Kenyans are left in a dilemma from conflicting statements between leaders in the Ministry of Education and Kenya Parents Association (KPA) relating to a proposal by the parents’ association that primary school pupils should wear similar uniform of ‘grey’ in colour and high school students to wear similar uniforms of ‘blue’ in colour the only difference to be the school badge. The Chairman of the association, Nicholas Maiyo said that they issued the proposals to the Education Ministry as parents after convening a one-week workshop early July, 2018 in the County of Machakos.
The proposals were very clear and the Principal Secretary of Education, Belio Kipsang while attending a function to commemorate the action plan for the upgrade of the textile firm owned by Moi University on Saturday, 7th July 2018, said that his Ministry is working on a policy that will incorporate the parents’ proposal, “The proposal came from parents who have been complaining of high costs of purchasing school uniforms …” He continued, “We want to protect our children against those who lure them …” He added, “As we come nearer to having similar uniforms in our schools, we want Rivatex to get ready in playing the role of making the required uniforms.” The announcement brought anxiety and debate in the social media. On Monday, 10th July 2018; Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed said the decision that schools should wear similar uniforms has not been officially determined. Speaking to the media at Jogoo House she said, “Schools have sponsors and that means we should seek for their advice before deciding anything.”
These statements clearly show that the government does not care for the education sector, what it cares for is uplifting its economy via the industrial sector in order to achieve its popular vision known as the ‘Big Four Agenda’. According to the 2018 Budget Policy Statement issued on 19th January 2018; the government has embarked on increasing the earning share of the manufacturing sector from 9% to 15% of the GDP by 2022. In textile manufacturing, the government is planning to increase cotton production through modern means, whose capacity is three times of the traditional means thus encouraging investors in building strong factories. Consequently, this will create involvement of 50,000 youths and women in the sector through training and eventually establishment of 5 million feet factories through cotton production. In doing this the policy states: ‘Kenya will increase earning from the textile industry from Ksh. 3.5 billion to Ksh. 2 trillion, and provision of 500,000 employment opportunities in cotton farming and 100,000 employment opportunities in new clothes manufacturing by 2022.’
It is clear that the Kenya Parents Association (KPA) is not distressed from the situation of the education sector from the fact that it has succumbed and turned to be an arm of the government serving it to achieve its objectives. Basically, what should have occupied KPA throughout is how they would get rid of the education policy which provides a general guideline on education of their children from nursery to the university. Because the education policy existent today is that which was formulated by the colonialist since his arrival in the country; which is that education is a tool used to consolidate slavery/subservience thoughts and concepts to man/colonialist and do as he orders you in accordance with his intellect, either you work for him in the factory or elsewhere. This policy of education molded the children to sanctify and aspire to be like western colonialists who ruled their fathers. Consequently, it has led to their total submission and inferiority complex in the face of orders from the secular capitalist western colonialists.
The education established on a weak limited western colonialists’ mind professing secularism as their creed and capitalism as their ideology, has no other outcome except to produce mental slavery to western thoughts which leads them to degeneration worse than animals due to the fact that the thoughts contradict the nature of man. For instance, someone who is a Professor or a Doctor celebrating to be ‘gay’. It is very shocking because a scholar is he who the society depends on in leading the future generation by being in the front row with a higher level of thinking. Contrary, it is the scholar who is valueless; how will his student be?
The solution lies with Islam, a divine ideology from the Maker of man and who knows what is right and wrong for his creatures. Islam through the Khilafah State established upon the methodology of Prophethood, whose basis is the Islamic creed on which the education policy is built; the curriculum of education and methods of teaching are all designed to prevent diversion from this basis. The ultimate objective of education is to form an Islamic personality in thought and behavior; and to provide scientific and general knowledge on life affairs. Hence, all subjects in the curriculum of education will be taught on that basis.
As for the issue of wearing uniforms or similar uniforms for that matter, that is not a vital issue and would not have controversy the way it is currently witnessed in Kenya from the fact that people have taken sides and everyone is championing theirs to seek more benefits than his opponent. Since the Khilafah state through a righteous Khalifah will give official guideline within the boundaries of the Shar’iah and aimed at making it easier for citizens living in the state regarding students’ not or wearing of uniforms.
Once more the secular creed and its capitalist ideology have clearly shown that they view man as a money making machine and always view him on the angle of benefit that he gives or how he could be used to achieve higher levels GDP or even exploited to justify secret plans of the secular colonial governments.
Written for the Website Radio Rahma
Ali Nassoro Ali
Member of the Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in Kenya
Article No.2 Dated: Friday, 29 Shawwal 1439 | 2018/07/13
- https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2001287257/parents-propose-to-have-all-students-wear-same-uniform
- https://allafrica.com/stories/201807100061.html
- http://www.treasury.go.ke/component/jdownloads/category/195-budget-policy-statement.html?Itemid=-1
- https://www.nation.co.ke/news/politics/How-Uhuru-hopes-to-achieve-Big-Four-agenda/1064-4275586-rdf4pq/index.html