MR SURVIVOR: Junior secondary hosted in primary schools is a welcome World Cup break

Nothing could have interrupted the World Cup euphoria—not even the launch of the much awaited, needed and appreciated Hustler Fund—the way the announcement that junior secondary school would be hosted in primary schools did.

Listening to various people from Happy Valley countryside, one would be forgiven for thinking that it is the parents who were being told to go to school.

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Queen led the celebrations at the Palace. She brought up the issue during our now regular Sunday afternoon family outing.

“God has heard my prayers. It was evil to force such young children to go to secondary school,” she said.

You see, Queen has always mollycoddled our boys to such an extent that I doubt the kind of men we are bringing up.

When I tell her that at their age I was washing my clothes, her reply has been fast and furious. “That was your time. This is their time. Let the boys be. Otherwise why do we employ a house manager?”

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Makena, who has resumed the family outings, added her voice to the conversation. “Some of these leaders live in the world of dreams. How can children of this age wash their clothes and polish their shoes?”

You see, our boys are the singular reason Queen maintains Makena at the Palace, her many sins, real and imagined, notwithstanding. Makena’s argument was therefore more of a product of survivor instinct than an educated one.

“Hawa maboys were secondary wananyaganya watu chakula,” said the last born.

“Nilisikiawanaiba viatu and nguo za mtu zote,” said the second born.

“Hawa maboys wa secondary huwawanapiga mtu usiku,” said the first born.

From the seriousness with which the boys aired their views, I could see the fear they had of going to junior secondary school.

“You will now remain in primary school until class nine. Mtakuwa wazee when you go to secondary school,” I said. Everyone laughed at my joke, ending the debate at a lighter note.

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From the emotional outpourings of the Palace brigade, I realised that I had been sitting on a time bomb. No wonder emotions had been rising at the slightest provocation in the recent past.

At Happy Valley that evening, the World Cup analysis was temporarily suspended to give room for ventilating and pontificating on the junior secondary issue. As I have told you in past missives, Happy Valley is a melting pot of intelligentsia of all colours and shades. Anyone serious on making any political statement in the width and breadth of Aberdare countryside has relied on the ‘village professors’ of Happy Valley.

“That CBC animal was a total mess! How can young children share a dormitory with men?” wondered Mhesh.

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“I totally agree with you Mhesh. These kids have not even stopped wetting their beds leave alone learning to blow their noses,” said Mrembo.

“That junior secondary thing was short on philosophical and pedagogical foundations. It should be domiciled in secondary school and renamed upper primary school,” said Professor, a high school teacher.

Everyone keenly listened as he stated the merits and demerits of the CBC in general and the junior secondary in particular.

“Machogu has done the most sensible thing this new government has done so far,” concluded Professor.

As one of the most informed opinion shapers in the council of the village professors, I had to add my voice of reason in the big debate.

“I knew it and I told you then, that thing started failing and falling when they sacked the beautiful Amina and replaced her with a bulldozer,” I said.

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I was the centre of attention and I relished every moment of it. I reminded them that Amina, as a concerned mother, had warned that the country was not ready for the system but she was ignored. “Doctors should remain in the theatre, teachers in class, and drivers behind the steering wheels,” I said, amid wild cheers.

“What does a doctor know about education? Even our professor here would have done better than that bulldozer?” said Mhesh.

“That is why I personally voted out that government of bulldozers. They were very insensitive to the problems of the hustlers,” said Chairman.

“They wanted to ruin our children so that they could become their servants,” said Mrembo.

That debate reigned at Happy Valley the entire evening, putting a rude but well deserved break to the football experts who have been assaulting our ears with their match analysis. From where I sit, I can confidently tell you that the decision to retain junior secondary in primary school, irrespective of the name to be given, has won the new government more bonga points than the Hustler Fund.

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