Overcoming Corruption in Education

In the Kenya public education system, the value of a school is determined by where it falls in the national rankings based on the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exam. The KCPE is awarded to students who pass the exam after completing the board approved, eight-year course in primary education, making them eligible for high school. Some schools have used this ranking system as a means to market themselves, recruit choice students, and charge fees which many parents cannot afford.The pressure on teachers to produce high performing classes has caused some to resort to underhanded measures to produce high exam grades, including looking the other way when students cheat. Because of this, reports of cheating on the national exams have increased over the years, as has the number of students disqualified for cheating.The result of this system is a lack of a holistic education. Schools focus primarily on preparing students for exams as opposed to teaching them how to research, explore and engage creatively with the material taught in the classes and the world around them. The children suffer as schools seek to produce higher ranking at the expense of producing well-rounded students. For this reason, the Kenyan Board of Education has recently announced that Kenyan public schools will no longer be ranked nationally.At the end of 2015, Mawewa School (formerly Kwa Watoto School) is graduating Class 8, which will be our first KCPE class. Mawewa School Grade 8 students will take part in KCPE examinations, but will continue ranking within the Kasarani area cluster of private schools.Without the pressure to compete in the KCPE rankings, our upper grades will not have to be educated in an exam-focused atmosphere that might hinder the holistic nature of their education, and we will have increased leeway in how we structure our curriculum. Our students will continue to receive a high quality education, making them well prepared for entrance into high school and university. In addition, we will increase their exposure to skill training, arts and athletics to increase their practical, creative and physical development.