Children don't go to school to waste time

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Primary and secondary school learners countrywide started trooping back to school yesterday. Unfortunately, their return was preceded by troubling report, that thousands of learners in junior and senior secondary schools are not able to read and work on simple mathematics.

A study by Usawa Agenda released last week shows that nearly three in 10 junior school learners cannot read a simple Grade Three story or solve a basic mathematics problem.

The findings by the Usawa Agenda shows that by Grade 9, about 18 per cent of learners still cannot comprehend a Grade 3-level English text, while 22 per cent struggle with basic numeracy. Overall, 29 per cent lack both foundational literacy and numeracy skills. There are about 1.1 million Grade 9 learners in Kenya. If this report is accurate, and we pray that it is not, this means that 319,000 learners (29 per cent) lack basic literacy and numeracy skills.

It means that thousands of parents and guardians have been sending their children to school every school day for nine years, not to learn but to pass time. In the process they have wasted their resources and the children's time. That should shock every level-headed adult who cares about our children and the future of this nation. For no nation can develop with an illiterate population.

But while it is easy to poke holes in this report, examination results over the years have showed that all is not well in the education sector. For example, in the 2025 KCSE, a total of 359,144 candidates got grades D, D–, or E. The KCSE results could be a strong indicator that the learners did not master the first three years of foundational learning. Educators say that in the first three years of school, one learns how to read and write, but after that, they have to read and write to learn.

We must find out where the rain started beating us, and how to address this problem urgently. Of course, we know that schools riddled with all manner of challenges. From delayed disbursement of capitation, lack enough teachers, lethargic teachers, and inadequate teaching and learning resources.

But these are challenges of our own making. The government can and must do better. Our children deserve better than this. Taking children to school is not enough.