#TheGraduateDiaries Aims of Schools

Schools have aims right?

They have something they hope to achieve by providing education to students.

Most schools have to state this in less than ten words- and truth is some schools get it while others seem to veer way off the plot to me.

With the introduction of NOT-SO-FREE primary education in Kenya- there have been many institutions set up with the hope of educating students- but they fail in achieving this. So what should a school aim for?

Researchers say that of uttermost importance is the cultivation of minds- what kind of minds you may ask? Well, Intellectual minds.

See- according to historical events- schools were set up as institutions of academic excellence- where people would learn, speak, act and create in an intellectual manner- but all this is to be in a civilized and monitored manner. Everyone was to be treated equally- given the same opportunities but only respected and more so deemed different if they proved to be smarter than the others.

Hence first positions and last positions in exams.

So, in Kenya and having taken a look at Kisumu- most schools go by the motto "knowledge is power."

My former primary school - Arya Primary holds "success through efforts."

Xaverian believes education is the "fountain of excellence."

Kisumu Girls Secondary has something going on in French- I can neither spell it or pronounce it- but it has "luce...." something in it. If you ask me the only Luc- I know  means light, and Lucifer gave it a whole new meaning!

But- looking up on #TheGraduateDiaries I learned that most of the unemployed youth who graduated from universities have fond memories of their primary school life.

They recall the games, classes, teachers and even their dreams- and it got me asking, "what happened along the way?"

Some simply told me that they grew up! I will confess, I have not yet grown up because childhood tendencies are in my system as we speak. But- that's where I get to understand how to interact with children and it makes it fun to volunteer in homes. 

Why does a school's aim matter?

If you are taking your child to school- in Kenya parents have it easy- all they do is look at the TV or read a newspaper to know which schools topped the exams!

But, that should not be the case, right now as a parent one should ask- "what will you do to improve my child's methods of knowledge acquisition and application?"

It should not be about what rank the school is, but about what rank your child will be in or out of that school as an individual.

Will he/she pass exams but fail to stand before an audience and express his/her thoughts and feelings? Will he/she bring home a report card stamped "excellent" but fail to understand how to interact with you as his/her parents?

Schools can come up with excellent aims- because words are like bullets, you load them in a gun, secure a target, then aim- and await the results.

So, if they say that "knowledge is power" what kind of power will their knowledge add onto your already powerful child?

If the child will be told "hard work pays" will that mean being given tonnes of homework that renders your child nocturnal, bored and most of all unable to play with his/her friends?

Schools have aims- but a parent's aims for their child should surpass those that he/she is entrusting with his/her child. School may inculcate some things in your child, the house help might add others- but you should also as a parent ensure that you provide your child with the greatest knowledge of all- and that is the power to discern- help the child look into matters, let them ask questions, set them on track as they explore the answers and when they come to a conclusion- listen, and then let them thrive.

So, if your school did have an aim- what was it?

Did it really live up to that aim?

And as an alumnus, did you live up to that aim?

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How can one change the world if one identifies oneself with everybody?

The Enigma of the Education system.

Having talked about living this morning- I figured I could shed some light on what I found out about the education system in Kenya.

The Ministry of Education  in Kenya believes in quality education for development- and with so much going on and facing a lot of criticism- it published the Basic Education Act no. 14 this year. This was to ensure an upgrade of the system came into place.

I think a little of it did materialize- this came in form of weeks kids spend in school- and no tuition which means that kids can actually play and visit their grandparents like we did back in the 90s.

But inasmuch as this was done- one great shortfall of this Act is the syllabus- and the desire to finish it in one term!

Yes, kids have no holiday tuition but they get tonnes of homework!

Now- let's get moving and look at the 8-4-4 system. It was formally enacted in 1985 by the then president Moi (a teacher too) with the hope of seeing that children have a strong foundation as they grow old. But, looking at it I daresay the guy was a little brilliant. 

I mean 4 years in high school?

Why couldn't he make that 3? He could not because cognitively speaking (am talking mental development) adolescence is a very turbulent time as one seeks to make peace with what he/she is discovering versus what his/her parents have been saying for the past thirteen years! It's not an easy time and Psychologists understand that education is much of a chore and a bore at this stage yet it is the most important if one seeks to make anything out of their lives if they want. While we're at it, read Learning, knowledge and Meaning by Julian Stodd - it's got quite some insights!

Baba Moi may have had the best in mind for Kenyans when he came up with the 8-4-4 system- and Lord knows our parents and their peers benefited from the previous systems in place because then you were out of college and hired. Kenya was fresh- and her people were making a mark in the world having just attained independence.

But if there's one thing we forgot was that society is dynamic.

People can be complacent at work- but not when it comes to interaction- there's always new stuff and new events and then came the internet and technology has been on a roll! I have a friend who does IT (Information Systems) and he's always talking code! Always online and chatting with other students on Google+ (which I think is still way better than Facebook ) about new programs, new inputs and what's working and what's not. He says"IT never sleeps, it's worse than fashion- you women can have a style for a season- but in IT every time a new development is unveiled."

Society is that dynamic- hence the frustration. #TheGraduateDiaries got me thinking about so many things when it comes to education, and please let's wallow in our thoughts here:

1. What was your favorite subject in primary school?
2. What was your worst subject in high school?
3. Were you in any clubs or sports activity in high school?
4. Did you ever get punished in high school? (I am talking extreme punishment like digging the staff quarter's shamba, making school porridge, uprooting a tree stump when it's 33 degrees hot, wiping the dust of tree leaves, walking on gravel on your knees,cleaning a whole church with just one basin of water?) How many times did you get such punishments?
5. What did you learn out of your first 12 years of school experience?

Now, let's flip this and look at management:

Most parents and schools hold that education is the key to a better future- but have aims or motto's that contradict this.

What was your school's motto?

Most primary schools say "knowledge is power."

It is neither true nor false- but if this knowledge is streamlined and biased, such that it comes from one source and not another- then it is indeed power. This is in the case of teachers lecturing- them saying what they rehearsed from the textbooks to children- and not allowing the children to explore this new information; hence the teacher has power over the student. The power of locking their minds using their authority status. He/she is the teacher- and you are the student.

Knowledge is power unto the teacher- but not the student.

So, does this help? How can we remedy the education system?

Question is how much are you willing to do- and involve yourself in- when it comes to creating an environment that neither confines nor defines?

PS: Picture's from Google Pics.

 

How can one change the world if one identifies oneself with everybody?

Making Versus Sustaining a Living

The free dictionary defines sustain as "to maintain, or to keep."

So, what's spurred this article today? Well, #TheGraduateDiaries and to answer some of the questions a few people have asked me about my writing- I figured why not get on with it?

So, in the last entry of the series I talked about some mysteries of adulthood and shared that most people have no idea of what career they want to pursue until they are well into their late twenties. I also asked if we could remedy the education system in Kenya.

Most professionals have been going on about changing the system- and it has raised some questions because whenever a "commission of inquiry" is set up in Kenya- nothing positive is ever delivered!

So- today I will fast forward to expenditure.

This is about those young Graduates (like me) who have a job- be it an entry level job or some opportunity that brings in cash at the end of a certain period.

So, how do you make do with the money you earn?

One of the greatest challenges the youth face regards employment is investment. Yes- employment and investment go together. It's like coffee and a good book for me. So, how come the two go together and what does all this mean?

If you are reading this and you or someone you know is earning say between 10,000 and 30,000- ask yourself how much of that money is saved?

If you earn 20,000 shillings every month- live in a house where your rent is 8,000; spend a monthly fare of 4,000; pay taxes worth say 1,000 (this is assuming you have no Government loan to repay e.g. HELB) ; food for a whole month at 2500; fuel at 1300, electricity at 1000, water bill 1000..... blah blah blah

And I have forgotten - the GTWF Bill (Good Times with Friends)- this is where most people spend money going out and drinking to pay day.

And when you sober up- you are broke and have 30 more days to another GTWF day!

Saving is important because when you set aside some money- you are guaranteed of meeting any emergencies that might arise- and if your contract ends you have something to fall back on as you look for something else.

Now-most young people live on "tomorrow is uncertain, we have now" -that they become reckless. #TheGraduateDiaries found out that some young people do make a living but their habits do not sustain that living such that though they are employed- they are still dependent on their parents and guardians-thus weighing down the minority of those who have established a long term career path- and this is not easily captured by statisticians.

How can this change?

Simply put- read the tiny print when opening a bank account- this is the part always titled "terms and conditions."

If a bank says your savings will earn 12% per annum- do the math, that means you earn only 1% per month- so if you save 1,000/= in January come the first day of February it will be 1,010/= and if you add another 1000/= it keeps going on up- with hopes of you say earning an interest of not more 700/=.

This amount of course varies with the bank and their monthly charges- ledgers fees and all that. So, seek a bank that does not have a very high monthly fee- and low ledgers fees- and if you want to withdraw money always use the ATM because it saves you 80/= and above if you'd have withdrawn over the counter.

It is good when you earn money for hard work done- but it is better when you not only live withing your means, but invest in yourself- this might mean you do not party hard and splash money- but that you constantly refine your skills and expertise say by attending workshops or training, or going back to school- but the fact that you set aside a quarter of your earnings every month- means that you are well into sustaining yourself.

Having taken this detour- next on we will get back to whether the education system can be changed, and if so how can this be achieved?

Anna

Just uploaded a new short story on Smashwords and you can read it here

I walk down the aisle this Saturday. I am finally getting married and it feels as though the world has opened a can of ugly worms and thrown them in my face. I dated two brothers. I picked one over the other, but a part of me knows that something will never be the same between them. Now that I am going to be part of their family- it seems as though one is doomed to stay away from the other. I chose Robert over Richard. I chose him because he asked to be chosen. I think the truth doesn't matter, not to anyone else but me. My brother, Maxwell, thinks I am evil. He believes that I could have married anyone but Robert. He says it is like dumping the Prince only to marry his Father- it is an abomination. I believe Maxwell talks because his vocal chords function. He does not listen or believe in love. My name is Anna and this is my side of the story.

Richard

I met Richard one evening when I went to visit a friend. He did not say anything during the time I was around him. It was rather odd because his friend kept teasing him but Richard never flinched. I did not think much of him till the next time we met. He asked me out to lunch and I declined. It felt sleazy for a guy to ask "would you have lunch with me at my place?" He asked me out again three weeks later- and this time he said he would prepare me something delicious. I was broke, tired and looking at a fail in my exams, so I said "yes." He made me spaghetti and meat-balls and vegetable curry. It was divine. We started spending more time together after that. Richard was like my rock. He listened when I talked. He often asked me "what do you feel about this?"  He would visit me at times without flowers or chocolate but shopping and food. Every few months he would select some of his favorite dishes, prepare and pack them in my fridge. For a university student, this was the best thing a boyfriend could do. He was enrolled too but he never told me what his major was. I tried so many times and he would simply laugh and say "the things they teach here could lock someone up." I never understood what he meant, but I did not want to come off as the nagging type and so I let him be. With time it became my mission to discover more about him. He never had friends. He never attended classes. He would leave his room at four in the evening and return the next morning at six. I had my friends look him up but everything they told me about him depressed me. It was as though there were many sides to him but only one that was known to me. Richard was like a rubric. I would flip him over trying to discover him but I would only complicate things. I remember asking him one time why he was so mysterious and he walked away. It was very stupid of me, but years later, it would become the one thing that was really honest about him. It is a pity that I discovered this too late. I heard from Richard when he felt he needed to say anything. My room mates would laugh saying I was the mistress, the one to be contacted when the master wanted a fix, and it hurt. It hurt because I knew Richard was loyal-but at the same time I could never really get past it. Our relationship worked on his terms. He would call or text or visit when he needed to. So I had this amazing boyfriend who showed up once every semester or worse off once every six months. It was a long distance relationship. He determined the distance and time- and with time I found myself despising him. In my third year of study things got worse. When he came I would ask him to leave. I remember when he came to visit on my birthday; Maxwell and a couple of friends were shocked at my behavior. I opened the door and he was standing there looking handsome and sweet with his flowers and wrapped gift. I asked him "what are you doing here?" He stepped back, then looked down and said "I came to wish you a happy birthday." I looked at him and something came over me "you have said it Richard, go."

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How can one change the world if one identifies oneself with everybody?

Childhood Dreams and Mysteries of Adulthood

Welcome to part 3 of #TheGraduateDiaries

The last blog post was an introduction to childhood dreams , you know the one question being "what do you want to be when you grow up?" and you as a sweet innocent kid going...

Following on my research- I will have to say that we have put so much blame into the education system when it is not as flawed as we deem it.

Yes, I know any Kenyan who went through the 8-4-4 system has declared me dead by now- but it's the cold truth. It's like washing your face with ice cubes in Limuru!

But- that aside- is the education system wrong?

Yes.

Is it the sole reason for the increased unemployment rates amongst the youth today?

No.

Well, the system we have in place was enacted during the wake of an Industrial Revolution- where one needed to be experienced in a certain field. The Industrial Revolution was the age of experts. Now- we are in a social revolution, employers seek people who are well-rounded, ready to learn and flexible, yet the education system churns out graduates who have spent 4 years mastering one art- and not focusing as much on other areas in their life.

Communication skills are important- but we all know that it is only one course unit in the university. Here, Education cheats us that the best way to be successful is to become an expert in a narrow field.

Hence the frustration people, hence the damned frustration- but question is how can we remedy this?

Education is expensive but all parents raise their kids with "education is the key."

My Mom once told me that "education is key, but it is futile unless you are constantly learning, and Arch- learning is not doing your homework or giving the right answers in an exam, learning is making use of what you know to create something good- and have fun too."

She is still right.

Have you ever had a teacher walk into class and ask you "do you want to be here today and right now?"

Have you ever had a teacher ask you for your permission to hand down the knowledge that he/she has amassed over the years?

This is very rare because most teachers in public education believe that once a student is in class they have to listen to what he/she has to say- but more often than not students are tired, bored and they listen because they are forced to. So, how about engaging them in a discussion- telling them what you hope to share with them, and letting them decide on how they'd love to learn that- make it an engaging class. This works in some private schools- the students are involved in the learning process- if this process continues they engage more too.

But, as much as education locks people into careers- most people do not know what career path they want to pursue well into their late twenties! You know our career paths would not be so sketchy and hazy if we were excellent judges of our future interests and characters.

So we have great dreams as children- dreams that we do not protect first from ourselves and the reality of what is happening in the society. We then go through a grueling education system that instead of making us grow tough hides to brave through our ambitions leaves us disillusioned and complaining thus killing those dreams and burying them completely.

Can this change?

Can we change an education system to embrace the social revolution?

How can we achieve this- when for starters Teachers are still being trained using the same manuals and materials as produced in the 1960s? Does this mean that we change but stay constant?

Are we so held and enchanted by the past that we cannot accept the present and prepare for the next second?

You can read more on various insights into education and work online- but I loved reading these two:

• How to Find Fulfilling Work by Roman Krznaric
• The School of Life
  

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How can one change the world if one identifies oneself with everybody?

When I Grow Up...I want to be a..... (insert a high profile career)

So, welcome to part 2 of The Graduate Diaries: *"What would you like to be
when you grow up?"*

This is my all time favorite question and whenever I am with some young
ones (yes, younger than me) I ask them what their future ambitions are.

And it is beautiful to hear things like : Neurosurgeon, Political
Scientist, Architect, Lawyer, Doctor, Banker, Dentist, Judge, Business
Manager... and yes, nowadays in Kenya with the numerous strikes Teachers
have gone on- very few kids want to be Teachers. They do not want to slave
when they ought to be paid their wages. I wonder though if they have lost
focus on Medics because last I checked they have been on the streets
chanting *"haki yetu"* the same number of times Teachers have- I mean
doesn't three times in ten months count?

But- if you are reading this and are clearly above 20 years- answer this: *when
I was young I always wanted to be a -__________ when I grew up. Now that I
am growing and still learning, am I on the right track to be that?*
And if you fill in the blank and the second statement does not concur with
the first- well, congratulations you are grown up!

So what happened?
When I was growing up before class 3, I used to say I wanted to be a
Doctor. Then when I lost my Dad- I figured at times kids needed people to
listen to them and learned that there are special people like
Psychologists, Counselors who do just that and my Mom and Sister supported
me all through till I did get what I want. And when I look back at it- I am
grateful because I was never perfect in Science! I did ace my Sciences at
KCSE, but it was never good enough to get me a direct entry into the
university- talk of missing the cut off mark by one point!

But, our environment has a lot to do with our world view. Parents have a
lot more because they tell their children that they need an education to
get a job, make a living and all. They say education is the key. But if you
look at it, education has been more of a key while the schools have been
locks. Some school systems have locked creativity- demanding that pupils
think outside the box, then grading their work on their own perspective
thus limiting them within a box.

But, though this happens very few in Kenya have failed to study the Arts-
why do pupils who are in drama clubs deemed most popular? Why do students
engage in extra-curricular activities best as opposed to academia?

I will shed more light on these questions as we proceed- but the thing
about dreams is that some are realistic and others are squashed. If you
meet a young student who wants to be a neurosurgeon- tell them they
need to attain an average of A grade- that in doing so they would
secure a slot
in the public university to study this. They also need to ensure that their
parents are willing to cover their tuition and sustenance for 6 years, and
that when they graduate- they should consider applying for internship in
either Israel or India- because the best neurosurgeon undergraduate trainee
programmes are there- and they could work abroad because though Kenya needs
more neurosurgeons- the pay is little and what they will end up getting is
a quarter of their salary given that they will be paying off their student
loans.

Yeah- that's a mouthful of the facts, but one thing stays true- if you have
a dream you have every right to go after it. You have to work hard to
achieve it- and if you seem to fail, do not blame it on anyone because the
moment you start blaming you forget to appreciate yourself for the effort
you put into chasing that dream.

So you wanted to be a Doctor, but you are a sales marketer- big deal!
So you wanted to be an air hostess but you are a receptionist- big deal!

Big deal because you are doing something you did not expect but one way or
another- in your life you created room for it, so if you are a sales
marketer- be the best around, and save for extra studies to become a Doctor
if you want to.
Do not be complacent- get moving.

*PS: Who was ever told to read Think Big by Ben Carson?*

How can one change the world if one identifies oneself with everybody?

Intro: The Graduate Diaries

As promised, I will start this by saying there's a blog called "Diary of a Jobless Graduate" yes- and the last article was posted two years ago. I reckon the JG (Jobless Graduate) became a WD (Working Graduate).

But- if you do not have a job when you are of working age- and condition there is a term for you, something like "UNEMPLOYED."

I was reading up on Unemployment and according to the Free Dictionary: Unemployment or joblessness occurs when people are without work and actively seeking work.

According to the International Labour Organization (ILO) more than 197million people globally are out of work and 6% of the world workforce without a job as of 2012. That means 11,820,000 people all "unemployed." (Now I know why I was never good at Math- those are quite some zeros, and funny thing is they represent human beings and if it was 2012 between August and September then I was one of them!)

So,as I was doing some basic research on #The GraduateDiaries I got this book from the library, it was a report actually from the UN, with all these terms about employment. See, I thought that being unemployed just meant that you did not have a job but really needed one- but according to the report there are different kinds of unemployment.

See, just like people may have the same problem but the degree varies- well, guess the same applies to unemployment.

But first, according to Youth Banner 64% of the Kenyan population are the Kenyan Youth. In this case the youth range between 18yrs-35yrs. Some of the major causes according to Youth Banner of unemployment include:

• rural to urban migration (kila mtu kwenda Nai after form four na kufalashtuka!)
• school drop out cases
• high expectations from employers (yeah- an employer asking for 10 years experience and stating that the person should be between 24 and 35 years old)
• education system does not encourage people to have entrepreneurial minds (well, I beg to differ ask yourself how many people in Kenya are either studying Business Administration or IT- seems like everyone wants to make money by spending so much of it learning of how people made it instead of taking time to try and make it. FYI: I have very little qualms with the education system)

But who knew there would be types of unemployment?

I mean aren't the 11, 820,000 people still jobless?

So, thanks to ILO, UN, and Researchers the different type of unemployment are:

1. Cyclical or Keynesian: this occurs when there is not enough aggregate demand in the economy to provide jobs for everyone who wants to work.
2. Frictional (I love this one :-) : it means one is in between jobs (as in you are a job seeker)
3. Structural: this is where the labor market is unable to get everyone a job because of mismatch of skills and job requirements.
   

There are other types of unemployment like seasonal, hardcore, hidden (these are the ones researchers are not able to factor in during statistics or census or during data collection). But the greatest one that affects Sub-Saharan Africa is Number 3: Structural unemployment.

This is because Humanities and Social Sciences (my specialty) makes up 53% of the graduates- and this was between 2008 and 2010, by the end of 2012 this number had risen to 64%. (Courtesy of OECD- Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.)

Society is dynamic and now we are moving more towards technology and though there is still need for the Humanities, especially in addressing social challenges and issues, we need more hands-on, more tech-experience to create a balance.

In reading all this, one can only ask- what does this mean?

What impact does all this information have on my life and what if I am part of the 64% that's unemployed in Kenya- am I doing something wrong- if so what can I do to make things right? How can I?

Well, stick around- because part two is my favorite- it is about childhood dreams :-)

Image Ref: www.mid-day.com

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How can one change the world if one identifies oneself with everybody?