Shocking videos of parents, pupils and even MPs ejecting head teachers from schools over poor performance have circulated on social media and other media outlets.
It's a sad scenario, and if left to continue, we risk losing teachers, who are also parents of school-going children, and someone’s sibling, child or spouse.
When Fred Matiang’i was Education Cabinet Secretary, he started the 100 per cent transition to secondary school policy. The policy aimed to get all children who finished primary school to transition to secondary school regardless of their KCPE exam mark.
When Prof George Magoha took over as Education CS, he enforced the policy, sometimes with the help of the police. As a result, the number of students in schools went up.
Sadly, most county schools are poorly equipped; they lack laboratories and science equipment, among other necessities.
Expecting a teacher in an ill-equipped county school to transform a learner who scored 67 marks in KCPE into an A material is akin to climbing Mt Kenya without the proper gear.
As I watched an MP from Western joining parents in demanding the ejection of a head teacher, I found myself wondering whether the MP has helped build a lab, or classrooms to lessen congestion, or even just provided learning materials to the school.
Some of the schools whose heads have been ejected are day schools. I wondered whether the parents ensured their children reported to school every day and worked on the school projects and homework?
Did they monitor the child's development, and how often did they consult teachers on their child’s progress? Did the students adhere to the school calendar and study as they should have to get their desired grades?
Finally, this is to Education CS Ezekiel Machogu: Something seems to be wrong with your ministry. Of later there have been one cry after another over results. Where there is smoke, there’s a fire.
Can you check where the problem is and fix it before the reputation of the examinations’ council is ruined.