Current English set books are ranged against boys

There is a general concern that the gender activists majorly focus their attention on the girl-child. In addition, the Ministry of Education, through the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, seems to have joined this league. The current trend on the selection of secondary school set books is worrying. I will specifically pay attention to the English set books.

PIONEERS

From 2014 - 2017, The River and the Source by Margaret Ogola has been the compulsory novel. The text is basically centred around the achievements of women cutting across five generations. All these women are portrayed to have very strong will, a pioneering spirit and a strong sense of resilience. This runs down from Akoko, Nyabera, Awiti, Vera and Wandia to Alicia.

Being the key pillars in their respective generations, these women reveal a lot of ambition and achievement at the expense of their male counterparts. In academics, Awiti, Vera and Wandia beat the boys in their classes hands down. They are also painted to be pioneers in leadership, with Vera being the first female school captain and Wandia being the first female chairperson of the Department of Medicine at the University of Nairobi.

UNDIGNIFIED

The strong male characters in the text are diminished. Those who suffer premature deaths include Owuor Kembo, Obura and Owang Sino. Those who survive seem to bow down to the pressure from these women. Otieno is openly blasted by Akoko. Mark, despite being in a good marriage, always seeks advice from Awiti. Aoro is at first portrayed as a mischievous boy and after he marries Wandia, he is left with the children as his wife goes to pursue her PhD. This book achieves the motive of empowering the girl-child, but not without leaving the boy child undignified.

EMPOWERMENT

Blossoms of the Savannah by Henry ole Kulet replaced the River and the Source in 2018 as the compulsory novel. In this text, the quest for girl-child empowerment continues. Through Resian, the girl-child is portrayed as very focused, ambitious and resilient. She refuses to get married to the rich Oloisudori in pursuit of her dream to study veterinary medicine. She is highly supported by Minik Ene Nkoitoi, a woman who graduated from Makerere University.

VAGABONDS

The value of education is only shown through these two women. The dominant male characters are portrayed as gullible, extortionists and rapists. Parsimei ole Kaelo falls into Oloisidori’s trap to lend him money. He later suffers for it when Oloisudori demands to marry his underage daughter. Oloisudori is portrayed as morally rotten. He harasses Resian sexually when he comes to their home. He is also portrayed as a dishonest character who has achieved his wealth in dubious ways. Others like Olarinkoi and the two vagabonds are portrayed as rapists.

POSITIVE

The man who is painted in a positive light is Joseph Parmuat, the teacher who coaches Resian and Taiyo, but he dies in his attempt to save Taiyo. The last chapter ends with a song of hope for girls, which shows they are ready to fight for equity with men through education. The text has strong role models but lacks male figures to shape the boy child.

REPUTATION

A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, the compulsory play starting next year, also has no ray of hope for the boy child. It is a text revealing the fact that, for a woman to make it in life, she must break loose. The husband of Nora, the protagonist, treats her like a doll. She breaks the rules of marriage by secretly borrowing money to save his life through forgery. Women were not supposed to handle “big” issues like acquiring large sums of money. When her husband gets to know of the long-kept secret, he scolds her. She feels unappreciated. To Nora, her husband’s health was important but to Torvald, her husband, his reputation was more important. With the resulting domestic conflict, Nora decides to walk away from the confinement of male dominance. She gives no room for negotiation and makes it clear to Torvald that their relationship is over.

RESPECTABLE

Is this not what is happening in our society today? Marriages are breaking at an alarming late. The conflict resolution in this text worries me. It teaches girls that if the worst comes, they should just walk away and seek a life of their own. From this brief review, there are indicators that the Ministry of Education needs to do more in the selection of set books. Boys need strong and respectable male characters to look up to.

 Ms Njeri, a teacher of English and literature in Nyandarua County, is the founder and chairperson of Dhahabu Daima Teens Organisation. [email protected]