National exams: Quest to make impression or impact?
By Decky Omukoba
The national exams are here and so is the season of success cards. And because I have someone to wish success, I went out window-shopping for one.
The plethora of beautiful cards reminded me of my days as a candidate; those were tough days; days full of anxiety and uncertainty, but we conquered. And so will 2019 candidates. But even as we send our students to the revered altars of national exams, we must ask ourselves: what are our expectations?
For instance, are we asking them to strive for the success determined by a grade or is there something deeper, more meaningful than that?
While the grade has the potential of opening a door to a particular career path, we also know that for some candidates, that is a very blurred image that needs to be repainted lest they lose sight of the essence of life.
Our greatest focus, especially as guides in the lives of our children is that we help them to be people of value, beyond the grades. That value should be to discover and develop their skill with or without that excellent grade. And once they do, the next critical thing is the willingness to put hours and years to sharpen it as they chart their a career path. I say this because a couple of years ago I taught in a university that allowed first year students to refer to themselves as “undecided” for a whole semester before they could fully commit to a particular study.
Identifying your unique niche is more than a grade, there are many doctors who wish they could be artists, there are many engineers who wish they could be lawyers, there are many teachers who wish they could be fashion designers; the list is endless. It is our responsibility to establish own our uniqueness and develop our value. That is what makes us significant. We cannot trivialise our skill and expect to thrive.
As KCSE and KCPE candidates sit their exams, let us remember they have something we need; this is not just in reference to a grade that makes an impression but a uniqueness that makes an impact.
They have the answers to the questions we are still asking. They have the tools to shape succeeding generations, they have the creativity to birth innovations, they have the stamina to set and break world records and it is, therefore, our responsibility to point them to that over and above what they make.
The best the exams can do is to help the students find a grade, but the best the parents and teachers can do is to help them find and appreciate their uniqueness—that which makes them valuable.
When people are valuable they don’t have to look for us, we look for them. When our children develop their skill, opportunities pursue them; people are attracted to them; corporates invest in them, and nations hire them! If we own and develop our skill, we will make it!
The other day I wanted a dressing table and when I went to the carpenter, he said it would cost me Sh25,000! I walked away and said I would come back later, but I knew that if I needed a dressing table I better find the money because it’s the carpenter who has developed that skill. That means he doesn’t look for me, I look for him and pay him!
Our students are not just ultimate jobseekers, they are world changers; they possess the ability to transform the world, but that can only be realised when we discover that we are all people of value who must declare an independence from any system that limits us in any way. We must stand out and not just make an impression but make a lasting impact.
—The writer is a lecturer at Kenyatta University —[email protected]
