Kenyan MPs move to drop 8-4-4 education system
Dec 10, 2006
The Kenya Parliament has passed a motion seeking to abolish the 8-4-4 system of education and revert to the old 7-4-2-3 system, scrapped in 1985, in line with the intended harmonisation of education systems in East Africa.
By Reuben Olita
The Kenya Parliament has passed a motion seeking to abolish the 8-4-4 system of education and revert to the old 7-4-2-3 system, scrapped in 1985, in line with the intended harmonisation of education systems in East Africa.
Supporting the motion moved by Kerugoya Kutus MP Daniel Karaba (NARC), the MPs unanimously approved the abolition of the current system, which they accused of failing Kenyan students.
But education assistant minister, Dr. Kilemi Mwiria, called on lawmakers to provide suggestions on how to improve the system instead of fronting for its change, noting that the move would be very expensive.
The minister supported the education system which he termed most successful and highly rated worldwide.
He corrected some notions advanced by the MPs, among them the misconceptions on unemployment, inequality and disunity among Kenyans due to tribalism.
Mwiria reiterated that the government had stepped up efforts to address shortfalls existing in the current education system, adding that the country offers one of the best education systems in the world. Contrary to claims that Kenyan students troop to neighbouring East African countries, especially Uganda, in search of better education, the country’s universities offer better quality education than those in Dar-el-salaam and Makerere.
Moving his motion, Karaba emphasised the need to revert to the old system, saying Kenyan students had continuously been subjected to two more pre-university years before proceeding to universities abroad.
He said the country loses over Ksh400m in foreign exchange when parents take their students to Uganda for A’Level education.
Karaba, who is the chairman of the departmental committee on education, rooted for the abolition of the 8-4-4 system, arguing that it has failed to provide specialisation in enabling students to pursue science or arts courses, thus causing many not to join universities.
The MP insisted on the need to have a dynamic and modern structure that is reflective of the needs of modern education systems and prevailed upon MPs to vote for the motion to have a harmonised education system in the East African Community.
Mbita MP Otieno Kajwang faulted the current education system, stating that it was designed by the Moi regime to disadvantage other areas in addition to siphoning taxpayers’ money through the changes that occurred.
He said a commercial cartel had been formed in the light of book publishers where the education system keeps changing its syllabus annually, thus making it expensive for parents to afford their children’s education.
The NARC MP wondered why the government continues to have a system that overburdens children and blocks bright science students from pursuing further studies by demanding they pass arts subjects.
Ndhiwa MP, Orwa Ojode (NARC) castigated the government for failing to abolish the education system even after he signed, as education minister assistant, an East African Treaty in 2001 in Arusha calling for harmonisation of the education system in the East African countries.
The Kenya Parliament has passed a motion seeking to abolish the 8-4-4 system of education and revert to the old 7-4-2-3 system, scrapped in 1985, in line with the intended harmonisation of education systems in East Africa.
Supporting the motion moved by Kerugoya Kutus MP Daniel Karaba (NARC), the MPs unanimously approved the abolition of the current system, which they accused of failing Kenyan students.
But education assistant minister, Dr. Kilemi Mwiria, called on lawmakers to provide suggestions on how to improve the system instead of fronting for its change, noting that the move would be very expensive.
The minister supported the education system which he termed most successful and highly rated worldwide.
He corrected some notions advanced by the MPs, among them the misconceptions on unemployment, inequality and disunity among Kenyans due to tribalism.
Mwiria reiterated that the government had stepped up efforts to address shortfalls existing in the current education system, adding that the country offers one of the best education systems in the world. Contrary to claims that Kenyan students troop to neighbouring East African countries, especially Uganda, in search of better education, the country’s universities offer better quality education than those in Dar-el-salaam and Makerere.
Moving his motion, Karaba emphasised the need to revert to the old system, saying Kenyan students had continuously been subjected to two more pre-university years before proceeding to universities abroad.
He said the country loses over Ksh400m in foreign exchange when parents take their students to Uganda for A’Level education.
Karaba, who is the chairman of the departmental committee on education, rooted for the abolition of the 8-4-4 system, arguing that it has failed to provide specialisation in enabling students to pursue science or arts courses, thus causing many not to join universities.
The MP insisted on the need to have a dynamic and modern structure that is reflective of the needs of modern education systems and prevailed upon MPs to vote for the motion to have a harmonised education system in the East African Community.
Mbita MP Otieno Kajwang faulted the current education system, stating that it was designed by the Moi regime to disadvantage other areas in addition to siphoning taxpayers’ money through the changes that occurred.
He said a commercial cartel had been formed in the light of book publishers where the education system keeps changing its syllabus annually, thus making it expensive for parents to afford their children’s education.
The NARC MP wondered why the government continues to have a system that overburdens children and blocks bright science students from pursuing further studies by demanding they pass arts subjects.
Ndhiwa MP, Orwa Ojode (NARC) castigated the government for failing to abolish the education system even after he signed, as education minister assistant, an East African Treaty in 2001 in Arusha calling for harmonisation of the education system in the East African countries.