This archive report was first published on 22 July 2019.
December 22, 2017, marked another day of controversy in Kenya's education system. The country's examination ranking system, which has been in place for decades, has been criticized for perpetuating inequality and creating second-class citizens.
According to Kefa Mongare, a vocal critic of the system, the ranking system has several flaws. Firstly, it acknowledges the failures in the education system by ranking schools based on aggregate results from top to bottom. This, Mongare argues, is unfair to schools that lack adequate learning facilities, yet are expected to compete with schools that have better resources.
Secondly, the system violates the privacy of students by splashing their pictures in the media and portraying them as more studious than their peers. Mongare questions whether students and their parents have given consent for their achievements to be made public.
Thirdly, the ranking system has skewed educational opportunities against certain geographic areas. Students from certain regions are being admitted to inferior universities to study substandard subjects, while those from other regions are being admitted to promising degree courses in established universities.
Mongare argues that this is a form of class warfare, where some institutions of learning are made to feel superior to others. He posits that some of the top-scoring students may end up faring worse when they join institutions of higher learning due to pressure of societal expectations and fear of failure.
As Mongare concludes, the examination ranking system needs to be reformed to promote inclusion and equality in education. He urges Kenyans to continue pushing for change and to demand that national resources be divided based on merit, not handouts.
