THE VALUE OF HONESTY.

THE VALUE OF HONESTY

In Kenyan universities, students are forewarned that if they fail in their examination, they’re given one more chance to sit the paper, and in case they fail twice, they’re sent back home. I was told the same during my orientation when I joined university. This got me thinking, ‘why would someone be sent home just because he/she can’t do well in exams? Why wouldn’t he just remain in school and finally graduate with a dismal grade, like high school?’

There is this classmate of mine who says he’ll pay someone to sit the Calculus examinations for him, and that he cannot strain himself to prepare yet there are other easier means of passing. I don’t blame him. Back in high school, we misinterpreted the principal’s advice of approaching an exam as a group and instead did exam as a group. We never wanted to stand by ourselves in the face of an examination. Perhaps, we had no clue what being honest in exam benefits. We had no knowledge of the impact of a genuine result in someone’s life. Many, despite being past high school, still don’t understand why they should be honest at least with themselves, if not with the examiner.

I did my exams (KCSE) in 2015, hence it may seem quite erroneous for me to advice someone in matters of honesty. Well, I’m not trying to defend myself, but as a matter of fact, I cannot tell whether or not I deserved what I got, but I did work hard enough to attain it. Now the fallacy that a 2015 candidate knows nothing about honesty in examinations leaves me out, because I actually do know, and there are many more who know too.

What worries me is whether people understand the importance of being honest, especially in examination? Kenyan education system has totally lost meaning because of dishonesty in examination. People no longer understand the purpose of education, as much as they don’t understand their own purposes in life. My mom is a teacher, and she often tells me that there are some kids that the teachers at times brand as ‘impossible pupils’. This is to mean that they cannot by any means benefit from classwork. What worries me is that these kids are not sent out of school, not because the teachers like their presence in school, but because their parents will swallow you alive seeing that you’re destroying their kid’s future. Despite that, will the government sit aside and watch pupils being sent from school because they can’t keep up with classwork? And will the government contain a school head who consistently produces dismal results? If you thought there is any other reason why exam cheating is the anthem of Kenyan schools, think again.

It won’t be so easy to convince a form one kid to study hard if he/she is ever willing to pass the final examinations. After all, the Matiangi era will soon end, and Kenya will go back to its times. Leave alone this, you should ask me how hard it was when I was in form one, to tell a fellow the importance of studying. Fortunately, or unfortunately, all these fellows, even the ones whose faces never met with the face of a book unless a teacher is in class, are now in universities. It is not their fault. Why should I strain myself with reading, yet I know it is not going to help me in life? I only need to pass my exams, and there are better and easier means of passing. The only reason why people go to school therefore is to pass the exam, and get a certificate showing that you went to school and passed, because that is what the parents want.

People need to realize that education is not only found in schools. People need to understand that formal education is not the only option for success in life. One’s inability to do well in class is not inability to succeed in life. One’s success in class is not necessarily success in life. Have you ever wondered why universities is the home of every immoral practice today? It’s because they’re filled with people who are better elsewhere other than the universities. These people don’t comprehend the relationship between themselves and formal education, in short class is not their thing. They don’t see meaning in whatever they go for in the universities, hence they end up engaging in such idle activities.

A society without farmers is incomplete, a society without police officers and soldiers is incomplete, a society without watchmen is incomplete, a society without ‘boda boda’ riders is incomplete. Certainly, pastors and religious leaders are also an important part of the society? If everyone had a degree, wouldn’t the president be driving himself? If everyone became a doctor, wouldn’t the people be starving? If everyone becomes a teacher, who would have been pilots, or engineers. The society needs every kind of person, despite gender or intelligence quotient. There is therefore no point in forcing someone to become what he/she is not meant to be.

You could have cheated in high school examination and qualified for a very good course in college, where you will still cheat to defend your chance, but your degree may not be very helpful to you if that is not what you were born for. You could be straining someone with a degree in Economics and Statistics yet this person can go out there and become a very good farmer. Someone could be struggling cheating to finish a degree in Medicine yet he/she can get out there, start a business, and become a millionaire. Cheating in examination to prevent ourselves from facing the university senate for goodbye sentiments is not just injustice to the lecturer, or the university, but injustice to our country, to ourselves and to our Creator, who hates sin like political opponent.

Time has come for us to reform our country and the world. Change begins with just you and me. If you’re a medicine student who is heavily dependent on the other side of the examination paper, think of the many patients who will die while you’re looking for your notes to refer to how he/she can be helped. This finance student who does not attend classes, because there are easier ways of passing, please think of how poorer you’ll make our country become when you will boldly squander millions of public funds, because you never learnt to effectively manage funds. Cheating yields the procurement graduate who will purchase a single wheelbarrow at a hundred thousand Kenya shillings.

I realized that universities send home students who can’t do well in class because they know that there are other things that this person can do and succeed in. Why do you struggle with Calculus knowing that is not your taste? Go for your taste. If you didn’t know, then get it from me, a genuine result is a genuine life, and a genuine life is a better nation; what we’ve been fighting for since we got recolonized by the black colonizer. You are the change, make a move!

WRITERS GUILD CHUKA UNIVERSITY LAUNCH.

The Writers Guild Kenya, on Sunday 2^nd April 2017, launched its seventh chapter, that is the Chuka University chapter. The day marked the beginning of a new era for writers in Chuka University, as they received motivational and very inspiring speeches from the guests present. It was a day that will be difficult to forget not only by the writers in Chuka University, but also by every other person who attended the occasion.

The event seemed to have hit a concrete wall when it was approaching 3.00p.m yet not a single invited guest was seated in the venue, while the stipulated time for the start was 2.00p.m. However, the reasons for the lateness were acceptable, as philosophers would say, “in an impossible situation, no one is held responsible”. A few minutes to three, students and members were already seated, listening to the music while waiting for the onset of the program. The fact that they all were delighted at the day was inevitably evident.

The patron, Mr. Adol Gogo first arrived just a few minutes to three, and patiently sat and waited with humility for the arrival of other guests. A few minutes past three, the chief guest, Mr. Gabriel Dinda, accompanied by Ms. Diana Achieng of Kenyatta University alighted and were immediately lead to SGT1- Chuka University for the activity.  It didn’t take long before Mr. Brian Nyagol arrived, and soon the program would begin.

To begin the event, the club’s treasurer, David Mwangi, led in prayer after which everyone was welcomed to the event by the chairperson of the club, Vincent Owino. To get everybody relaxed, the event was started off by a performance from Izzoh, a rapper and student at Chuka University, followed by another lively performance by Darues Warren, a dancehall musician, student and a writer. There were many other performances from Bella, a poet, Jimmy Yvone, a poet, Marquez, a poet and spoken word artist, and a guest performer Kaburu, a spoken word artist.

The speeches were the climax of the day, beginning with the chair informing the Chuka University fraternity about the steps Writers Guild Chuka had made so far, and what to expect from the group,
now that it was being launched. The patron then emphasized about the importance of academic-related writing, and that writers should not only focus on creative writing but also academic and educative writing. His speech preceded Ms. Diana’s, who reminded the audience about why they should know themselves. Ms. Diana emphasized on the fact that people should have perfect knowledge of themselves and that they should be able to describe themselves in distinct words when asked to. She also reminded them that people should always go for whatever they want in life.

After the interesting speech by Ms. Diana, VibeCampo CEO, Mr. Brian Nyagol took over the

podium, and ended up leaving his audience scratching their heads and meditating upon his words. He began by describing a brief history of Writers Guild Kenya, which pointed out to one fact, that nothing comes so easily; every good thing involves serious hard work, trials and failures, critical thinking and making hard decisions. He then touched on various issues that affect comrade’s lives and encouraged them to develop strong positive personal brands. Mr. Brian also advised the audience to do something that can make them unique, and to always be smart in everything they do.

The final speaker of the day, Mr. Gabriel Dinda did it in a style. He began by telling exactly how the Writers Guild Kenya began and what inspired him to start the company. He stressed on the fact that we should always prepare for challenges, and that nothing comes so easily. After realizing about the problem of stealing of articles by media editors, he saw darkness in the writing industry, and he had just two options, either to complain of the

darkness, or to create light to outdo the darkness, and he chose the latter, hence the existence of Writers Guild Kenya. He also urged the writers to be very serious with their writing, since there are so many writers, but good writers are few. He showed the audience about the importance of being good time managers and how so many people in Kenya today earn from writing. He also led the members in singing the national anthem, after which the club was officially launched.

These speeches left the audience inspired, motivated and re-energized, and afterwards the group registered six new members. The event was closed by a vote of thanks from the group’s secretary, Humphrey Muriuki, who also emphasized on the fact of self-discovery and appreciated everyone who attended the event. He then prayed and the meeting was dissolved, and the people proceeded to a photo session. The day was more awesome than any writer can ever write. It is worth staying in my memory for ever.