Renowned entrepreneur Strive Masiyiwa recently asked young Africans: “When you see things, what do you say?”
Teachers are among the bravest people. They see babies come to school for the first time crying uncontrollably but assure the doubting parents that the child will grow. And they do in a matter of days.
To Masiyiwa’s question, it is right to add: “Do you see a difficulty or an opportunity?”
Covid-19, the novel coronavirus disease, is giving Kenya sleepless nights with regard to virtual schooling. Parents and teachers are seeing insurmountable difficulties, especially with the approaching calendar of the two national examinations, Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and its secondary school version, KCSE.
The government, on the other hand, is upbeat that the glass is half-full, citing the mobile phone penetration and internet access data. However, data alone may lack detail.
It’s an ugly see-saw about whether Kenyan students are learning something virtually or they will have to start from where they left when schools closed in mid-March to keep Covid-19 at bay.
Hear the indefatigable unionist Wilson Sossion: “Virtual learning can’t work in a developing country, a Third World country like Kenya at this time. It will but not now.” Majority of the people, Mr Sossion said, don’t have the gadgets and don’t understand how they work.
While, the chairperson of the Kenya Institute of
Curriculum Development (KICD) Dr Sara Ruto says “e-lessons aren’t going to be
supplementary anymore; it’s going to be a core part of learning.” She asked
parents and teachers opposing virtual learning to see the glass as half-full.
From the above half-hearted entry of teachers into this new reality, it is
obvious that one of the challenges the education sector faces is preparing
teachers for e-schooling.
If Kenya made e-lessons a core part of learning in policy, like KICD says, but left teachers — the implementers or awakeners — behind, that would be disastrous.
It’s teachers who, either through the Higher Power or passion, have the inimitable ability to turn the difficult into a fine product. And teachers have been a patient lot, securing kindergarteners from their doodling to dependable people who design and fly planes.
It should not be any different with technology-aided teaching. If the tutors are finding tech to be alien, they need to enrol to be taught by other teachers.
Teachers are the “frontline” soldiers in the acquisition of knowledge and skills, thus should lead the push for e-learning.
They are known to encourage students to read ahead of the teacher, exposing the learners to search for knowledge. Technology is a critical instrument that ramps up this noble practice.
Teachers have to come up with a strategy for
incorporating virtual learning to cater for important imperatives such as
students on discipline, emotional, or medical leave so that they transition
with ease when they resume.
The teacher’s knowledge, skills, and professionalism in a technological era are
bound to be different from what they experienced as trainees. But they have to
catch up or end up as square pegs in round holes.
But how are the teachers to become relevant and more professional in discharging their duties and responsibilities? Or will teachers be the impediment to the adoption of new technology?
Educational revolutions happen. Emmanuel Kant said that future of education (probably today) would be a means for man to continually improve his nature. To be meaningful, this improvement must be open to prospects of conditions such as may require the true conception of methods and instruments that easily transmit experience and knowledge.
Different people have different perspectives. Nonetheless, the assumption is that we should change to change society.
A teachers’ professionalism is, to a great
degree, influenced by training. It is, therefore, important that teachers do
not just remain active but also lead learners to adapt to change.
If teachers will be preoccupied with the
difficulties instead of opportunities, then it’s logical to claim that their
educational conscience has been clouded by the fear of failure.
While one cannot guarantee instant success in
technological development, it can demonstrate how initiative and courage determine
progress.
Linah Anyango, a candidate for the Global Teacher Award 2020 and educational
technology coach at I choose Life-Africa, says the notion that Kenya is not ready
for technology in content delivery is misplaced. Linah argues that such a
reaction exposes weak attitude among teachers.
It would be wise to interweave developments with the old practice to arrive at a hybrid of teaching and learning that define today and tomorrow.
Mathew Anorld, one of the most influential educationists of all times, thought that the educated individual is a cultured being welded to a pursuit of perfection through knowing.
Teachers ought to know that their students in primary and secondary schools today will transition to higher levels of learning where use of e-books is steadily growing.
Research and journals first reach the targets in electronic formats, meaning these are the forums where the debates start and probably end. No professional worth his salt will doubt technology in prompting linkages, growth, and development.
Technology aids the expansion of gifts and talents in the classroom which in turn make wealth creation easier and enhance human dignity. Educationists, are thus keen to observe whether teachers, for the first time, are going to be the hurdle to learning.
Based on KICD’s promise of increasing e-lessons, the government should deliver a smooth adoption of technology-based learning by listening to different opinion in effort to refine goals and delivery.
If it is the budget, get the funds. If it’s infrastructure, fix it fast. And attitude — the subject of this write-up — ought to worry the employer more. It is high time Kenya recruited the right teachers for e-schooling. Anything else: smartphones, laptops, tablets or fast internet is secondary.
