QUALITY EDUCATION AS A STRATEGIC TOOL FOR ADVANCING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN KENYA
1Prof. Kisilu Kombo,
1Kenyatta University.
Abstract
World Bank in its 2018 report indicates that quality education cures a host of societal ills if it is delivered well. For individuals, it promotes employment, earnings, health, poverty reduction and livelihood. For societies, it spurs innovation, strengthens institutions, fosters social cohesion and total transformation in all spheres. It is in this light, together with other reports, that education in many countries has undergone various reviews. Kenya for a long time has had traditional education which overtime has not been able to meet various societal needs. However, indigenous education helped to form an all-round person. It equipped individuals with the necessary skills for survival. In addition, it inculcated into the individuals essential values for enhancing social cohesion, interrelatedness and inter-dependency among people.With the advent of colonial government, western education came into being. This kind of education was structured with the goal of equipping its recipients with skills and training to serve in white collar jobs. Consequently, western world view and language have long dominated educational systems in Kenya creating an enormous gap between school and home downplaying the importance of indigenous education. This system created the culture of dependency among the educated and socialization into western norm where people are disconnected from their societies, forming classes of haves and have not. As mentioned above, the Kenyan government has reviewed the educational curriculum several times in order to realign it to the dictates of the market needs. These reforms are; Phelps Stokes in 1924, Beecher report in 1949, Gachathi report in 1976, Mackey report in 1981, Kamunge reports in 1988, Koech report in 1999 and the most recent, competence based curriculum frameworks. Although the reforms have been well intended to bring social change and emancipation of people, the results have yielded mixed results with most of the time not being able to realize the goals. This situation has created a gap and a daunting questions of where did we go wrong? Why do we seem to be having so many reviews unlike what is happening in the west? Recent statistics from central bank shows that only 1% of Kenyans have 1 million shillings and above in their accounts, and yet so many people are educated. Will the new competency based curriculum meet its desired results? If not, what can be done?
Key Words: Education, Socio-economic development, Language, Social Change, Culture of Dependency, paradigm shift.
Introduction
In the time of pre-independence, arrival of the colonist and the beginning of independence, Kenyans have experienced an enriched history of education. Quality education and training is a vital strategic tool for advancing socio-economic development process in all nations. In this note speech a critic is made of various educational reviews and reforms that have been undertaken in Kenya since pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial period and their influence to sustainable socio-economic development.
Quality education is one of the Socio-economic facts affecting human resources management in Kenya history. There has been an emphasis on the importance of education that leads to improvement of the standards of living in the country. As a result of upgrading the education sector the elite are very clear on their rights, while the marginalized, women, people leaving with disability and children are yet to fully realize the socio-economic benefits of education. Educational from all form of specialization has widespread notion that educational development and reviews would lead to socio-economic growth, more wealth, greater equality of opportunity, availability of competent human resource, a declined poverty levels, long life and better health lifestyles, integrity, national unity and political stability. This notion and unrealized need has resulted in massive investment and reforms in education. But why has the education in Kenya not achieved the expected socio-economic growth despite the various education policy and curriculum reviews/reforms?
The industry players and society has expressed dissatisfaction of the curriculum output as not fitting in the job market. In most cases the education products are made fit to the job by on-job training. One component of education that has influenced socio-economic development per region is inequality across the country. Quality is skewed in favoring some regions while disadvantaging others. Quality education is highly comprised in case where the distribution of teacher is skewed favoring some areas. Distribution of teachers may be influence by adhoc policy such ‘head teachers dislocation policy’. Other determinants of quality education are cultural shock experienced by new teachers in a familiar context. While the adhoc policies may bear benefits it leads to instability in the way teaching and management is done.
UNICEF, (2012) defines quality education as ultimately determined by Learning outcomes that students take from school and the competencies they may carry into their future life and labor market. The focus in quality education is bring out the good, truthful and the divine in man in the promoting a moral life in the society. The welfare of humanity lies on scientific and technological capabilities and most importantly to enrich character. Since education is a powerful instrument of social change and human progress, it is also a powerful tool to cultivate values in an individual. The education reforms in Kenya are addressing the art of imparting values in learner. However, the question arises Are the values and skills learnt at school adequate for survival? Why are the employers not happy with the final products? Thus it is clear that quality of education goes beyond the knowledge acquired from the books, degrees and certificates after school. Work ethics and thinking positively about one’s society are the two main aspects of quality education. One can think positively when you participate in production, marketing and consuming the locally goods. To inculcate values among learners there is a need to review and design curriculum from the cultural heritage perspective. This is in addition to designing tailor-made value based program for teaching staff and inculcation of philosophical views towards life among teachers and learners.
The Kenya education reforms and socio-development has outstanding goal and aims since its independence in 1963. (Ojiambo, 2009) noted that causal relationship between schooling and socio-development in Kenya is less extensive compared to more industrialized nations. Ojiambo further points out that there is sufficient evidence to conclude that provision of quality education leads to both economic and social development. It is on this basis that the Government of Kenya has heavily invested in formal education. Kenya economic growth is considered quite low, since approximately 30% of the budget of the country finances educational investments.
The Kenya education system has focused on materialistic at the expense of collective effort and responsibility, promoting innovativeness and its rich culture, critical thinkers leading to producing docile and dependent-minded graduates ( (Ogwora, 2013). Education involves transfer of values from one generation to the next, what we think, how we believe, how we should behave, what we value, what is perceive as right or wrong. Thus, education is life long search for truth, as it defines what kind of person we are and what we will become. It is worth noting that something(s) have changed that requires us to remain up breast with the changes. However, it is important to re-examine the history. The intention of the reviews is good but the outcome is wanting. The rate of review in Kenya has been frequent since independent while compared with developed nation. The question arises, where do we go wrong in review of our education? Why do we rush the review? When we rush does it compromise quality? How and to what extent can we conduct proper curriculum consultation? Has it been hijacked by those who want to commercial the process? Have the stakeholder in the know? Educator, curriculum Developer and University have around the politician dictated the pace.
Though the rest of the developed world has continually improved their education in response to modern day demands, American’s public education systems has undergone three major reforms since 1607; the colonial period, the early national period and the common school movement. (Texas Education agency, 2014). Why do we seem to be having so many reviews unlike what is happening in the west? Why is the demand for review not driven by the professionals in the profession? What is lacking? Why isn’t results driven?
The recognition of the noble role of education in society has led to several years of historic struggle and reviews. Within the framework of reviews and reforms there has been numerous conflicting interests and resistance to change among various actors in education sector in both colonial and post-colonial period. Why are we not able to achieve the anticipated gains of education reforms? Are the education reviews genuine? (Murira, 2013), in discussing the philosophy of education in Africa, emphasis on education that is contextualized to the African need- thus a genuine education that embraces cultural values. Amidst these contestations one question emerges: what is the possible good that is expected to come out of the Kenyan education reviews/reforms? It is in the light of these tensions that this article critically examines and checks they have met the required expectation from the various educational reforms and interventions that have been undertaken in Kenya in both colonial and post-colonial period and their role in national development.
Historical Development of Kenya’s Education System in advancing Socio-economic Development
Historical Development of Kenya’s Traditional Education
Education in Kenya before independence was purely a traditional form of education that integrated itself with artistic, religious, recreational life, cultural values and social forms of education. The basic aim of this type of education was to socialize the students, in order to enhance their culture values from one generation to another. This was a wholistic and meant to fit a person in the society. This was elementary and dealing with what people should do but it was too simplistic, dealing with basic thus not applied broadly to the society, it was for immediate consumption but it served them, it was not compared to their systems in the other areas.
Historical Development of Kenya’s Education System in the Colonial Period
Since pre-colonial and colonial, Kenya has placed a considerable importance in the role of education in promoting economic and social development. The aftermath of the First World War saw a number of colonist measures with regard to African education. The report by the Phelps-Stokes Commission of 1912-1925 formed the basis on which Kenyan education was anchored. Among the major aims of the report was to make the individual efficient, promote and advance agriculture, develop native industries, improve health, train people in the management of their affairs and the inculcate citizenship and service (Sifuna, 1990).
During the colonial period key commission that were undertaken to review education included; Phelps-Stokes Commission of 1924, the Beecher report of 1949, and the Binn’s Commission of 1952. Phelps-Stokes Commission of 1924 recommended a practically oriented education for Africans. This was reinforced further by the permanent Advisory Committee on Native Education in Tropical Africa that was set up by the British colonial Africa office. Its purpose was to develop rural areas. It advocated for continuity in policy and fuller cooperation between governments and missions (Otiende, Wamahiu and Karugu, 1992).
The review was expected to enhance Africans access to education and socio-economic development. However, this was not the case as education remained racial. Europeans and Asians had an education that laid more emphasis on academics and aimed at preparing them for white-collar jobs while Africans on the other hand received an education that geared them towards manual labor. Carnoy (2014), retaliated that African education system in the colonial period was intentionally designed to inculcate an inferiority notion of black Africans in making them acknowledge that they were subordinate to Europeans and Asians. After some time Africans yearned for an academic education that could promote development, since the initial form of education system was not forthcoming. They developed resistance necessitating a review of the curriculum to one that accommodates basic learning.
The Colonial Education was Elitist
The Beecher Committee of 1949 report reinforced the argument of Phelps- Stokes. However, the Africans were strongly opposed to the Beecher Report. They felt it did not meet their utilitarian, cultural and personal needs. The general African view to the report according to Bogonko (1992) was that it was to lead to Europeanization rather than Africanization of education and it sought to maintain the status quo of perpetually keeping Africans in low cadre positions. In 1952, Binns Commission of education was set up. The commission was a landmark in Kenya‘s education because it expressed concern regarding the internal efficiency of African education and its ability to address their needs (Sifuna, 1992; Gachukia, 2003). Like previous commissions it met fierce criticism from Africans because of its inability to address social and cultural goals. In addition to several commissions that were undertaken during this period, the colonial government also passed three major education ordinances in 1921, 1931, and 1934 and set up several educational committees, councils and boards aimed at improving the quality of African education (Bogonko, 1992). An examination of educational reforms undertaken during this period depicts colonial government efforts of using education to foster development that was racial.
Historical Development of Kenya‘s Education System in the Post- Colonial Period
In the post-colonial period, Kenya‘s struggle for political independence served as a major impetus for her educational development. During the struggle for independence, the nationalists’ educational aim was to provide an education that would serve immediate needs of the country. In 1961, when independence was imminent in most African countries, a conference on the development of education in Africa was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The conference, educational priorities was aimed at promoting economic and social development. It was upon this framework that Kenya like other African governments formulated its educational programs ( (Sifuna and Oteinde, 2009)). The expansion and reform of the education system during this period was also motivated by political pressures. Sifuna writes that ―almost every politician and election manifesto leading to the independence elections had called for more educational opportunities of all types, cheaper or free education, universal primary education, Africanization of syllabuses and teaching staff.
The new competence based curriculum (CBC)
This is a departure from the earlier systems since it brings in the issue of pathways. The curriculum which is being rolled out may follow a similar script of the earlier systems since all the thorny issues have not been ironed out. Like its predecessor, the 8-4-4 system, sounded very viable and good on paper but faced a major challenge in implementation due to financial & logistical constraints. Just like the 8-4-4 suffered inadequate funding to construct enough workshops and laboratories, the 2-6-3-3 outfit may face the same fate. Constructing sports complexes for nurturing talents may be a tall order given that the country has other priority areas. The case in point is the promise by the government during the election time in 2013. The promise was to construct 5 stadia in a span of five years. This promise has not been fulfilled (Westbrook, 2013).
Theory of Change
A theory of change is a method that explains a given intervention, or a set of interventions, is expected to lead to specific development change. It must be driven by sound analyses, consultation with key stakeholders and learning on what works and what does not in diverse contexts. Theory of change is relevant since the development challenges are complex, and are typically caused by many factors and layers that are embedded deeply on the way the society functions.
The theory of change provides a framework for learning both within and between the programming cycles. By articulating the causes of a development challenge, making assumptions explicit on how the proposed strategy is expected to yield results, and testing this assumptions against evidence against what has worked well or not in the past.
Moving the Theory to Practice;
- Identify the change needed based on a set criteria including equity, comparative advantage, and feasibility.
- Change analysis. This includes previous learning, evaluation and what the partners are already doing to contribute to this change.
Model
The final product of quality education should be realized, this is much possible if the challenges identified about are addressed. Under ideal situation in curriculum development, the process involves conceptualization in terms of the driving forces, this contributed to quality education that lead to socio-economic development, However the globalization interplay the process of curriculum development and it influence the driving forces and quality to be realized. Quality is decided locally and globally.
Since Kenya is small market that produces for local and international levels, there is need to move with the time if only we need education to stand the times. The question thus arise is; How sensitive are we are a county to know what is happening and what is not happening for the purpose of aligning. The exercise should be informed by research.
Discussion
The aim of review is ailing, but there challenges and intent purpose which is quality and meet the dictates of the market is not yet met.
Has the Country realized Quality Education? If Not what are the challenges?
To some extend quality has been realized. However, we have several challenges. The challenges facing education and training in Kenya are well known. However, their roots lie deeply entrenched within educational processes and structures that are difficult to change. The review efforts and ongoing calls for change in addressing significant challenges are often slow and solutions continue to elude us. The challenges facing education and training review includes and not limited to;
The first challenge is inadequate critical reflection on the kind of education and the kind of product we want to produce. This calls for re-designing of 21st -century curriculum that meets the test of times and better prepares learners for life and work in the 21st century.
The second challenge is political interference which focuses on short time solution as opposed to lifelong issues and their solution. This calls for a political response that prioritize long lasting solution to social-economic development through quality education is to focus on ‘low-hanging fruit’ and quick win thus making changes at the margins instead of focusing on real reforms and significant progress in promoting the quality and equity of Kenya education system.
The third challenge is inadequate financing reforms in the education sector. The main sources of funding are central government and development partners. The government spends approximately 30% of GDP on education sector. The currently reforms is in a tune of approximately 360 billion Kenya Shillings. The government may draw financial support towards this reform from development partners and donors. Occasionally this support is accompanied by certain conditions which to a large extend derail the progress in providing quality education with the true reflection of Kenyan socio-economic needs.
The fourth challenge is inadequate focus and support towards globalization and digital world. The education systems around the world are grappling with how to prepare learners to thrive in the 21st century. While we witness technological changes everyday in our lives the review should be in tandem with the technological changes and adaptations.
The fifth challenge is resistance to change that has been witnessed by the curriculum implementers. It is common for people to dislike change and resist new ideas and innovation presented due to; lack of ownership, Teachers often fail to accept the reviews especially when their lacks any benefit of the changes and innovation for themselves or their learners. Resistance to change is also due to teachers perceiving the likelihood for more work and additional responsibilities that change brings along. This can be expressed a silent resistance and develop a wait and see attitude. Change often brings disorder. If the amount and extent of chaos and disorder is perceived too high teachers and parents may resist. This has been witnessed in teacher decollation agenda. Education actors want change that brings order and not disorder.
The sixth challenge is inadequate stakeholder’s analysis in determination of who are the education stakeholders, what are the role do they play, their power and influence in the education review. A wider and comprehensive consultation and involvement of parents, teacher, unions, employees, private sector leads to ownership is needed. This has been witnessed by the complaint from teacher’s union about involvement in review contributing to limited wider acceptability of the curriculum. The success of change is better when ideas come from within s opposed from outside push. The Kenya 2010 constitution guarantees participation the question arises on, what are the parameter for determining the level of consultation and stakeholder’s engagement?
The seventh challenge is insufficient research and knowledge base evidence that inform the curriculum reforms. Research addresses the gap, allows benchmarking, and offers opportunity and basis for the review. However, the concern arises on government commitment and financial support towards research and knowledge base. The west region has adequately invested in curriculum review research and evidence based. Reforms in these countries are largely driven and informed by evidence based research.
The eighth challenge involves lack of contextualization per region. The curriculum assumes uniformity, despite the individual, cultural and local difference that existing within the various regions. The examination is unified, yet the difference exists within various contexts. The examination should fit context. The distribution of teachers and infrastructure are not the same. In some school the resources are inadequate, and this contributes to the quality and final product.
The 8-4-4 system was highly borrowed from west though it was practically oriented, the curriculum was not given adequate time for it to be reviewed, Subject such as woodwork, metalwork, home science, art and craft among other were withdrawn from the curriculum. This shows influence of quality in education and final product. The system leads to examination oriented that to an extent contributed to examination cheating.
Flexibility such that once your get to the job market and find out that the job market is saturated then one should be able to adjust and fit into another area. Educational should be an eye opener towards development of an individual. The universities should stand to the dynamics in the world of work. The idea of major and minor should be encouraged, and this will prepare flexibility in the job market. The idea of pathway is good; however it may limit and deny flexibility opportunity. Thus, for curriculum should embrace flexibility.
Way forward;
Quality education to be realized there should be a deliberate design of a curriculum that solves societal problems. The curriculum should have an extended technological and innovation approach.
Teachers should adopt a flexible approach towards curriculum implementation by being part of problem seekers and participants in solving the problems.
The government should go full throater to ensure that curriculum designer have what it takes to execute the process of curriculum review.
Curriculum should be designed to fit into the local requirement, and similar a national curriculum. In such case national school designed to cater for national outlook that reflect all regions.
Conclusion
- There is a clear link between quality education and sustainable development.
- Although the link is known to exist but strategies to change the status quo has not been forth coming
- Paradigm shift is required in the way we think and act in order to position Kenya in the 21st
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QUALITY EDUCATION AS A STRATEGIC TOOL FOR ADVANCING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN KENYA