Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha found himself on the receiving end of severe criticism from a section of Kenyans over his announcements at a government briefing on Covid-19 held on Sunday, April 19.
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At the briefing, Magoha declared that they had so far not considered postponing either the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) or Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) national examinations.
Magoha argued that, with mobile network penetration high across the country, a majority of the learners were able to access the digital learning program along with classes on TV, radio and other platforms.
Magoha had announced that the digital learning program was going on smoothly, stating that a ministerial committee was looking into measures to be implemented in response to the pandemic.
‘‘Up to this moment, nobody has thought about postponing the national exams both KSCE and KCPE. We are following the president’s directive and there is a committee of six cabinet secretaries that will look into the post-corona period in an in-depth manner from next week.
"We shall tell you the various scenarios we have come up with and not all of them involve a doomsday situation, and since we are very optimistic, I still refuse to be guided by the fear-mongers.
"To the best of government’s knowledge, the children are getting online learning as stated last week, since the penetration of mobile phone technology is far and wide in this nation so those with smartphones can let their children access information from the KICD website,’’ he told reporters on Sunday, April 19.
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His sentiments, however, sparked anger in some quarters as many felt he was out of touch with the reality of things as many Kenyan children, particularly those from low-income backgrounds lack means or equipment to access digital learning content from the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development.
Among those who blasted the CS was Nominated MP David Ole Sankok who lamented that thousands of children would be left behind if Magoha proceeded with his plan.
He also observed the worrying fact that disabled children would miss out on the entire program, with radio classes, for instance, of no use to deaf children.
"If you force this so-called digital learning down our throats then you will only teach a small percentage of pupils who have access to smartphones, computers and TVs, those from poor families who are not connected to electricity will be left out.
"Blind pupils who will not see TV will be left out. Deaf pupils who will not hear the teaching in the radios will be left out. Then you force all of them to sit the same exams, the poor pupils and pupils with disabilities will automatically fail those exams.
"The country will brand exams failures as stupid but on the contrary they are foolish, they were not taught. All failures will not study medicine, engineering, aviation, architecture, law etc. They will be condemned to attend vocational training, or worse, return to their poor families to enhance the vicious circle of poverty.
“In this scenario, Prof. George Magoha will be an agent of career destruction. My children can access digital learning but ego-centrism and selfishness are not characteristics of a good leader,” Sankok wrote in a statement.
He advised President Uhuru Kenyatta to consider appointing people ‘in touch with the ground’ to important ministerial dockets such as Education.
On Twitter, Kenyans shared photos of learners in dilapidated institutions in remote areas, some learning under trees, as they questioned how Magoha’s declaration would affect the lives of such children.
“Among his many degrees, Prof. George Magoha, CS Education ministry, seems to have studied a unit called arrogance and threats. Not all Kenyan children are able to afford your internet Professor! Think wide,” advised one Danis Tuti.
“It is careless for CS Magoha to blindly roll out an online learning platform without prior planning and assessment. Too much grammar and invoking Uhuru’s name in every single breath doesn’t make Magoha a wise and competent Professor but rather displays him as a peg,” wrote Alvin Otema.
“It’s Monday, all Kenyan students are back to ZOOM class, even those in E. Marakwet and W. Pokot counties where landslides & mudslides are causing havoc, those in rural areas with no electricity and those with no smartphones. If in doubt, ask CS Magoha who consults his boss,H.E President Uhuru Kenyatta,” shared WadauK.