Nipate
Forum => Kenya Discussion => Topic started by: Omollo on February 04, 2017, 03:44:29 PM
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As some people here know, this (above) has been a recurring theme in my rantings over the last few years. I blew the whistle on this problem before it became as huge as it is now.
Naturally all newspaper articles written about this subject attract my immediate attention.
Two weeks ago, there was one such article which had pointed an accusing finger at newspapers (The Ethnic Rag). The author pointed at the fallen standards in Kenyan newspapers in general, stating that he no longer could recommend to students the reading of Kenyan newspapers for the purpose of improving their English Language skills.
To drive home his point, he identified several serious grammatical and factual errors in the previous day's newspaper. I do recall one - "Re-mark" versus "remark". On that day, The Ethnic Rag could correctly report on the brouhaha arising from the various demands to "re-mark" exams without using "remark".
The following day's newspaper however had a story about "remarking KCSE exams". Things were back to normal. I swallowed quietly.
So today when I saw another article about the subject of English in Kenyan Schools in The Ethnic Rag, I naturally rushed to find out who the author was. Well, a University lecturer - An Okoth-Oluoch, PhD. Wonderful!, I said to myself.
So I started reading it.
I glossed over poorly constructed sentences with multiple redundancies, saying "grammatically correct though wasteful". Then I came to an abrupt stop. Doctor Okoth-Oluoch had just dropped what looked like an acronym whose meaning I could not recall reading in the preceding paragraphs - "KICD", what is that?. I had to retrace my steps and see if I had somehow missed it. I found no explanation. There are some acronyms we have learned to take for granted, such a CORD, NASA, UoN, etc.. Acronyms are regional, national or international. Perhaps this is a new National acronym known to most Kenyans. Nevertheless there rules for the use of unfamiliar acronyms. I am sure her PhD supervisor did point that out when she wrote her thesis. I read on...
At some point she talks of "strands" only for them to become "areas" in the next sentence.
The she writes this:
"As KICD embarks on curriculum review, issues of implementation need to be better taken care of to ensure that the enacted is the curriculum in practice"
If I ever wrote something closely similar, I would not insist on my image and academic qualifications / titles being attached.
Doctor Okoth-Oluoch is among the Linguistic Soldiers to lead the charge for the improvement of our deplorable language skills.
(http://omollosview.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/English-Language-Teacher-1024x403.jpg)
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The pupils---or students, or learners, or whatever they call them these days---will no doubt be reading this one, in which the leading media outlet comments on the leading public secondary school.
In 1995, he was transferred to Friends School Kamusinga as the principal. At Kamusinga, he found serious cases of bullying which he says within six months at the institution, no such cases were heard as he instilled discipline in the boys.
http://www.nation.co.ke/news/education/-Alliance-High-bullying/2643604-3839564-9gfsy1/index.html
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Am sorry, this person is semi-illiterate!!
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The Ethnic Rag wants KNEC to remark exams
(http://omollosview.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/english-in-trouble.jpg)
A court has given the exams body 21 days to respond to a request by Moi High School Kabarak for remarking of the 2016 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) papers.
Lady Justice Roselyn Korir of the Nakuru High court gave the directive on Wednesday following an application by the school seeking orders to have the Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) compelled to respond to a letter in which they want Biology, English, Kiswahili and Chemistry papers remarked.
“The court directs that Knec responds to the letter within 21 days pending hearing and determination of the matter,” ruled Justice Korir.
In the suit, Moi High School Kabarak wants to have the papers remarked within 90 days as provided by the law.
Through lawyer Steve Biko Osur, the school claims that it had, upon receipt of the 2016 KCSE results, wrote to the Knec Chief Executive Officer on January 24 seeking explanation on the results as well as the system used to grade the students.
The court heard that the school further requested for the remarking of the four papers but the examination body has not responded.
“The law mandates the respondent with a duty to respond within the prescribed timelines to furnish the school with a decision to reject or accept the application,” said Mr Biko
The school further complained that the results have subjected it to public ridicule, which has jeopardised their legitimate and fairly earned goodwill from the public.
According to the lawyer, the failure to act by Knec will subject the students to unfair and limited choice of courses at the universities.
Lady Justice further certified the matter as urgent and allowed the suit to proceed on April 5.