Professionals, like wise people, should always be doubtful even after giving their best.
They are sure and are not sure; so, they keep searching and asking questions. They keep going back and seeking the support of the rest for unassailable and inimitable teamwork. That is probably the reason professionals believe in reviews, whether it is in medicine, engineering, education, journalism — name it.
The weight of the world’s problems rests on the shoulders of professionals.
And, so when lives are lost in Kenya in big numbers due to sloppiness, tame reviews and assessments, professionals fail the test.
Take the recent case of Precious Talent School where seven pupils died when a classroom caved in on them early morning.
The government, through its agencies like the National Construction Authority, said the structure that collapsed was unapproved.
Ouch! “We require all projects to be approved by the NCA so we can give a clearance certificate. We do not have details of the collapsed building at Precious Talent School in our records,” said the national Construction Authority’s acting CEO Maurice Akech.
How did it take so long before the NCA realised that the structures were substandard and unfit for human use? A report after another, sponsored by the State or private entities, have recommended actions and follow-ups to no avail. Many reports gather dust on shelves but the attendant inaction leads to loss of lives, including those of young people like it happened at Precious Talent in Nairobi.
The government is promising to audit the structures of all schools across the country. This sounds familiar; such promises are legion when a tragedy strikes, including school fires, when students torch schools, when learners die in road accidents against the student transport guidelines or when there are disease outbreaks.
A proper audit is regular, not a knee-jerk reaction when there is an accident. Such reactions confirm the fears that many people are asleep on the job or they lack the right training.
A few years ago the Teachers Service Commission promised to employ counsellors and deploy them to schools when learners burnt schools left right and centre. May be they have been deployed. If not, the recommendation will be repeated will be repeated when a spate of school fires returns.
Whether one is working for public or private institutions, the true test of professionalism is in the desire to ensure a task is completed and reviews done periodically. Anything else is a mark of gambling that confirms the reign of quacks while schools and universities keep churning out graduates they claim to have been given “the powers to do all that appertains” to their degrees.
Kenyan professionals must be in the habit of following up on issues and asking questions on behalf of the masses.
