Abstract:
Education is not just the key to development but now, sustainable development where emphasis has shifted to. It is also a panacea for many problems afflicting the developing world, such as illiteracy, disease, poverty, environmental degradation, overpopulation, and many more. As a result, most nations spend large sums of money to enable as many as possible of their populace to access it. A notable commitment was that made by 164 Governments (Kenya included), at the Dakar Education Forum of 2000 to achieve six identified Education for All Goals by the year 2015.Today in Kenya, primary and secondary education levels are free in public owned schools. At the university level, the government has made available loan through Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) to those who cannot finance their education. The loan is given based on specific conditions key among them being passing the Kenya Secondary Certificate Examination at the completion of secondary school, with a specified grade and points at the lower limit (often varied through the years). Government loans, initially limited to students joining public universities have now been extended to those joining private ones and middle level colleges too. Further, the introduction of privately sponsored education (module II) has given opportunity to many others, without government sponsorship, to advance their education at a fee. All these account for great growth in the number of students enrolled at various education stages. The question is how well educational institutions are equipped to manage knowledge for competitive advantage. A significant driver in this management is the teacher, whose duty transcends imparting knowledge to include the tacit knowledge. Unfortunately however, premium is put on certification at the expense of any other benefit. Consequently, the teacher is under intense pressure to produce academic scores regardless of the school environment. This study examined the roles of the teacher and the challenges encountered in the effort to cope with the ever increasing demands for education. It proposes to give attention to the institutional environment affecting the teacher for proper functioning in the face of mass-market education. |
