Dkt Ndemo,
Thanks for sharing such well researched facts, it is sad how girls are
suffering in the countryside and have to spend many days out of school. MoH
should be availing those sanitary towels to school girls just as they are
dispensing condoms to prevent HIV/AIDS. The concept of Continious
Assessment is a good one; however, this is likely to experience abuse as a
result of dishonesty and corruption going by the tradition of our countrymen
and women. The society and its people requires to be morally upright for
such useful systems to serve and achieve their set objectives. Thanks also
for throwing light on how ICT will help improve quality of education through
e-learning, though it will take long as its implementation depends on other
factors such as energy.

This afternoon, I met a man carrying the traditional "mabati box/ suitcase"
for boarding school students and after egaging him in a brief chat, it
emerged he didn't have a child reporting to form-one / secondary school. He
told me he is taking his son to to a private primary school as he can
nolonger gamble with the future of his child in a public school. That is how
serious the issue is out here. Todate, I have not seen or heard any
communication from MoE commiting to look into the crisis in public primary
schools, and they are only telling us that funds are being disbursed to
schools; BUT FOR WHAT? Just to balance the books of accounts Or to deliver
quality service? Is Kenya going through mid-life crisis? I guess we have a
senior person from the MoE on the list.

Akich Kwach

----- Original Message -----
From: <bitange@jambo.co.ke>
To: "Akich Kwach" <kwach@archway-productions.com>
Cc: <bitange@jambo.co.ke>; "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions"
<kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke>
Sent: Thursday, January 07, 2010 3:12 PM
Subject: Re: [kictanet] [ke-internetusers] Re: KNEC giving candidates,
parents a raw deal

Akich,
I understand your frustration. We need to emulate the British education
reforms. Final exams only account for a small percentage. Let me explain
the depth of our education problems then show you why we need to change
the status quo.

World over, Girls do better than boys between ages 6 and 13. Boys only
begin to be competitive after testestron kicks in. In rural Kenya very
bright young girls are wasted every year because by 13, they begin their
periods and in the absence of sanitary towels, they miss classes between 5
and seven days every month. Obviously their KCPE results come out poor
and then we consign them to becoming House Girls in urban centers.

We can change this nonsense with ICT. We need to send end term exam
result to a central database. Each school can scan the report card and
have it sent to KNEC. We then use the continuous assessment for up to 60%
of testing. KCPE will then contribute the 40%. Let us go back to our
girls with this model. A girl who performed well up to std. 6 or 7 will
need very little marks to pass KCPE.

This model will actually eliminate cheating. It will also save many of
our daughters from being condemed for sins that are not of their own
making.

I am hoping we get to roll out Digital Villages countrywide in order to
provide an e-learning platform that would level the playing field. This
will be our little contribution to our education.

Ndemo.

> Listeners,
> Thanks to Dkt Ndemo, Esther, Sam and all who have been contributing to
> this debate which is of a great national concern. As they say with
> education; "You are a beneficiary OR affected either directly or
> indirectly". From the education system, a nation produces men and women
> who contribute to national development. A portion of the dropouts decides
> to give the communities a preveiew of life in hell in the name of criminal
> activities.
>
> Ndemo mentioned issues of teachers being recruited locally, hence a
> sinking community will continue sinking becauce they don't want to see
> "foreign teachers". How comes policemen are posted anywhere in the country
> yet they earn less than teachers (ex-bribery)? Esther's proposal of
> introducig bridging courses has been a success in private universities and
> has given opportunities to thousands to build their careers. If Sam's
> ideas are implemented, we shall have housegirls who are equiped to be
> trusted with the young ones with basic health standards, cooking and other
> domestic needs.
>
> This week, I rejected some of the textbooks given to my daughter at a
> public school in the name of FPE because they were in pathetic conditions
> and I have buy them myself if she has to learn. To conclude, how many
> years shall it take us to be near education system like in UK where the
> former Prime Minister, Tony Blair once said with pride that he went to a
> public school.
>
> Akich Kwach
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
>   From: Sam Aguyo
>   To: kwach@archway-productions.com
>   Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
>   Sent: Thursday, January 07, 2010 10:14 AM
>   Subject: Re: [kictanet] [ke-internetusers] Re: KNEC giving
> candidates,parents a raw deal
>
>
>   Listerners,
>
>   My view is that we need more of a change of attitude than anything else.
> Our minds are more of exam driven than the ultimate delivery this
> happens at all levels and we end up churning out questionable graduates
> at all levels.
>
>   Lets assume at the end of KCPE those who have not made it to form one
> can be absorbed at training institutions that train nannies, househelps,
> garden boys etc. Those who have joined form one can sit another exam
> KJSE and those who have not made it can be trained to be professional
> something. At form KCSE those who have not made it can also be trained
> to do something else it goes on and on. This to many sounds outrageous
> but it may not be far from the reality.
>
>   At the speed we are going to have everybody attain university education
> and end up with a white collar job, am reluctant to be near my brothers
> and sisters, they are wild since am not doing enough to abtain them a
> white collar job despite paying fees all the way to university.
>
>   Sometimes we need to borrow example this time round from US where people
> honour all careers and pay for it. By the way with due respect what is
> the profession of Mr Tiger Woods wife?
>
>   Sam
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>   From: Esther Muchiri <>
>   To: saguyo@yahoo.com
>   Cc: Skunk Works <skunkworks@my.co.ke>; KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
> <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke>; ke-users <ke-internetusers@bdix.net>
>   Sent: Wed, January 6, 2010 8:43:04 PM
>   Subject: Re: [kictanet] [ke-internetusers] Re: KNEC giving candidates,
> parents a raw deal
>
>   Now that we all agree there is a problem with our 8-4-4 system,
> especially
>   considering the number of dropouts every year, how about an introduction
> of
>   'bridging' courses for those who did not perform so well (due to one
> reason
>   or another)? I am sure there are many other factors that contribute to
> poor
>   performance, e.g. panic.
>
>   Would it be wrong if some private secondary schools decided to admit
> those
>   who failed (say 180-250 marks) into form one, but then offer a mandatory
> 3
>   month bridging course to bring them at par with the more qualified
>   candidates? This would reduce the number of dropouts, and perhaps give
> them
>   hope and a chance to complete secondary school. I know universities
> offer
>   bridging courses - why not high school?
>
>
>   -----Original Message-----
>   From: kictanet-bounces+emuchiri=andestbites.com@lists.kictanet.or.ke
>   [mailto:kictanet-bounces+emuchiri=andestbites.com@lists.kictanet.or.ke]
> On
>   Behalf Of bitange@jambo.co.ke
>   Sent: Wednesday, January 06, 2010 7:26 PM
>   To: emuchiri@andestbites.com
>   Cc: Skunk Works; KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions; ke-users
>   Subject: Re: [kictanet] [ke-internetusers] Re: KNEC giving candidates,
>   parents a raw deal
>
>   Akich,
>   The dynamics of our democratized society are too complex. As a child
>   growing up in rural Kisii we had teachers from different parts of the
>   country. Our people (Kenyans) demanded that we must go local and remove
>   "foreigners". We escalted this foreigner concept to the extent we were
> in
>   Dec. 2007.
>
>   Local teachers now have to finish with their small enterprises before
> they
>   consider students. Some have to till their shambas first. These are
> the
>   people we call hard working and we all know about this. There is no
>   passion to teach anymore and when they teach, they do it in venacular.
>   Ministry of education knows about this. The solution is difficult and
>   highly political. Reforms will see at least 50,000 teachers retired.
>   Anybody implementing this kind of reforms would be attacked from all
>   corners including yes parents.
>
>   In my view we need to raise the minimum teacher qualification to
>   undergraduate and they work anywhere in the country as any other civil
>   servant. We must tie performance to any pay increase. Atwoli apende
>   asipende.
>
>   Just my personal thoughts.
>
>
>   Regards
>
>
>   Ndemo.
>
>
>
>
>   > Daktari Ndemo,
>   > As one of the concerened parents and citizens, I must admit the truth
> can
>   > be
>   > sometimes very bitter especially when you compare the qaulifications
> of
>   > public primary school teachers with that of private schools. The
> disparity
>   > is even worse when you look at the rural schools. On the issue of
> whether
>   > we
>   > need the KCPE exams, I would request you to pose that question to your
>   > couterpart at the MoE Prof Karega and share with us his opinion,
> whether
>   > personal or official.
>   >
>   > Cheers and Happy New Year
>   >
>   > Akich Kwach
>   >
>   >
>   >
>   > ----- Original Message -----
>   > From: <bitange@jambo.co.ke>
>   > To: "wesley kirinya" <kiriinya2000@yahoo.com>
>   > Cc: "Skunk Works" <skunkworks@my.co.ke>; "KICTAnet ICT Policy
> Discussions"
>   > <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke>; "ke-users"
> <ke-internetusers@bdix.net>
>   > Sent: Wednesday, December 30, 2009 1:46 PM
>   > Subject: Re: [ke-internetusers] Re: [kictanet] KNEC giving
>   > candidates,parents a raw deal
>   >
>   >
>   > Dear Wesley,
>   > No one should fail an exam because we have nowhere to take them if
> they
>   > passed. Already we have B grade students who are not getting into
>   > Universiry.
>   >
>   > Every year we get similar concerns but no one has ever asked if indeed
> we
>   > need KCPE exams. To date I do not know the objective of this exam.
> If
>   > our promlem just like everybody else is literacy, then we only need
> the
>   > KCSE exams. The assumption here is that by the time someone sits for
>   > KCSE, they would be literate and mature enough to consider options.
> At
>   > KCPE level, I am afraid we keep on increasing our illiteracy levels
> the
>   > moment 250,000 fail to proceed further.
>   >
>   > In my view we all have failed to analyse this problem objectively.
> Media
>   > keeps on reporting but not analysing the problems. Citizens continue
> to
>   > complain and not making proposals to the Government. The KNUT,
> parents,
>   > politicians have subjected the Ministry into crisis mode instead of
>   > reforming the sector. KNUT knows that at least one third of teacheers
> in
>   > Primary Public Schools cannot pass or did not pass KCPE. Then we ask
> why
>   > Private Schools perform better?
>   >
>   >
>   > Ndemo.
>   >
>   >
>   >
>   >
>   >
>   >> I'm concerned about the hundreds of thousands of students that will
> miss
>   >> high school. Last year 250,000 missed it. Over a five year period,
> this
>   >> adds up to more than a million, in a country whose population is
> about
>   >> 40
>   >> million!
>   >>
>   >> Out of those who go to high school, only a handful end up in
> university.
>   >> Someone should do a sturdy on the loss to our economy. The government
>   >> spends lots on money to educate 250,000 people annually who will not
> get
>   >> to high school. With our current systems, most of these 250,000 will
> not
>   >> get descent employment/stable sources of income. Most of them come
> from
>   >> rural areas, which are the areas that need serious development and
>   >> skilled
>   >> man-power to drive the development. If I opened a branch of my
> company
>   >> in
>   >> some rural area of Kenya, who will I employ? Even if I employ some
>   >> people,
>   >> they would be threatened by the Mungiki-types (children who join
> gangs
>   >> in
>   >> order to extort money)
>   >>
>   >> We need every child in Kenya, willing to go to school, to be able to
>   >> archieve at least Diploma level. Without that, we should forget
> vision
>   >> 2030 and competing with India and other Asian countries! The Chinese
>   >> will
>   >> continue building our roads, as Kenyans sweep them with brooms, not
> even
>   >> specialized machines!
>   >>
>   >> I would like to bring in a different perspective as to the low
>   >> performance, which someone mentioned as seriously wrong. What would
>   >> happen
>   >> if most students passed their exams, especially now with record
> numbers
>   >> enrolling in schools? Where will they go? You would have students
> with B
>   >> grades missing high school. That would be a great embrassment to
>   >> goverment.
>   >>
>   >> If money is available to buy fleets of new cars (which dont really
> add
>   >> to
>   >> our GDP), surely there should be money for better quality of
> education
>   >> for
>   >> our children (which definately adds to our GDP).
>   >>
>   >> This is a national disaster.
>   >>
>   >> O~(
>   >>
>   >>
>   >> --- On Wed, 12/30/09, Akich Kwach <kwach@archway-productions.com>
> wrote:
>   >>
>   >> From: Akich Kwach <kwach@archway-productions.com>
>   >> Subject: Re: [kictanet] KNEC giving candidates, parents a raw deal
>   >> To: kiriinya2000@yahoo.com
>   >> Cc: kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke
>   >> Date: Wednesday, December 30, 2009, 9:39 AM
>   >>
>   >> Gentlemen,
>   >> Thanks for sharing your concerns. I would agree with MM and Zachary
>   >> because KNEC ought to have known every candidate and parents would be
>   >> interested in getting their results at the earliest hour and should
> have
>   >> tested the system's capacity ahead of time. It is sad upto this hour,
> I
>   >> spent on SMS three times and no reply yet. If such trends continue,
> the
>   >> ICT investments might just be a wate of public funds and citizens
> might
>   >> lose faith in the so called e-Govt. I would humbly request the PS, Dr
>   >> Bitange and the ICT Board to intervene and find out what transpired
> at
>   >> the
>   >> KNEC system.
>   >>
>   >> For the parents who had 2009 candidates, I am concerned with the
> general
>   >> national perfomance taking into account that subjects such as SST
> where
>   >> candidates usually score high marks recorded poor performance,
> something
>   >> is not right somewhere.
>   >>
>   >> WISHING YOU A HAPPY 2010
>   >>
>   >> Akich Kwach
>   >>
>   >> ----- Original Message ----- From: "mureithi"
>   >> <mureithi@summitstrategies.co.ke>
>   >> To: <kwach@archway-productions.com>
>   >> Cc: <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke>
>   >> Sent: Tuesday, December 29, 2009 6:43 PM
>   >> Subject: Re: [kictanet] KNEC giving candidates, parents a raw deal
>   >>
>   >>
>   >>> Thanks barrack
>   >>> For the candidate and their family they interacted with the ict
> system
>   >>> and the interface was the sms and the web. We should not hide behind
>   >>> huge traffic because the phenomena and the time is known and the
>   >>> implications.
>   >>> Another terrible failure is that i and many thousands kenyans paid
>   >>> upfront to the ict system for a service that was not delivered
>   >>>
>   >>>
>   >>> ____________
>   >>> Muriuki Mureithi
>   >>> Summit Strategies Ltd sent from cellphone
>   >>>
>   >>> ________________ Reply Header ________________
>   >>> Subject: Re: [kictanet] KNEC giving candidates, parents a raw deal
>   >>> Author: Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack@gmail.com>
>   >>> Date: 29th December 2009 12:51
>   >>>
>   >>> MM,
>   >>>
>   >>> I guess it's a bit premature to blame the System, the problem stems
>   >>> from
>   >>> how
>   >>> the whole announcement was managed, it was improper for the
> Ministers
>   >>> handlers to say the results would be available on the site
> immediately
>   >>> after
>   >>> the speech, with the anxiety that had been going on i'm sure even
> the
>   >>> best
>   >>> servers might not have handled the hits, no wonder the systems were
>   >>> unable
>   >>> to cope, however this serves as a lesson to KNEC, i am sure they
> will
>   >>> do
>   >>> better in 2010.
>   >>>
>   >>> Happy New Year !
>   >>>
>   >>> On 12/29/09, mureithi <mureithi@summitstrategies.co.ke> wrote:
>   >>>>
>   >>>> Zachary
>   >>>> This was the great opportunity for the ict system to prove its
> value
>   >>>> to
>   >>>> our
>   >>>> society. It failed miserably to just serve less than 1 percent of
> the
>   >>>> population and had to walk to schools. Zain however stood tall and
>   >>>> 2228
>   >>>> worked.
>   >>>> ____________
>   >>>> Muriuki Mureithi
>   >>>> Summit Strategies Ltd sent from cellphone
>   >>>>
>   >>>> ________________ Reply Header ________________
>   >>>> Subject: [kictanet] KNEC giving candidates, parents a raw deal
>   >>>> Author: Zachary Ochieng <zzachmbir@yahoo.com>
>   >>>> Date: 29th December 2009 09:59
>   >>>>
>   >>>>
>   >>>> Despite the digitisation of exam results by the Kenya National
>   >>>> Examinations Council (KNEC) and the Ministry of Education, the
>   >>>> platform
>   >>>> doesn't seem to be working. My daughter is one of the candidates
> who
>   >>>> sat
>   >>>> KCPE in November 2009. But more than two hours after the release of
>   >>>> the
>   >>>> results by Education minister Sam Ongeri, the KNEC website from
> where
>   >>>> the
>   >>>> candidates are supposed to check their results remains down. Worse
>   >>>> still,
>   >>>> the 2228 no. to which candidates should text their index numbers to
>   >>>> get
>   >>>> results is also not working but continues to consume airtime to the
>   >>>> tune of
>   >>>> Ksh 20 per SMS. If this is not a rip off, then I don't know the
>   >>>> definition,
>   >>>> coming as it does at a time when the ministry is reeling from a
> theft
>   >>>> scandal.
>   >>>>
>   >>>> One wonders what else the ministry could be hiding. While
> announcing
>   >>>> the
>   >>>> top candidates, Ongeri never mentioned the names of their schools.
> But
>   >>>> it is
>   >>>> anyone's guess that majority of them are from private schools.
> Rather
>   >>>> than
>   >>>> bash the media as he did during the release of the results, Ongeri
>   >>>> should
>   >>>> tell us what is bedevilling FPE.
>   >>>>
>   >>>> Can someone please help? MY daughter has refused to take lunch
> until
>   >>>> she
>   >>>> gets her results.
>   >>>>
>   >>>>
>   >>>>
>   >>>> --- Be the change you want to see in the world.
>   >>>>
>   >>>>
>   >>>>
>   >>>>
>   >>>>
>   >>>>
>   >>>>
>   >>>> _______________________________________________
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>   >>>> kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke
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>   >>>>
>   >>>> This message was sent to: mureithi@summitstrategies.co.ke
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> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/mureithi%40summitstrate
>   gies.co.ke
>   >>>>
>   >>>>
>   >>>>
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>   com
>   >>>>
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>   >>>
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