The business community and parents in Narok town have decried a high cost of living as children re-open schools for the third term.
Many parents were forced to do minimum shopping for their children as they lamented of hiked prices of essential commodities like sanitary goods and stationery.
Joyce Naeni, a mother of four said despite her heavy savings, she could not afford all the commodities she needed for her children who are in classes eight, seven, grade five and grade three who school at Blessed Narok academy in Narok town.
“I used to spend Ksh 5, 000 to buy essential goods for my children, however, the prices of these commodities have increased and I am forced to do the same shopping with Ksh 10, 000,” she said.
Johnston Sadera, who owns a uniform shop in Narok Tsaid he had calculated of making profits during this season that schools are opening but was wrong as only a few customers knocked at his doorsteps.
Sadera said he is opting for other options like farming to make money as he could not rely on his uniform shop to earn a living.
“This year is so different from other years. Before, I used to make a lot of money in the month of January. I will be forced to venture into different activities where I can earn a living,” said the businessman.
Rose Moraa, a mother of three secondary school children asked the Ministry of Education to allow all children in school, even those who had not cleared school fees saying it is hard for her to afford the school fees of her three children at once.
Ms Moraa who hawks tea and snacks in Narok town called on well-wishers to help support those bright but poor children to complete their education.
A spot check on the transport sector indicated that the Matatus had hiked fares to various towns making the parents dig deeper into their pockets to have the children go back to school.
At the Narok Line bus stop that operates between Narok and Nairobi, the fare had been increased from Ksh 400 to Ksh 600 owing to the many passengers who had queued to travel.
Source and Image: https://www.kbc.co.ke/parents-decry-high-cost-of-living-as-schools-re-open/
The targets of the Kenya Primary Education Development (PRIEDE) project funded by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) to the tune of Kshs 8 billion in line with the Competence Based Curriculum (CBC) has borne fruits.
Deputy Director for Education, Sebestian Owanga said the project, which has run for the past five years, involved training teachers on effective Early Grade Mathematics (EGM) teaching methodologies, training Headteachers and Board of Management (BOM) chairpersons for prudent financial management as well as provision of EGM textbooks to 6 million grade one and two pupils.
Mr. Owanga, who spoke while on the assessment as well as closing mission of the project in Kakamega County through class observation sessions, he said the mathematics teachers can now ensure that they actively engage, infuse ethics and empower the learners during the lessons.
He said that the project has ensured adequate supply of text books and the learner to book ratio is one to one.
The DPCD stated that the newly adopted teaching methodologies employ the Competence Based Assessment (CBA) which is learner-friendly where they described as either Meeting Expectation (M.E), Approaching Expectation (A.E) or Below Expectation (B.E).
“The CBA tool has discarded the use of derogatory words such as poor or weak that would lower the self-esteem of pupils with low competence,” he observed.
A lesson goes on for grade 2 pupils at St. Martin mixed primary for the deaf in Mumias West sub county in Kakamega County.
He added the teachers have shifted from the pedagogy that emphasizes quantity to that of quality where learners are now engaged during the lesson, taught morals and at the end of the lesson they all empowered basing on their varied abilities.
He called on the head teachers to ensure that all the pupils are registered in the National Educational Management Information System (NEMIS) as capitation disbursement will be based on this information.
The Director Teacher Education (DTE) Margaret Mwandale said they are encouraging collaborative teaching and learning where two teachers handle a lesson together and the learners are paired up.
Mwandale stated that at first, they trained selected teachers in counties but through the School Based Teacher Support (SBTS) initiative, the trained ones have taught the others.
The DTE said their mission was to look at school enrollment, staffing, performance trend,financial management and community involvement in school activities.
She stated that parents and the community are key stakeholders in the implementation of CBC therefore they should part and parcel of the school management.
The Director observed that the introduction of the Teacher Performance Appraisal and Development (TPAD) tool has boosted teacher performance by reducing incidents of absenteeism.
She said as PRIEDE project closes, the next target is the teacher training colleges where they intend to ensure that the trainees are taught CBC-inclined pedagogical skills.
The other members of the delegation were Elizabeth Owiti from Elimu Coalition (EC) and Kananu Murungi from the directorate of Special Needs Education (SNE).
Joseph Muhombe, the Headteacher of St. Martin mixed boarding primary school for the deaf in Mumias West SubCounty, lauded the MOE, GPE and other development partners for the efforts of uplifting education standards in the country.
Mr. Muhombe, however, disclosed that only grade one and two classes have adequate mathematics text books but the other learning areas including English, environment and hygiene there is a shortage of textbooks.
The head teacher stated that grade three, four and five as well as standard six, seven and eight (last 8-4-4 system lot) have limited text books in all learning areas.
He said the school has an enrollment of 370 against 22 teachers, the he said is inappropriate as a class is supposed to hold 10 learners for a lesson.
The school head complained that they are forced to admit Pre-Primary 1 pupils (age 4) because the parents do not know the sign language to teach the children.
“The little children are admitted into boarding because the parents or guardians do not know the Kenya Sign Language (KSL) and failure to introduce the child to it at an appropriate age would make them be completely unable to learn it,” he explained adding thatin some instances the parents release the children for fear of stigmatization by the community.
The team also visited Kakamega primary in Kakamega Central Sub County and Eshitare primary inButere, Eregi mixed in Ikolomani (regular schools) as well as St. Emillian Eregi primary for the deaf.
All in all, the CBC programme will go a long way in molding all round learners by instilling the ethical values and equipping them with the desired competencies.
Source and Image: https://www.kbc.co.ke/govt-says-kshs-8b-priede-project-has-been-successful/
Five students from Itierio Girls High School in Kisii County were today arraigned before a Kisii law court for allegedly attempting to set ablaze a school dormitory.
The students who were charged with attempted arson contrary to Section 333 (a) of the Penal Code, pleaded not guilty.
The accused through their lawyer, requested the Court to be released on bond, saying they were innocent until proven guilty and assured the Court that the parents shall avail them when needed.
Senior Resident Magistrate, Paul Mutai, ruled that the minors be remanded at Manga Children’s Remand Home in Nyamira, pending the processing of a surety Bond of Ksh 50,000 or Cash Bail worth Ksh 20,000 each.
The case will be mentioned on the 29th of November.
The students were arrested on the 11th of November for alleged involvement in an attempt to set fire to a building named Elgon Dormitory, a property of Itierio Girls High School, at around 4.00 am on the 9th of November.
Recently, a series of reports involving school fires in various parts of the country have been witnessed and this has led to the arrest of some students.
Source and Image: https://www.kbc.co.ke/five-students-charged-with-attempted-arson-remanded-at-childrens-home/
A dormitory at Kakamega High School was early Saturday morning razed down.
According to the school principal Gerald Orina, the fire is believed to have started at 5.30 am when students were in for their morning preps.
Orina said that the fire destroyed property for over about 140 students.
The cause of the fire is yet to be established, with authorities saying no casualties have been reported.
Confirming the incident, Deputy OCPD Kakamega Central Daniel Mutisya said watchmen heard a loud bang from one corner of the dormitory followed by billowing smoke.
They then alerted school management.
In the early morning incident, no student was injured.
In Buruburu Girls, students received treatment for smoke inhalation at the Metropolitan Hospital in Nairobi after a fire broke out in one of the dorms at around 5 pm on Sunday while a dorm in Chavakali Boys’ Secondary School also went ablaze on the same day at around 6 pm.
On November 1st, a fire also razed a boys’ dormitory at ABC Katelembo Mixed Secondary in Katheka Kai of Machakos County at 5 am Monday morning, two days later on Tuesday another fire broke out at Kahuhia Girls Secondary School.
The current trend of fires breaking out in schools becoming a regular occurrence provoked a response from the government which is vowing stern punishment against students found to have started fires in schools.
At the Coast, Regional Commissioner John Elungata announced that authorities will move into all schools that have reported school fires and carry out investigations. And he cautioned that this will not be a public relations exercise as those involved in arson attacks will be apprehended.
“We have resolved that the police will follow these culprits – because it is not difficult to get them as they are among fellow students, – arrest and prosecute them because destroying school property is akin to destroying their own homes,” he charged.
The regional boss said students above 18 years would be jailed like any other criminals while minors would be committed to borstal institutions as they continue with their education.
Source and Image: https://www.kbc.co.ke/kakamega-high-school-students-safe-after-fire-incident/
Africa/Kenya/27-08-2021/Author and Source: www.kbc.co.ke
Kenya National Library Service (KNLS) has created programmes aimed at ensuring the youths continue with their research and lessons during the pandemic period.
Eldoret branch Principal Librarian Ruth Jemo said the library has introduced computer literacy training programmes to equip youths with the necessary technological skills needed during the pandemic period.
“At the moment we have 16 trainees who started their training at the beginning of the month and we expect more as we continue,” she said.
Jemo indicated that the library has beefed up its cyber, WIFI, and LAN capabilities to ensure young people interested in research and learning enjoy uninterrupted services at the library.
She further said a partnership with the Uasin Gishu County government has enabled the library to set up a well-equipped cyber section to allow students to participate in online classes free of charge.
Entrance of Kenya National Library in Eldoret.
Data by The World Economic Forum stipulate that over 1.2 billion children from 186 countries were forced out of school by the coronavirus pandemic compelling schools to adopt online solutions to bridge the gap.
Apart from the cyber café, Jemo indicated that the library has made arrangements to accommodate more students by converting the children section into a makeshift study area for adults.
“We also have personal booths that can be used by both students and teachers engaged in online learning. These booths have internet facilities to ensure smooth services,” she said.
“Part of KNLS’ strategic plan is to enhance the availability of resources through the utilization of modern technologies,” she said, adding that the Covid-19 pandemic has furnished them with an opportunity of accommodating technology in their day-to-day services.
The library has also rolled out business skills programmes designed to educate youths on matters of online business and communication skills.
“We have book talks on topical issues where we invite speakers to cover issues affecting the youths in this country,” she said.
Source and Image: https://www.kbc.co.ke/kenya-national-library-service-embraces-technology-amidst-covid-19/
Africa/Kenya/20-08-2021/Author and Source: www.kbc.co.ke
Nokia, Safaricom, UNICEF, the Ministry of Education and Ministry of ICT have announced a joint initiative that will connect at least 90 schools with high speed internet.
Under the Digital Leraning Programme, the initiative aims to ‘connect the unconnected’, with the ultimate goal of supporting the Kenyan Government’s plans to scale broadband connection to all schools by 2030.
“As part of our Transforming Lives purpose and vision to become a purpose-led technology company, we are always looking for partnerships that allow us to use our services to deliver social impact in areas aligned to the Sustainable Development Goals. Our shared value partnership with UNICEF and Nokia allows us to connect schools in underprivileged areas and increase access to digital literacy. This will ensure that the students there are not left behind when it comes to reaping the benefits of an ever-increasing digital society,” said Peter Ndegwa, CEO of Safaricom.
The connected schools are spread across rural and informal urban settlements in Kenya, serving an estimated 32,670 students.
Schools are using Nokia’s FastMile 4G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) broadband solution to provide reliable, high-speed connectivity delivered over Safaricom’s 4G/LTE network. Nokia’s meshed WiFi Beacon technology is used to boost the Internet signal in selected classrooms and computer labs.
“An important belief that we hold at Nokia is the need to provide ‘broadband for all’. With remote learning becoming the prevailing issue during the Covid-19 pandemic, the topic of digital equity takes center stage again, so we are excited that this collaboration will facilitate access to many students currently unconnected. This is an initiative we are very proud to be a part of and hope that it is a significant step to a brighter future for all those reaping its benefits,” said Amr K. El Leithy, Nokia Senior Vice-president for Middle East and Africa Market.
The importance of good connectivity has been highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic. School closures in Kenya in 2020 meant that children had to stay at home for six to nine months, leaving them reliant on remote learning.
The digital divide meant that students who could access the internet were better placed to continue with their learning.
“Children have a right to access quality education wherever they are, yet for too long, the digital divide has prevented disadvantaged children from enjoying the same benefits as their connected peers. By connecting schools to the Internet – with a focus on the most disadvantaged areas – we can start to level the playing field. This allows students and teachers to gain digital skills and access the latest education materials, providing a brighter future for some of the most vulnerable children in Kenya,” added Maniza, UNICEF Kenya Country Representative.
Schools equipped with a broadband connection, digital devices and teacher training will now be able to make better use of video communication, digital curricula and online content, thereby improving digital literacy and skills among school children.
Source and Image: https://www.kbc.co.ke/90-schools-to-get-internet-connection-under-digital-literacy-programme/
The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) has denied claims that it authorized the oversupply of textbooks in public schools across the country.
The institute has attributed the move to the mass transfer of students from one school to the other due to Covid-19 that saw parents lose jobs and relocate to their rural homes.
In the last couple of months, headteachers and leaders have cried foul over the continuous dumping of unwanted books in the schools by printers.
Some schools have been forced to buy plastic water tanks to store the books with their stores already filled up.
But according to KICD Director Professor Charles Omondo, the flooding had affected a few schools after learners were transferred at the height of the pandemic.
“A few schools that were affected by the transfers had problems with the books supply but we are reviewing this problem,” he said.
Omondo at the same time denied that set books were being changed every year noting that KICD had evaluated all the books needed by schools.
“We have given teachers the books that have met the threshold and they are supposed to pick one per subject while the others can be used by the teachers for reference,” he said.
Addressing the press in Central Primary school in Naivasha, the director added that they are visiting schools to ensure grade five pupils have received learning materials.
He said that plans for the transition from 8-4-4 to Competence-Based Curriculum (CBC) system were in place with the government moving in to build in more classes.
KICD has further disassociated itself from a long list of books being demanded by some private schools
Earlier, Gilgil Mp Martha Wangari had raised an alert over the possible loss of millions of shillings in procurement of textbooks for public schools.
According to the Mp, schools were oversupplied with hundreds of books that they did not need as part of the capitation fees that went to pay the printers.
“It’s time that we allowed teachers to procure the books that they need and we should put a threshold on the amount used to buy the books,” she said.
She added that tens of schools in the country had been oversupplied with books that they did not require while set books were being changed every year.
“When parliament resumes we shall summon the CS for Education to clarify on this issue where printers are dumping unwanted books in schools,” she said.
Source and Image: https://www.kbc.co.ke/kicd-denies-over-supplying-schools-with-unwanted-text-books/
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