It was amidst the misty and gloomy national school leaving exam result last week, the dismal performance started to run amok in my mind. From the frying pan to the fire, the ramification of what could have happened if the long-due social pathogen's treatment had been further delayed kicked in.

A friend posted a freshly renovated and lifted-up image of one of the historic houses in the capital on a social media page. Group members were excited to give positive feedback, except for one who was unhappy with the changes. He saw beyond the flashy, eye-catching alteration made. The house had been turned into a bar that sneaks underage students from a school across the street where he teaches.

No wonder this attention to detail is derived from a teacher to students, as it manifests in his struggle to boost their interest in the classroom.

Instantaneously, I correlated the same with the elementary and middle schools I attended and visited recently. The area is fast fading due to city centre development. It has operant conditioning from tranquility to lure minibus drivers for a Khat feast- an eyesore to a school ambiance with an unfriendly vibe.

Marking the exam papers is a scrutiny moment for the teachers. However, now comes the community’s share of the blame which is too frequently pointed at tutors for all the problems of education, even when the expectations are unrealistic for how they can fix societal ills and considering too meager resources. It is our duty to instigate the best in students. The glaring need to deal with crime, pollution, corruption, and poverty is wasting resources and attention that could have been earmarked to strengthen schools and students.

Aliteracy is like an invisible liquid seeping through our culture, impossible to pinpoint or defend against. It is the kid who spends hours with video games instead of books. There may be untold collateral damage in a society that can read but does not. So much of our culture is embedded in literature, says Philip A. Thompson, professor of communications, emphasising aliterate students miss out on cultural heritages.