A University of Nairobi Professor Abdullatif Essajee has asked parents in Mombasa to enroll their children in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions to acquire skills and career progression.
Prof. Essajee revealed that he was appalled by last year’s Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) result in Mombasa albeit dismal performance countrywide.
“I advise parents to put education first. When the results of KCSE 2022 came out, I was very sad that the performance of the whole country was bad because 80 percent of the students did not get the marks that allow them to go to university,” said Prof. Essajee in Mombasa during a Qur’an memorization competition organized by Muslim Mercy Youth.
Prof. Essajee urged parents not to give up when their children do not perform to their expectations in national examinations as exams shouldn’t determine children’s abilities.
He said, “I have seen many disheartened parents when the results come out, it’s not the end of the world, there is an alternative. I tell parents not to demoralize the children, they can either study vocational skills or if they want to get to university they will get there.”
He went on, “We should not allow an event in the lives of our children to determine or dictate the future of our children. We must have constructive strategies. Even a student who has got a D+ can realize their university dream.”
Prof. Essajee appealed to Mombasa Governor to prioritize education saying the county has 43 Vocational Training Centers (VTC) three of which are run by the government.
The holy Qur’an was revealed in the holy month of Ramadhan, and Muslims across the globe intensify reading the book to gain rewards from the creator during Ramadhan.
For us, Prof. Essajee said, the Qur’an is not the only book to read but it is a guide for our whole life. “And everything that has been attributed to the Qur’an, Allah has glorified us,’’ he said.
The overall winner of the Qur’an memorization competition that had 96 participants drawn from Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Burundi, Rwanda, and Congo is Shaaban Yasir from Kilifi County got a cash price of Sh60, 000 and a hajj package from former Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho to visit the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
Mombasa Governor awarded Sh288, 000 to be distributed to the 96 participants and Sh102, 000 to the 15 judges.
By Sadik Hassan
