Auctioned Futures: The Children of Corruption

Over 5000 students had their KCSE certificates cancelled over cheating cases in the just released 2015 KSCE examination results. And while the Education CS says, the sharing of the cheating cases shows they had nothing to hide, it also communicates volumes about the moral fabric of our time.

Cheating cases in primary and secondary schools examinations have been on the rise. No doubt in our universities as well. However, there’s a direct correlation in the rise of cheating cases and corruption cases in our country today.

While corruption hasn’t begun today, it was generally hushed down and even those who engaged in corruption attempted to treat is as the vice it is. First forward to present Kenya and corruption appears to be a community activity. Parents are no longer saddened their children are caught cheating, no, their concern is “why they are the ones targeted!” typical political response.

Nonetheless, cheating in schools is made possible by all Kenyans. It’s a communal activity. When we praise schools that have been cheating - due to pressure exerted by society to remain at the top - and send our children there, regardless of the expensive fee structure-which hardly correlates with school activities or operations we are sending a signal to other school heads to engage in malpractice. We are simply saying we want our children to have good grades regardless of the means.

Most cases where there’s mass cheating leading to disqualification of an entire school, the teachers are usually knee-deep in the scandal. When one charged with the molding young minds impresses upon them the need to steal exams you can imagine how bad things are.

Children are learning early that, you don’t have to go the long way when you can use a short cut. They are also learning that, what is important is you don’t get caught. There is no moral ground to stand on and tell pupils and students the need to work hard and avoid shortcuts by cheating when the country appears to be on tenderprenureship mode. MPs have failed to hold public servants accountable and impunity reigns supreme. Exam cheating is a mere ripple effect of their inability to stand for justice and public good.

From the Goldenberg scandal to Chickengate, no culprit has ever been sentenced for misappropriation of public funds. If anything, we exalt those politicians who dish out money to the public without attempting to find out how they came about that kind of money. Why then should we be surprised when children are finding it easier to copy than to read for their exams?

When you grow up hearing about mega corruption scandals and knowing not one person who has ever served a jail term for the same, the idea begins to entice you. That’s the danger of impunity.

When our MPs won’t make the public afraid of engaging in corruption, the vice spreads to other institutions and takes different forms and if nothing is done quickly to change this trend doctors misadvising patients to go to India for kick-backs will be the least of our worries.

In the meantime MPs as the watchdogs of society and representatives of the people should see the part they are playing in these cheating cases and step up and deal mercilessly with corrupt public servants and just maybe, we can win this war in other places it’s cropping up otherwise, we can only expect the number of cheating cases to increase.

Posted by Mzalendo Editor on March 4, 2016

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