Djibouti News Gazette

The Cabinet Secretary for Education, Ezekiel Machogu, has reiterated the government’s commitment to build resilient education systems for increased access to inclusive relevant learning and equitable universal basic education.

The CS underscored his ministry’s responsibility to ensure it creates an enabling environment where children can grow, learn, and build talents effectively.

Machogu made the remarks in a speech delivered on his behalf by the Director for the Policy Directorate at his Ministry, Bartholomew Lumbasi, during the official launch of this year’s celebrations of the Day of the African Child, held on Sunday at Ithokwe Primary School in Kitui County.

The CS noted that the Kenya Kwanza Administration, under the leadership of President Dr. William Samoe Ruto, continues to invest heavily in education towards the realisation of quality education for all.

‘The Kenya Kwanza Government continues to prioritise education, and the MOE receives the largest allocation of the government budget. We are inv
esting this money in infrastructural expansion to meet the growing demand for education facilities,’ CS Machogu said.

He further said that the Ministry has employed more teachers and promoted those already in service, promising that they will continue providing teaching and learning materials and funding Free Primary, and Junior Secondary education.

‘We have also implemented various initiatives to enhance access, retention, transition, and completion for all children, including those with disabilities, refugee children, pregnant adolescent mothers, and other vulnerable groups.

Scholarship programmes and bursary schemes have also been put in place to support needy children in order to ensure that no child is left behind,’ the education CS added.

On university education, Machogu said that his Ministry has reformed the funding arrangements for university education to ensure that no one misses education because of the economic status of their parents or guardians.

Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secreta
ry, Ms. Florence Bore, who also graced the occasion, said that the government has developed a new children act in efforts to put in place many laws, policies, and guidelines to safeguard the rights and welfare of the Kenyan child.

In her speech delivered on her behalf by the Principal Secretary, State Department for Social Protection and Senior Citizen Affairs, Joseph Motari, the CS, said that the day gives the country an opportunity to take stock of what has been done for the children and reflect on what more needs to be done to ensure that the children fully enjoy their rights.

CS Bore explained that citizens are required to take all appropriate measures towards the full realisation of this right, and in particular, provide free and compulsory basic education, encourage the development of secondary education in its different forms, and progressively make it free and accessible to all children in line with sustainable development goals number four (4) on the provision of inclusive and equitable quality edu
cation that promotes lifelong learning opportunities for all.

The Charter further requires member states to make higher education accessible to all on the basis of capacity and ability; take measures to encourage regular attendance at schools and the reduction of drop-out rates; and also take special measures in respect of female, gifted, and disadvantaged children, to ensure equal access to education for all sections of the community,’ the Cabinet Secretary noted.

Noting that the 2022 Children’s Act states that every child has a right to a basic education, this resonates with Article 53(1)(b) of the Constitution. She appreciated that Kenya has made great strides in implementing the Charter, especially with regard to children’s access to education.

‘As part of the government’s efforts to ensure that children access education, my Ministry implements the Presidential Secondary School Bursary Fund for Orphans and Vulnerable Children, amounting to Sh. 400 million, targeting an average of 22,000 children in pub
lic boarding secondary schools every year. Similarly, the Inua Jamii programme, which is under my Ministry, supports households with orphans and vulnerable children as well as children with severe disabilities,’ she noted.

‘This programme aims at cushioning families from the effects of poverty and thus ensuring that children are enrolled and retained in school,’ she said.

The CS noted Children with special needs and disabilities are among the most vulnerable groups of people in our community, and as such, they encounter unique challenges in accessing education.

‘In this regard, the National Council for Persons with Disabilities, a state corporation under my Ministry, pays school fees for children with disabilities registered under the Council from primary to tertiary education,’ the Labour and Social Protection, Cabinet Secretary said.

The Council also supports schools with infrastructure and equipment grants. Schools use these grants to put up disability-friendly facilities with the aim of making life co
mfortable for these children. These efforts go a long way towards ensuring the retention of children in school.

Ms. Bore regretted that children drop out of school due to family breakdowns, among other factors. In order to address this vice and in recognition of the family unit as the basic social fabric of society, her Ministry has developed various policies, including the National Policy on Family Promotion and Protection, which is a component of a parenting programme currently being scaled up across the country to facilitate the wholesome growth and development of children.

On child labour, the cabinet secretary said that her Ministry remains the central player in the fight against child labour to prevent children from leaving school for employment.

‘The process of reviewing the National Policy on Elimination of Child Labour is ongoing. This Policy will guide on combating child labour in both formal and informal sectors of our economy,’ the CS added.

Kitui County Governor Dr. Julius Malombe, while spea
king on the occasion, underlined some of the development activities and projects his government has made in support of education for children.

He said that during his leadership, they have employed a total of 1688 ECDE teachers on permanent and pensionable terms, with the County government spending over Sh 600 million annually for their remuneration.

Dr. Malombe further noted that there are 1,536 ECDE centres across the county with an enrolment of 52,099 children and that 42 free feeding centres have started in schools.

Governor Malombe added that in the current financial year 2023-2024, 40 ECDE classrooms have been constructed and that each of the classrooms has a 10,000-litre water tank for water supply.

The week-long event of celebrating the African child is meant to bring awareness to the plight of the African child, and the national event will be held at Mwatate Primary School in Taita Taveta County on June 16, 2024.

Other leaders who graced the occasion included Kitui Central Member of Parliament D
r Makali Mulu and Kitui County Commissioner Jepchumba Ruto.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Education stakeholders in Kiambu County have raised concern over the dwindling proficiency in the English language among learners, attributing this to the overuse of slang.

This was raised during an annual contest event of both written and spoken English among learners from 27 public schools at Mary Hill Girls High School in Thika, where school heads said the language was under threat from emerging languages, especially in urban centres.

They added that their grasp of the language was also poor, particularly among learners from rural schools.

Led by the Chief Principal, Mary Hill Girls, Jacinta Ngure, the school heads called on the need to build a strong reading culture among learners in order to sharpen their understanding of the English language.

They said English remains a core language as it’s among the most used for interactions worldwide, thus the need for learners to be proficient at an early age.

They called on schools to consider holding these contests regularly to facilitate the development of
self-confidence, increase students’ interest in the language, and enable them to make progress in the language.

The event, according to Ms. Ngure, is meant to facilitate interaction, competition, cooperation, and socialisation, which are key requirements for bringing up well-rounded learners.

Teachers at the event that was sponsored by Longhorn, among other promoters, said the proficiency will further enable students to stop making grammatical errors.

John Muthiora, the principal of Strathmore School, decried that learners in upcountry schools are disadvantaged in the language due to lack of the necessary exposure, as the language is largely spoken in major towns.

He called on the government to come up with necessary language policies, undertake reorientation of teachers, and avail more reading materials to improve the subject in schools.

Learners led by Faith Ngugi lauded the contest, saying it goes a long way in pushing them to revise the language better for the exams and for future use.

They urged th
e Ministry of Education to make it a policy for such contests to happen to accommodate all schools, including those from rural areas and those that are seemingly disadvantaged.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Teachers and learners across various primary schools in Uasin Gishu County have praised the Centre for Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education in Africa (CEMASTEA) STEM Outreach Mentorship Programme in the county.

The programme aims at enhancing learners’ and teachers’ creative and innovative skills through Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) to enable as many learners as possible to choose the STEM pathway from Grades 10 to 12 that would spur the country into industrial development.

The programme enables learners to find solutions to address real-life problems in society.

CEMASTEA, a state corporation under the Ministry of Education with the mandate to do STEM education, is conducting outreach activities across the counties dubbed STEM on the Wheels, which is well equipped with the basic apparatus needed and models in order to help learners in grades 7 and 8 discover themselves in various learning areas that they have been undertaking in areas of science, technology, engineerin
g, and mathematics.

In Uasin Gishu, the team visited four schools across four sub-counties. The schools were Kapsoya Primary School in AinabKoi Sub-County, Ainabtich Primary (Moiben), Kidiwa Primary (Soy), and Kipkaren Road Primary in Kapseret Sub-County.

The teachers expressed gratitude for the outreach, noting that it has enhanced the learners’ potential, especially in STEM subjects, after they realised and knew what they were required to do in regard to STEM subjects, that is, Integrated science, Biology, Physics and Chemistry, Mathematics and ICT.

Madam Beverly Langat, head of the institution, Kapsoya Comprehensive School, pointed out that they have learnt that every learner has potential if given the opportunity to participate.

She observed that teachers must prepare very well in terms of reading and understanding the concepts so that it becomes easier for learners to understand while at the same time ensuring they have the right apparatus and teaching aids for the learners to appreciate the practica
l experience which they will be able to connect to real-life situations outside the classroom.

‘Today has been a good session whereby the teachers prepared first, having all the teaching aids, all the apparatus, and the tools, and involving the learners in the learning process,’ noted Madam Langat.

‘For example, in physics, there was a generator where the learners were really able to operate it to see that they were able to give light in correlation to the common energy transformations in everyday life,’ she added.

In his remarks, Ainabtich Comprehensive School principal, Mitei Joseph, lauded the CEMASTEA, noting that their content was very good because everything is practical, unlike what they usually do, which is pure theory due to lack of equipment, to enable learners to appreciate the practical aspect of STEM and build up a positive desire to pursue the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics subjects.

‘CEMASTEA has brought to us something of great benefit, in the areas of mathematics, scien
ces, and ICT. Practicals were being done, and students interacted with the equipment which they had never interacted with, and that is exactly what we really need, especially in our junior schools at this point in regards to the CBC curriculum,’ noted Mr. Mitei.

He indicated that what they have received from CEMASTEA is exactly what they have been missing, as most of their schools do not have the equipment that the Centre brought to take the learners through with, adding that they are not the same as the ones they usually acquire locally from shops.

‘Especially things like the microscopes-we have not been having them, ICT equipment, and others-we really feel like the government must invest in this. CBC is about imparting skills and knowledge, and the only way we can do that is by equipping the schools with all the necessary equipment to ensure we are headed in the right direction,’ he complained.

He underscored that through the training and mentorship outreach programme, they have really learnt that having
the required materials and equipment is very key in teaching STEM subjects and promoting uptake by learners, and at the same time, they discovered that they can still utilise the local materials to use in class to enable students to relate what they are learning with what they usually see in real life.

On his part, Samuel Abuga, a teacher at Kapsoya Primary, noted that the students are eager to learn more about integrated science, but the time is limited, as he requested more of these outreaches by CEMASTEA to bolster learners practical experience in STEM, which will go a long way in boosting their attitude in terms of taking up these sciences.

‘They are enjoying a lot; they are getting to understand what they are supposed to do on these subjects, which are about practicals; they are getting to touch and doing it practically; subjects like mathematics and integrated science are tangible things; the experience is good; and they are really eager to get new experience,’ he said.

He expressed interest in learn
ing more, especially in the ICT area, which he said will enable him to improve on his teaching experience through integrating ICT concepts in delivering content to students through the use of ICT components like computers and projectors to teach.

The learners were taught how to make integrated science, math, and ICT simpler by making use of locally available resources like the use of abacus in math, the separation of mixtures in chemistry, using onion bulbs to appreciate and learn cell physiology using a light microscope, and others.

‘In ICT, we learnt about computer programming and how to make a game on a computer; in chemistry, we have learn how acids and bases apply in our daily lives; in physics, I have learnt that there is a small generator called a dynamo; in mathematics, I have learnt how to make mathematics simpler by using an abacus; and in biology, we learnt how to observe a cell of an onion by using a microscope. I want to thank CEMASTEA for coming to our school to teach us more about STEM,’ said
Medal Gracia Chemutai, a grade 8 learner.

Kelvin Alusimbia said, ‘We learnt many things from the CEMASTEA. In chemistry, we learnt about immiscible liquids, homogeneous and heterogeneous mixtures, the application of acids and bases in real-life situations; in physics, we learnt about dry cells, how to generate electricity, and how the dynamo is used in generating electricity; in biology, we learnt about the field of view of a plant cell, how the microscope is used, parts of the microscope, and many others.’

He noted that they now have more knowledge of STEM than they had before, noting that if they have the same activities every week, they will be good to go with the STEM pathway.

Brine Kibet, a Junior Secondary School (JSS) learner from Ainabtich Primary, alluded to the fact that the state corporation’s outreach activity has enabled them to acquire practical STEM experience to become creative and innovative, through using locally available resources like a small generator called a dynamo to generate elect
ricity and many others to solve real-life problems in their communities.

In an interview with KNA in Eldoret, during the CEMASTEA STEM on Wheels training and mentorship outreach in Uasin Gishu, Madam Beatrice Macharia, the Team lead, pointed out that the programme is very important because it is really exposing learners to what they should be exposed to with regard to the CBC curriculum.

She noted that through STEM activities, the teachers are able to connect their learners from the theoretical work in class to the practical work.

Madam Macharia explained that the Centre’s main work is in-service education and training for teachers, especially with the junior schools, to help the students during this transition as they move to join junior schools.

‘Through this programme, we are bringing the STEM activities to the various schools in the counties, which have already been in other counties. We come with our bus ‘STEM on the Wheels’ with all the requirements so that they interact with our activities, mainly
hands-on, to become creative and innovative,’ she noted.

She lauded the programme, which has also attracted the interest of teachers who have felt that they should also take part in it. Even if it is intended for learners only, they also need to understand the same activities because they are the ones dealing with the learners.

‘They have been attending our sessions; the beauty is that in some areas, instead of CEMASTEA teams explaining, they will even take over and explain to their learners because they feel they may have done the same work theoretically, but with CEMASTEA, we have come with activities like models and apparatus that they have been unable to make, and they have been teaching theoretically,’ alluded Madam Macharia.

The Team Lead hinted that teaming up with teachers during the STEM activities plays a crucial role in helping them a lot in terms of improving thinking, creativity, and innovativeness to come up with their own activities and utilising local resources to teach different concepts.

N
oting that the government, through the Ministry of Education, targets 60 per cent uptake of STEM in senior school, Madam Macharia indicated that preparation must start early, which is why CEMASTEA has begun the preparation by training teachers of JSS and engaging with the learners with the STEM activities so that they become creative and innovative.

She called on teachers to devise creative and innovative ways of teaching to nurture students to realise that STEM subjects are very simple in order to enable them to have a positive attitude towards them.

‘This way, we are trying to pull up that number of 60 per cent to be able to take the STEM pathway. One of the things in ensuring that the learners take the STEM pathway is that the teachers themselves must embrace STEM first, because the main issue is normally an attitude, like many people always say and feel like these are tough subjects. That is an attitude problem,’ she explained.

Noting that STEM is an area that everyone should concentrate on, Madam Mach
aria called on teachers to try and campaign by mentoring learners that these are the simplest subjects they can easily handle and do very well because it is about themselves and what they are doing every day in their daily lives.

Source: Kenya News Agency