Primary school head teachers have been asked to promote holistic education in their Standard Eight candidates to help nurture their ability to think beyond the curriculum.
Maseno School Principal Paul Otula noted that most Standard Eight candidates who pass their Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exams fail to replicate the same success in their KCSE exams.
During an interview with this writer, Otula challenged parents to also ensure that their children not only learn for exams.
“The problem we have with our primary school pupils is that they are so used to the readily provided multiple choices in their exams and this limits their thinking capability,” said Otula.
He noted teachers needed to ensure that the Standard Eight candidates are taken through more intense revision to allow them to think beyond the already provided choices as this helps them when they join secondary schools where neither multiple choices nor any choice is provided in the exams.
At the same time, the educationist asked parents to encourage their school going children to engage in sporting activities saying that it promotes their health and improves their thinking ability.