Refrain from attacks on tutors over exams
By Editorial.Team, January 18, 2024Both parents and teachers play a significant role in the success of learners during national examinations. Simply, this burden is a shared responsibility.
The role of teachers is particularly central because they not only spend more time with the learners but also serve as their primary instructors and examiners.
To a large extent, they are more in a position to shape the futures of the young learners, empower them with the necessary knowledge and nurture dreams.
That is why there are concerns about increasing cases of parents attacking teachers, blaming them for the failure of their children in national exams.
Several teachers across the country have shared horror stories and experiences about the assaults and abuses they have had to endure in the hands of rowdy parents, who in most cases are egged on by boda boda riders, for simply doing their jobs.
As Kenya continues to reckon with the role mass national examination plays in the education system, a tiny but extremely vocal minority is determined to turn our classrooms into battlegrounds for their vicious culture wars.
These rowdy groups of parents are using the release of national examinations to spread disinformation and stoke fear about their children’s future and seek to censor teachers and deny students the right to a truthful and honest education.
Before embarking on their dangerous missions to eject teachers from the alleged poor performing schools, the parents must be reminded that learner achievement in examinations is the reflection of the overall input from all stakeholders, including parents, teachers and candidates themselves.
And as Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu correctly observed, both the ministry and Teachers Service Commission have a robust and elaborate mechanism for evaluating the performance of teachers and field officers to ensure non-performing staff are dealt with in accordance with existing laws and policies.
Any parent, rightfully aggrieved by perceived poor performance in national examinations, has the right and mandate to follow legal channels to report to relevant authorities for necessary action.
It is also worth noting that parents are incorporated in the running of schools as members of management committees and alumni associations. They should use these mechanisms to raise their grievances.