There is this idea that we send our children to school so that they can acquire skills, knowledge and attitudes. The trouble is that many times we restrict the knowledge to what is in the text books. So you have a situation where one goes to school and in order to pass exams, they memorise almost everything that is in text books. The trouble with this whole approach is that our children end up learning only what is in the text books and nothing about the current events in their country or around them. The information in the text books is hardly current since these books were written ages ago. At the end of the day you have students churned out of a school system who know very little about issues happening in the world they live in. Being knowledgeable about current affairs is part and parcel of a holistic education. It can be very embarrassing for someone at the university or one who has left university to appear ignorant about events in places like Libya, Somalia, Sudan or even here in Rwanda. Events happening within the East African Community should be common knowledge. Schools should have it as a policy to encourage the study of current affairs alongside text book knowledge. There are several ways of doing this and they can be employed in such a way that they complement each other to achieve the set goals. First of all, schools should always ensure that students are furnished with news. One way of doing this is by making sure that newspapers are bought and placed in the school library. This practice nurtures the urge to learn among students who have a nose for news. They will want to know what the papers are saying about their favourite topics including premier league football. This way a school will be creating a generation of knowledge seekers. Boarding schools can also think about having a TV set where news is screened after classes or during dinner. This enables students to get a dose of what was in the news especially concerning the events in their own country. Another way of boosting the interest in current affairs is by organising school quizzes maybe between classes or different groups within a class. Ask students things like names of political leaders, capital cities or the jobs occupied by famous people. It can really be a shame if someone who went to school was ignorant of who Obama is, simply because they ask questions like; “Who is Obama? What does he do? Is he a Kenyan or American?” All these questions reveal ignorance and make people doubt whether one really went to school. For example, a lot has been happening in Libya and it is common to hear people asking whether Col. Muammar Gadaffi is still a president or not. Those asking such questions are simply telling the world that they do not follow current events. Schools are supposed to ensure that one gets a holistic education. An education that does not lead others to question the quality of education they received in school. And by the way this job of equipping students with the urge to seek current affairs should not be left to schools alone. Parents also have a role to play. A responsible parent who reads newspapers regularly should encourage children to take time to read the copy after they are done. The same applies to watching news at home. Ask your children whether they know or understand what is aired on Al Jazeera about Libya or Darfur. The hunger for knowledge is the key to success. ssenyonga@gmail.com
