Pondering the next steps after the national examination results

After a long and agonizing break since December, the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) results were announced last month rekindling the joy and celebration that was experienced after finishing the form four exams. This marks a major milestone in the life of our youth who must now start defining what they want out of their lives.

For them, the joy of completing form four was a welcome relief from the hustle and bustle of school routine. This feeling of “freedom” is akin to a heavy load being removed from their backs, at least for now. Each one of them is now busy trying to acquire a national identity card and gain the freedom to decide their own destiny. They have also been engaged in voluntary service activities before they join colleges to further their studies.

The hard part has now begun - selection of courses to pursue in tertiary learning institutions. The announcement of the results also means that they have to think about what they want from their lives. The results set the stage for the dreaded question when the youth care co-workers, mothers and other co-workers will sit them down and ask each one of them what they would want to do in life.

This is why the planned career counseling this week will help them to develop an idea of exactly what they want to be in life. Such basic assistance will be crucial because they have had little exposure to the outside world for them to be able to evaluate where they want to go. All they have is ideas of what they have been exposed to by their caregivers, relatives, close neighbours and friends. They therefore aspire to be like one of their parents or friend and relatives they admire. They will then be able to discover themselves and hence map out a distinct future for themselves.