Teachers should use school holidays to take an honest look at their performance, assess whether learners have understood what was taught and change their methods where necessary, Policy and Strategy Adviser at Elimu Bora Working Group FM Boaz Waruku has said.
Waruku said educators need greater professional freedom to examine learning outcomes, identify gaps and make changes without fear of being punished for pointing out weaknesses in the education system.
Speaking during a Radio Generation interview on Tuesday, Waruku said holidays should not only be viewed as a break from classroom work but also as an important period for teachers to review their performance and assess the progress of their learners.
He said such reviews would allow teachers to establish whether their teaching methods have produced the desired results and identify areas that need improvement before learners return to class.
According to Waruku, teachers should then be allowed to change their approach based on what they discover during the evaluation process.
He said educators should have the professional space to make decisions about their subjects and teaching methods, including making major changes where the existing approach is not delivering the expected results.
“They can even completely change the orientation and direction of a subject on that basis because they are allowed to do that because they are doing it, and then they bring, and that is the consensus on how to improve as they move forward,” he stressed.
Waruku said honest assessment remains difficult in many public institutions because officials can fear the consequences of admitting that something is not working.
He said this culture can prevent institutions from facing problems openly and finding practical solutions.
“In this country, even when there are no books, you must say there are books, and you know completely there are no books because if you don't, if you say there are no books, just even before you're fired, you'll find that somebody is stating that you're the one who cost like the other shortage books,” he said.
The education adviser said professionals should instead be able to raise concerns, point out failures and challenge decisions when necessary without worrying that doing so could cost them their positions.
He argued that the same approach should be applied in schools, with teachers given the freedom to report what is working and what is failing in the classroom.
Waruku said allowing teachers to act on the findings of their own evaluations would help identify weaknesses early and give educators an opportunity to adjust their methods in response to learners' needs.
He linked the call for greater teacher independence to the wider need for accountability in public institutions, saying professionals should be trusted to carry out their responsibilities and make informed decisions within their areas of work.
Waruku also placed education at the centre of efforts to address Kenya's wider governance and development challenges, arguing that improvements in other areas would depend on the country getting its education system right.
“For me, and from where I come from, we say the priority number one to give education, make education work, and all other things will follow,” he said.
He said a strong education system should not focus only on academic knowledge but should also promote ethics and constitutional values among learners.
Waruku said education should prepare young people with the knowledge and values needed to contribute to society, rather than encouraging them to view personal enrichment as the main measure of success.
He maintained that giving teachers room to assess their work honestly, identify weaknesses and make changes based on those findings would be key to improving learning outcomes.
He said a system that encourages open evaluation and allows educators to act on what they learn from the process would help create a more effective education system and strengthen the quality of learning.