Last week, I handled two cases that made it clearer to me that acute shortage of teachers presents challenges of comprehensive curriculum implementation in junior secondary school (JSS) — Grades 7, 8 and 9.
As a teacher of English and Literature in English, I gave a hand to a friend’s child, who is in Grade 9, in identifying the poetic imagery in Samuel Kinyariro’s poem "Daughter of Nature". The strong images of care, connection and protection are key in understanding the poem and its emphasis on values like selfless patriotism, care and environmental conservation. This engagement is symptomatic of existing staffing challenges that cannot be overlooked since it affects learner competency and development.
