By Hamad Rashid
The non-governmental organizations implementing the Action for Life Skills and Values in East Africa Project, (ALiVE), met in Kenya on January 25, 2024, in an ALiVE Summit 2024, in which the press release gave direction on what should be done to the Government, education stakeholders, and parents, on educating teachers life skills and values so that they can teach children, as one of the areas in which the second phase of the ALiVE Project is working.
Tanzania Kids Time received the press release of the ALiVE Summit 2024, shared by Greyson Mgoi Communication Officer and Coordinator of the ALiVE Project – Uwezo Tanzania. The Summit was held in Kenya, on 25 January. The press release calls for all stakeholders to work together and support the implementation of CBC from parents, schools, media, and, more so, the Ministry of Education to emphasize the nurturing and assessment of core competencies.
“With such support, the aspiration of producing a competent citizen will be realized, and the community will trust in competency-based education,” was added in a press release.
The key Speakers at the Summit were, Dr. John Mugo – Executive Director of Zizi Afrique Foundation; Dr. Mary Goretti – Executive Director of Uwezo Uganda; and Khadija Shariff – Executive Director of ALiVE Project in Tanzania, working with Milele Zanzibar Foundation. (All are co-principal investigators in ALiVE).
The press release began to explain that Education in East Africa has evolved to competence-based education, focusing on what learners can do rather than what they know. This shift has led to prioritizing competencies such as collaboration and problem-solving, among others. However, from research conducted in 2022 in East Africa, only less than 10% of our learners are accumulating these competencies at the right time. This is a clear indication that something must be done.
THREE QUESTIONS AND THEIR ANSWERS ABOUT LIFE SKILLS AND VALUES FOR CHILDREN.
The press release also wrote about three questions that arise and how to reach his future in this 21st century: –
First, how do we support the teachers who are also struggling to accumulate these competencies, then transfer them to the learners and assess if the learners are acquiring them?
This requires concerted effort; the ALiVE team is collaborating with teacher training colleges and the Departments of Education to support the teacher educators (Eregi, Machakos, Kenyatta University in Kenya; University of Dar Es Salaam and State University of Zanzibar University in Tanzania, Makerere University, Kyambogo University, and Luigi Institute of Higher Education in Uganda) with the necessary tools for classroom transformation with a focus on pedagogy and assessment of core competencies and values.
Second, how do we support curriculum implementation to focus on these core competencies?
CBC, for instance, in Kenya, has been with us since 2017. Unfortunately, many players, from parents to teachers, are still fixed in the old systems. This partly could be because the parents were not onboarded, and they lack the competences needed to support their children, but also teachers since the retooling methodology have not been effective, the curriculum resources are not well developed to support them, and others are just not ready to change. There is a need for continuous retooling of teachers and support to parents if we must realize the vision of CBC of producing empowered, engaged, and ethical citizens.
Third, Values are learnt at home when children are much younger. The school just reinforces the values that children have acquired from their parents, older siblings, and the environment they are growing in. Yet, an assessment of the value of respect in 2022 indicated that more than 8 out of 10 (92%) children cannot demonstrate respect at the highest level. How do we get parents to understand the importance of their role and support them as the first teachers of their children?
Khadija Shariff, Executive Director of ALiVE in Tanzania and co-principal investigator in ALiVE working with Milele Zanzibar Foundation, with journalists during the interview.
However, Action for Life Skills and Values in East Africa (ALiVE) is a collaboration of 8 organizations in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda with a vision of catalyzing the acquisition of competencies for learning, living, and thriving.
Tanzania Kids Time recently, has published an article about the second phase of the ALiVE Project, read more by clicking the link below: –
UWEZO TANZANIA YAWAJENGEA UWEZO WAANDISHI WA HABARI KUHUSU STADI ZA MAISHA – Tanzania Kids Time