 500 thousand job creation strategy plan in a year. Then followed the number of universities. Interesting enough their children read about our institutions in the newspaper from the diaspora.

Yes,we all endeavour to create a society where everyone is learned and accessing education isn't an uphill task as it has been for the have nots. But in the same breath, an education system 50 years old down the lane that has very little to salute is doomed.

The appalling conditions that describe our lives as Kenyans is enough evidence that introducing the luxury of laptops for standard one kids in our crippled education system is a rib-tickling joke. What good does it serve to a child who comes to school with an empty stomach, barefooted, in torn uniform repaired beyond repair and of course a yawning teacher whose peanuts increment treaty signed 15 years ago has not been effected leaving their situation is laughably hopeless.

If the few public universities still do not produce graduates to beat the competitive job market then average reasoning informs that creating 160 varsities to match the moribund 160 districts is disastrous. Instead of consolidating the few we have to realize hybrid graduates than the half-baked type as we are described, and of course tackle the problems bred by the crash program. Pundits in the sector continue to enjoy office slumber as we languish below their noses.

But despite this subjugation, I delight in the enthusiasm with which we remain steadfast in this struggle to refute the appellation of suffering creativity bankruptcy as public university graduates.All we need is a million dollar determination. We will overcome

The writer is a 3rd year journalism student.