The recent Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) caught teachers more off-guard than parents. Some of you wish to debate, but we can organise such a session later.
Okay, picture this. We had planned for junior secondary schools to be domiciled in High Schools, but the government decided otherwise.
It was directed that junior secondary, Grades 7 to 9, be domiciled in primary school. Were we ready for more students? I can’t say.
But sometimes we miss our students. Oh! I mean your children. Haa.
There are days when we, principals, arrive at school to stand at the parade and see students running. Occasionally, I can spot one or two and ask them why their hair is not combed, or their shoes brushed.
Others, you’d find their ties hanging loosely. I remember during our young years, we would even run over fences whenever we saw the principal.
There were days when he would ambush us at 5 am before preps to drive around the school with his car’s headlights on. So, there was a day when one student ripped up the fence so that we would avoid bumping into him in the hallway.
The student approached the ripped-up spot and jumped. Forcing all of us to approach it and follow the cue, with the thought that there was a loosely hanging barbed wire. He then sat down and laughed at us until he was crying.
Anyways, those days changed. Nowadays, we are more receptive to our students. I’d sometimes pass by a class session to crack a joke, visit the laboratory to join in recorded video sessions or surprise my students during games.
There was a day I even cooked for the top performers in a science congress competition. We called it the ‘principal’s dinner’. Or that day when I found a student sleeping in class, and he thought I would punish him only for me to ask him to retire to bed early.
Thus you understand why I had a long holiday, cognisant that your children will report to school on January 23, 2022.
I kept contacting parents to check on the progress of students. Even before the recent CBC changes were announced, some parents called me wondering if I had a clue about the developments.
“Bwana principal, I know you cannot miss to know a thing or two. Media zimejaa story mingi. Is the President scraping off the CBC?” a parent asked over a phone call.
Sometimes I’d reassure them. Sometimes, I just meandered around.
“How much school fees will we pay? Are you introducing a new bank account, or will we still deposit even the fees for junior secondary schools in the Co-op Bank account?” many questions.
Before I told her how to pay school fees via Co-op Bank, I remembered I was to challenge my teachers to devise ideas of how we would use the extra classrooms initially constructed for junior secondary students.
“Just send short suggestions before we meet physically, days ahead of reopening,” I typed in the WhatsApp group.
Judy, a teacher on practice (TP), sent a meme of someone drinking tea, then typed Mwalimu kunywa chai kwanza, with a laughing emoji.
The next responses were satirical. They all used to laugh at my love for tea. I can drink half of a thermos flask. Don’t ask which size. Haaa. I promise to tell you that story some other day.
“Mr principal, I think we can use the extra classes to accommodate the increasing Form One learners,” Donald, a Physics teacher, suggested.
“We will use the two classrooms for our learners once completed. But I also think we can expand the computer laboratory,” Sarah, the guiding and counselling teacher, added.
Those were better ideas. I had to leave the WhatsApp group meeting to respond to a call. Oh, it was the parent who was worried about school fees.
“Mwalimu, I heard about the CBC changes. I will retain my Grade 7 son at her primary school,” she added.
“And I want to enroll my niece for Form One at your school. Can I get a slot?” she asked.
“Yes, you can apply or wait to see if the government will post her here,” I responded.
“How do I pay school fees? Is it different?” she asked.
“No, it’s still the same process. You can pay via M-Pesa PayBill 400222. Send Money from MPESA to the School’s Co-op Account using PAYBILL 400222.
“Go to Lipa na Mpesa, Paybill option and enter Business Number 400222. In the Account Number, enter the school code followed by #. You can also access school codes on Co-op Bank’s website,” I told her.
Also alternatively, parents can send money to the School’s Co-op Account through MCo-opCash App or dial *667#.
You can also pay at a Co-op Kwa Jirani Agent. All you do is deposit cash into the school’s Co-opBank account at your nearest Co-op Kwa Jirani agent, for free. You will get a receipt showing the payment details.
“Oh, asante sana mwalimu. Happy holidays,” she added.
Happy holidays in January! Haa. Anyway, schools were scheduled to reopen on January 23. Such a long holiday.
I logged back into the WhatsApp group. The meeting was already over.
“Bado sijaenda beach for a holiday,” the deputy principal, Mr Kwae, stated, adding a few laughing emojis.
“Okay guys, let the secretary compile the minutes, and then we will decide when we meet this month,” I closed the meeting.
Let me fuel my car and take a drive around the school kidogo.