Kenia

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East Africa: Program Launched in Ethiopia to Assist Refugees, Host Communities

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África/27 de Febrero de 2017/Allafrica

Resumen: Un programa de 30 millones de euros fue lanzado en Etiopía el miércoles para abordar los desafíos de protección y desarrollo que enfrentan los refugiados y las comunidades de acogida en la nación del Cuerno de África.

A 30-million-euro program was launched in Ethiopia on Wednesday to address protection and development challenges facing refugees and host communities in the Horn of Africa nation.

Ethiopia is a major refugee-hosting country in Africa, sheltering many who fled conflicts in neighboring South Sudan and Somali.

The program dubbed Regional Development and Protection Programme (RDPP) is part of the wider RDPP in the Horn of Africa, which is led by the Netherlands in cooperation with the EU Delegation to Ethiopia.

Speaking during the launch in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, Chantal Hebberecht, Head of EU Delegation to Ethiopia, hailed Ethiopia’s open-door policy towards refugees.

She noted that the program supports basic services delivery in water, energy, and education, livelihood activities and job creation, legal aid and capacity building of local authorities.

 «The strategic approach of RDPP Ethiopia is to promote integrated solutions, which will benefit both refugees and host communities to ensure a more coordinated and sustainable use of funding and also to create greater self-reliance, stimulate socio-economic development and reduce tensions between refugees and host communities related for instance to scarcity of resources,» said Hebberecht.

Also speaking on the occasion, Zeynu Jemal, Ethiopian Deputy Director of the Administration for Refugee and Returnee Affairs (ARRA), noted that the number of refugees in need of protection and assistance has increased sharply in the last few years.

Limited livelihood opportunities for the refugees and their host communities together with the lack of quality basic and essential social service provision are now resulting in their limited potential for self-reliance and their dependence on humanitarian assistance, he said.

Ethiopia hosts the second-largest refugee population in Africa — almost 800,000 refugees from neighboring countries, according to the EU.

Fuente: http://allafrica.com/stories/201702230051.html

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Kenia: Duro golpe para Bridge International Academies

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Diez escuelas de la empresa de servicios educativos Bridge International Academies deberán cerrar sus puertas por sus bajos criterios educativos.

Africa/ Kenia/ Internacional de la Educación

Un Alto Tribunal de Kenia ha ratificado la sentencia que obliga a Bridge International Academies (BiA) a cerrar 10 de las 12 escuelas que tiene en funcionamiento en la ciudad de Busia, en Kenia occidental, debido a sus bajos criterios educativos. Esta decisión constituye un nuevo golpe para esta cadena de servicios educativos con ánimo de lucro, que ya tuvo que cerrar escuelas en Uganda por las mismas razones. La sentencia determina que los niños afectados deben ser acogidos en las escuelas públicas a al finalizar este periodo académico.

El consejo de educación municipal de la ciudad de Busia decidió cerrar las escuelas de BiA el pasado mes de noviembre al no respetar los estándares educativos básicos. En sus recomendaciones, el consejo destacó el hecho de que estas escuelas no empleaban a docentes cualificados y registrados. El informe también señalaba la ausencia de administradores e instalaciones adecuadas, así como de una evaluación del impacto ambiental.

El sindicato nacional de los docentes de Kenia (KNUT), afiliado a la Internacional de la Educación, ha escrito una carta oficial al ministro de educación para pedirle que “adopte medidas contra estas escuelas ilegales y vergonzosas de manera inmediata”, y que ordene que el consejo de educación municipal verifique la calidad de la educación impartida por las escuelas de BiA para que, en caso de incumplimiento, se proceda a su cierre.

El sindicato pide al ministro que recuerde su promesa de tomar medidas con respecto a las academias – una promesa que hizo a los kenianos cuando presentó el informe de KNUT sobre las escuelas de BiA a finales de 2016. “Esperamos que el secretario del gabinete de educación ejerza su autoridad sobre estas escuelas ilegales y vergonzosas de manera inmediata y haga solamente una cosa, que es cerrarlas”, dijo Wilson Sossion, Secretario General de KNUT.

Fuente: https://www.ei-ie.org/spa/news/news_details/4289

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Kenia: Three universities face closure for engaging in malpractices

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Kenia / 22 de febrero de 2017 / Por: OUMA WANZALA / Fuente: http://www.nation.co.ke

Three universities could be shut down as the Education ministry is not willing to renew their licences.

They submitted their request for renewal of their letter of interim authority but an official hinted at the possibility of their closure.

“The institutions stand accused of academic malpractices,” said a source at the ministry who requested anonymity.

Commission for University Education (CUE) chief executive David Some said reports on the universities had been presented to Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i.

“We did our audit and submitted the reports and it is upon the CS to decide. We have made our case,” Prof Some told the Nation.

A CUE audit report released last week indicated that some universities award degrees to students without following laid-down procedures, enrol unqualified students and offer courses not approved by the commission.

According to the law, a university with a letter of interim authority is required to apply for renewal after four years. The renewal can only be granted by the minister on the recommendation of CUE.

Universities shut down by the commission are Inoorero, Obama, Kenco and Landmark.

The audit showed that some learners enrolled for degree courses scored D+ in their Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examination while others graduated without supervisors’ approval.

The minimum entry grade for degree courses in Kenya is a C+.

The report said accelerated programmes were being abused. In some cases, it took just nine to 12 months for one to get a bachelor’s degree.

PUBLISH ACADEMIC PAPERS

The audit also revealed that only seven of 70 universities have been using 10 per cent of their resources to equip their libraries.

It also showed that there was very little evidence of research in many institutions.

“Out of the 66 universities that provided information on research fund allocation, only 19 complied with the law,” the report said.

Universities are required to use at least two per cent of their operational expenditure on research.

CUE said doctorate students would be required to publish at least two academic papers before graduating.

At the same time, a joint working group has been formed to monitor implementation of the audit report.

CUE chairman Chacha Nyaigotti-Chacha said the team would comprise chancellors, vice-chancellors and university council chairpersons.

Prof Nyaigotti-Chacha said regulations and standards would be aligned with amendments to the Universities Act.

“Stakeholders will work on the regulations within six months,” he said.

He added that universities had 30 days to provide a road map on corrective measures they would take to implement the report.

Fuente noticia: http://www.nation.co.ke/news/education/Three-universities-face-closure/2643604-3819798-6axlv2/index.html

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Kenya: Address the gaps in new education curriculum

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Kenya/Febrero de 2017/Autor: Mwongera Jakubu/Fuente: Standard Digital

RESUMEN: Una omisión flagrante en el marco propuesto de currículo de educación básica presentado a los interesados para su validación el mes pasado es el lugar de la alfabetización de los medios de comunicación y la información. Esto es extraño, dado que la agencia de desarrollo curricular KICD trabaja en estrecha colaboración con la Unesco, quien ha dedicado importantes recursos e investigaciones a lo largo de los años y ha recomendado que los currículos de todo el mundo adopten la alfabetización mediática y informacional como una competencia inalienable para una existencia de calidad en el siglo XXI. Sociedades del conocimiento. Los medios de comunicación y la alfabetización de la información (MIL) se utiliza como un concepto compuesto para referirse a un conjunto de competencias que faculta a los ciudadanos a acceder, recuperar, comprender, evaluar y utilizar, crear, así como compartir información y contenido multimedia en todos los formatos. Herramientas de una manera crítica, ética y efectiva.

A glaring omission in the proposed basic education curriculum framework presented to stakeholders for validation last month is the place of media and information literacy. This is strange given that the curriculum developing agency, KICD, works closely with Unesco, who have dedicated substantial resources and research over the years and recommended that curricula the world over adopt media and information literacy as an inalienable competence for quality existence in the 21st century knowledge societies. Media and Information Literacy (MIL) is used as a composite concept to refer to a set of competencies that empowers citizens to access, retrieve, understand, evaluate and use, create, as well as share information and media content in all formats, using various tools in a critical, ethical and effective way.

More broadly, media and information literacy is a basis for enhancing access to information and knowledge, expression, and quality education. It describes skills and attitudes needed to value the functions of media and other information providers, including those on the Internet, in societies and to find, evaluate and produce information and media content. In a situation where the government is implementing a variety of cross-cutting initiatives that have a direct bearing on the lives of all citizens in the information age, it is envisaged that elaborate MIL initiatives are needed in Kenya to bring the various citizen groups – including children and youth – up to speed with the rapid development of digital technologies. In this regard, implementation of media and information literacy initiatives will help create a media literate population with capacity and skills for access to quality information citizens need to make informed decisions within the new media and information environment. MIL will also equip citizens with skills to participate actively in governance and community development and be critical players to take advantage of the opportunities generated by the information age. ALSO READ: Sustain reforms in education sector Already, a number of state and non-state actors are undertaking various initiatives which fall squarely within the realms of media and information literacy. Aside from the Digital Literacy Programme spearheaded by Education and ICT ministries and their agencies, other initiatives include the media literacy public talk-shops organised by the Media Council of Kenya and the Film Classification Board’s school visit programmes dubbed “You Are What You Consume” to sensitise students on film and media content safety, and responsible Internet use. There cannot exist a better way to augment these disparate initiatives and rope in the future Kenyan citizen than integrating MIL into the new curriculum.
Fuente: https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2001229753/address-the-gaps-in-new-education-curriculum
Imagen: https://postcardpom.com/2014/08/05/kenyas-future-el-futuro-de-kenia/
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Unidad antiablación de Kenia: Una lucha judicial para devolver la dignidad

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Kenia/16 febrero 2017/Fuente: El Diario

Kenia trata de rastrear y erradicar la mutilación genital femenina a través de una unidad judicial especializada que sanciona esta práctica cultural, en una lucha que afecta a millones de niñas y mujeres empujadas a conseguir la aprobación de sus comunidades.

Con pasos lentos y laboriosos, la Unidad Antimutilación Genital Femenina (MGF), puesta en marcha en mayo de 2014, ha conseguido llevar ante un tribunal 79 casos en los últimos dos años.

Para combatir una lacra que aún hoy afecta al 27 por ciento (9,3 millones) de las mujeres y niñas en Kenia, y a 200 millones en todo el mundo -según la ONU-, esta unidad judicial dispone de dos vías: la constructiva, a través de la formación, y la punitiva, a través del código penal.

«Enfrentarse día a día a la cultura no es fácil, no podemos acabar de raíz con algo tan profundo, tratamos de dar una alternativa a una costumbre cultural», explica a Efe la directora de este cuerpo especializado, Christine Nanjala.

Entre sus acciones, destaca la formación especializada de jueces, talleres de sexualidad en las comunidades o el trabajo en red con los 47 condados y 22 de los subcondados de Kenia, labor que cuenta con el apoyo de la Administración, Policía, organizaciones no gubernamentales y centros sanitarios locales.

La unidad ha desarrollado también un reglamento de enjuiciamiento, debido a la poca especialización de los jueces en estos casos.

«Incluso los jueces pueden proceder de comunidades que practiquen la ablación, así que a veces damos un paso hacia delante y dos hacia atrás», apunta Nanjala.

Esta eliminación parcial o total de tejido de los órganos genitales femeninos, particularmente del clítoris, se produce, en un 93 % de los casos, por causas tribales, muy por delante de las razones religiosas. Además, la educación y la pobreza económica juegan un papel decisivo, según UNICEF.

Preservar la virginidad hasta el matrimonio, purificación, higiene, iniciación a la edad adulta, placer para el hombre, reducir o contener el libido, e incluso pensar que «si no se corta el clítoris, se hará tan grande que arrastrará por el suelo», son algunas de las causas que inducen a esta práctica, explica Nanjala.

A pesar de los esfuerzos gubernamentales, miles de niñas -la mayoría la sufre entre los 5 y 9 años, antes de que sean conscientes de los riesgos- se enfrentan a esta forma de discriminación, relegadas a la creencia cultural de que si no se someten, su futuro marido se estará casando con una niña.

«No podemos tener una sola estrategia que pueda ajustarse a todas las comunidades, hace falta una dinámica para luchar contra la MGF en cada comunidad», apunta la directora.

La ley contempla penas de entre 3 y 7 años, y sanciones por encima de los 200.000 chelines (casi 2.000 euros), y las sentencias recaen sobre quien extirpa, sobre cualquier familiar involucrado, sanitarios que lo practiquen o encubran y hasta la propia persona que de manera autónoma practique la mutilación.

Un 20 % de las niñas de Kenia son circuncidadas por médicos, cómplices de la mutilación por herencia de las comunidades en las que crecieron y se formaron.

En Kenia, que ocupa el puesto 17 de los 29 países africanos que practican la ablación, tan solo 3 de sus 47 tribus no la han practicado nunca, y una veintena de ellas lo siguen haciendo a pesar de su prohibición, apoyadas en una sociedad cómplice.

La mayoría de mujeres de la tribu somalí (94 %), samburu (86 %), kisi (84 %) y masai (78 %) están circuncidadas.

Hemorragias, infecciones, daño de órganos e incluso esterilidad, son algunas de las fatales consecuencias a las que lleva extirpar el clítoris, cosiendo, en ocasiones, no solo los labios del aparato genital, sino la dignidad de quien no podrá gozar jamás de su derecho a ser mujer.

«¿El Gobierno? ¿quiénes son esos, los de allí de Nairobi?. Esos no tienen nada que ver con nosotros, nunca los vimos por aquí», comenta a Efe un grupo de mujeres de etnia samburu en la remota sabana keniana, lejos de las leyes y los esfuerzos de la MGM por poner fin a esta práctica.

Fuente:http://www.eldiario.es/sociedad/Unidad-antiablacion-Kenia-judicial-devolver_0_611039016.html

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Kenia: Teachers face new audit on appraisals from Monday

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Kenia / 15 de febrero de 2017 / Por: AGEWA MAGUT / Fuente: http://www.nation.co.ke

Education officials will from Monday start visiting schools to assess the progress of evaluation programmes for principals and teachers.

They will monitor how performance contracting introduced last year in schools despite opposition from teachers unions is being implemented.

“The exercise will involve visits to various schools where teachers and heads of institution will give feedback on the effectiveness of the programmes since performance contracting and teacher appraisal were introduced in schools in January 2016,” said Mr Kihumba Kamotho of the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).

He said the exercise will be led by TSC chairperson Lydia Nzomo backed by senior ministry of education officials.

The online appraisal platform for more than 290,000 teachers was launched in November last year and involves the collection of data by county education directors who then upload it in the national system each term.

MANAGE RESOURCES

The appraisals are meant to determine how headteachers manage financial and human resources, how they supervise teaching and learning activities besides maintaining high teaching standards.

The school heads are also expected to ensure customer satisfaction and compliance with the Constitution.

The scheme is based on teachers’ professional knowledge and its application, their preparation and use of schemes of work, lesson notes and learners records.

Other areas of assessment include time management, participation in co-curricular activities, collaboration and networking, professional conduct, learner protection and safety and professional development.

The evaluation is meant to make the assignment, training, promotion and deployment of teachers easier. It was also meant to stop absenteeism of teachers and absconding of duties, which have been blamed for poor performance.

Fuente noticia: http://www.nation.co.ke/news/education/2643604-3810588-cx243rz/index.html

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Kenia: Non-local teachers in Mandera still facing hardships, Knut says

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Mandera / 08 de febrero de 2017 / Por: MANASE OTSIALO / Fuente: http://www.nation.co.ke/

The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) has reiterated that it will defend and protect non-local teachers currently working in Mandera County.

Speaking Monday, Mandera Knut branch Secretary-General Mohamed Kulo said the non-local teachers are facing huge challenges mainly from the local community, vowing to tirelessly defend the non-locals.

“Non-local teachers have braved a lot of odds and hardships and have further put their lives on the line for being in Mandera and we are committed [to] protecting them against challenges caused by the local community,” he said.

He said insecurity has a remained a major threat to non-local teachers in Mandera and appealed for support from locals in protecting the teachers in order to improve education in the region.

“There are so many issues affecting teachers including school principals harassing teachers over petty issues but as Knut we are ready to fight for our members in Mandera,” he said.

PROTECT TEACHERS

He asked school heads to accord special treatment to the teachers and stop the ongoing intimidation that contributed to mass exodus of non-local teachers in 2015.

“We know of transportation challenges these teachers are facing to reach Mandera but principals are keen on interdicting those arriving late without considering this. This must stop,” he said.

Mandera County Knut branch Secretary-General

Mandera County Knut branch Secretary-General Mohamed Kulo speaks during a heads of departments’ workshop at Moi Girls Secondary School Mandera on February 6, 2017. He reiterated that Knut will defend and protect non-local teachers currently working in Mandera. PHOTO | MANASE OTSIALO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

Mr Kulo was speaking at Moi Girls Secondary School in Mandera East during a one-day workshop organised by the Ministry of Education for heads of departments in secondary schools.

“We are going round asking locals to accept these teachers and provide accommodation so that our children can learn and be reliable in future but we are yet to receive a satisfying response,” he said.

1,3000 TEACHERS NEEDED

Mr Kulo warned that schools risk closure due to lack of teachers, saying that currently, 1,300 teachers are needed in both primary and secondary schools in Mandera.

“We have talked to the county government to bring back untrained teachers in class [who were withdrawn] in October last year but that is yet to be done,” he said.

Most non-local teachers who spoke at the workshop complained of continued segregation and harassment by the local community.

They said none of them is considered for promotion despite having taught for many years.

“The highest position a non-local teacher can hold in Mandera is being a head of department [yet] someone can be picked from the village here to be made a school head,” one teacher claimed.

Knut has proposed the formation of a caucus of non-local teachers which should always be engaged whenever there are promotions to be done by the Teachers Service Commission.

Fuente noticia: http://www.nation.co.ke/counties/mandera/no-local-teachers-Mandera/1183298-3802936-rp8g1nz/index.html

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