Elimu YetuElimu YetuOOur Journey to Education Reforms

Rights From the Start: Our Efforts to Improve ECDE

Dyslexia: Some Insights For You

It Pays To Invest in Young People - Global EFA Report

- - To champion the cause of education from a rights-based perspective so as to ensure it is accessible to all citizens, with particular regard to vulnerable and excluded groups.- - To advocate and lobby the government, donors and other key stakeholders to achieve effiency and effectiveness of the education in Kenya.

- - To campaign for gender parity in all education programmes, and in particular ensure that girls and women have equal opportunities to participate in education.

Our Core ValuesIn working to achieve her mission, vision and objec-tives, EYC is guided by a commitment to the following core values.

i. Participation and inclusion of all.ii. Honesty, integrity and good governance.iii. Non-discrimination.iv. Competence, meritocracy and professionalism.v. Equity, fairness and justice for all.vi. Promotion of a culture of collaboration and networking.

“Campaigning for Quality Education for all in Kenya”

Organisational structureGeneral Assembly (GA): Meets once every year (with provision for Special meetings) and brings together all EYC members to make policy and programme decisions. The Assembly is the overall decision making organ of EYC.

Board of Trustees: This is the legal custodian of EYC; from where the Coalition draws its man-date. The Board works very close with Ex-COM to offer advisory support where needed.

Executive Committee (Ex-Com): has supervi-sory and executive authority over all the affairs and activities of the coalition and meets once every month.

Secretariat: headed by the National Campaign Co-ordinator who coordinates all the activities of EYC and is in charge of the day to day running of the coalition.

Secretariat: Co-ordinates all activities EYC including those of Ex-Com, outposts and thematic networks.

Campaign Agenda:To influence policy shift towards a sustainable edu-cation system that is appropriate to the aspirations of the people of Kenya. -To build a strong movement with very clear direc-tion and targets around EFA goals.

EYC is the national coalition established in 1999 a national platform for civil society organizations, professional groupings, education and research institutions and other non state actors in Kenya’s education sector to lobby for the implementation of EFA goals as articulated in the Jomtien Decla-ration and Dakar Framework of Action.

Currently brings together over 100 CSOs actively involved in efforts to domesticate the Jomtien Declarations and other related global conven-tions for the attainment of quality basic educa-tion for all in Kenya.

Membership is bound to increase the coalition receives and process new applications. applica-tions.

Mission: To infuence, facilitate and promote best practices that will ensure provision of quality education for all in Kenya.

Vision EYC is guided by a vision of a literate Kenyan society that values and practices demo-cratic ideals which promotes cohesion in diver-sity for sustainable development.

Overeaching Goal: To facilitate the provision of quality education for all people (children, the youth and adults) in Kenya through enabling member CSOs to effectively implement its cam-paigns.

Who are we?

Snapped...Snapped...

Key Contents

Global EFA Report p.4 - 5

Rights From the Start: Tetea Chekechea p. 15 - 16

Our Education Reforms Journey p. 6 - 14

Dyslexia Awareness p.19 - 22

Digitizing Academic Content: The Elimu TV Channel p. 23

Opinion: Good Governance and Educa-tion Reforms p. 8

Opinion: The Dying Reading Culture p.24

Children Rights - They Have a Right to Play p. 17

Make Varsity Education Affordable to All p.25

Opinion: A Dying reading culture

Elizaphan Wainaina joined usin July as Finance & Admin Officer.He holds BBM (Finance).Karibu!

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EYC National Coordinator Janet Muthoni Ouko, flanked by Campaigns Manager Joseph Wasikhongo (right) and legal scholar Dr. Eusebio Wanyama in a press conference regarding the September teachers strike

Welcome to EYCWelcome to EYC

not to mention the examinations is in English; all argue that if the language is not examinable and the examination itself is in other than the mother tongue, it is a waste of time to learn in the latter;

• Consider too that our teachers are not trained to teach mother tongue and there are few or no writ-ten school level materials for some languages; teacher training colleges are national in terms of intake, so what vernacular do you teach in a given college? All 42? At what cost?

• One would have to reorganize the teacher train-ing model: Is GOK thinking about this? I have not seen it in any of the reform documents.

This is a challenge not only for government but for all stakeholders, including private book pub-lishers. The school book development and selec-tion policy would need to change.

CAN you imagine a child having to report to school every school day for eight years and that child cannot read?

It will take government, parents, communities, teach-ers, and partners, working together to enable our children to read. Reading is a basic skill that the child uses to learn other subjects and survival skills;

The issue of language policy is something about which the government needs to provide urgent policy guid-ance.

Research shows that children read and comprehend better if they learn in the language they speak at home from their first day in school. However, this is not always easy to implement. A few pertinent Issues on language:

• Protecting and sustaining our beautiful languages and our identity/culture as recognized by the Consti-tution;

• How do we achieve this while working to unite Kenyans as one nation and to avoid the repeat of 2008 ethnic-related post election conflict?

• What do you do with parents and teachers prefer-ence for English at the expense of other languages;

FINDINGS from various sources including World-bank and UNICEF indicate that investing in girls and women generates more benefits to the society.

Educated Girls generate income for their family and countries: A World Bank study reveals that every 1 percent increase in the proportion of women with secondary education boosted a country's annual per capita income growth rate by about 0.3 percentage points.

Educating girls and women improves democracy and women's political participation : Educated women are less likely to be vulnerable to domestic violence, traditions like female genital mutilation and discrimination at home, work place or in the society.

A word fromA word fromthe National Coordinator

Educating girls yields more benefits to the societyEducating girls and women saves children's lives: Edu-cated women are less likely to die in pregnancy or childbirth and more likely to send their children to school. If mothers have a primary school education, the mortality rate for their children under 5 is halved

Educating adolescents and young people is critical for development: Secondary and higher education, especially for girls, provides high returns for poverty reduction, economic growth and reproductive health. Enabling young couples to choose when to marry and have children leads to smaller families, slower population growth, increased productivity and rising incomes.

- Muthoni-Ouko

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IN THIS issue, we take a critical look at educa-tion reforms in Kenya. Elimu Yetu has been active in championing for the reforms and we are glad that progress is being made. Parlia-ment passed the KNEC and TSC bills . Other bills touching on education are at advanced stages.

We are also focusing on EFA Goal One - Expan-sion of early childhood care and education by highlighting the launch of the Rights From the Start project .

You will also find information on dyslexia useful especially Jane Akinyi’s story of how she remained determined to achieve her dreams despite being dyslectic.

The story serves as a good lesson to us: that we can make it in life regardless of our various limitations.

ContributorsJanet Muthoni, Joseph Wasikhongo, Catherine Asego, Fayel Akinyi, Phylis Munyi, Phillip Odete, Jane Muruiki, Raphael Obonyo , Dr.. Pamela Kola

Editing, design & photography: Silvano Ateka

Share your story

It is always great to hear from you. Please, feel free to contribute your stories and photos. Let us know what is happening around you.

Email us: info@elimuyetu.netFor more information about us, visit our websitewww.elimuyetu.net

You can join us too...

Here are the benefits of being an EYC member:

1. If your interest and passion is Education, then you will feel fulfilled because Elimu Yetu coali-tion is The National platform for Civil Societies that works towards the achievement of Educa-tion for All (EFA) goals in Kenya.2. You will be a member of a County Education Network (CEN) whereby together with others you will be in a position to attain widespread reach in the community in terms of extending the objectives of your organization3. Your credibility status as an organization will be boosted by virtue of being a member of EYC. As you know this is important when it comes to resource mobilization4. You will be part of a network whereby you will have the opportunity of sharing and exchanging information5. As a member of a county Education network you may be part of a group that can benefit from technical support from Elimu Yetu or Partner(s) and occasionally benefit from capacity building initiatives of EYC.

6. You will attend an annual national Confer-ence on Education whereby you and like-minded individuals and organizations will have the opportunity to deliberate on Educa-tion Issues at the National level.7. You will be part of the General assembly (GA) of Eli mu Yetu which is the top most Decision making organ of the organization. In fact all your subscription and membership fees go to organizing the annual GA.8. As a member you will be given an oppor-tunity to nominate a Chairman and a com-mittee member of the Executive committee of Elimu Yetu during Election periods (comes after three years). You might even choose to vie for an elective position within the Coali-tion.9. As a member of a CEN You might be involved in a number of activities including resource mobilization10. You will receive the latest Policy Docu-ments in the Education Sector

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It is important to ensure that the youth are empowered with necessary skills in order to achieve their goals – that is the key message from this year’s Education for All Global Monitoring Report Youth and Skills: Putting Education to Work that was launched recently at by UNESCO.

“More needs to be done to reach young people at risk of leaving school early by making education more relevant to the world of work, such as through apprenticeships.” Pauline Rose, Director of the Education for All Global Monitoring Report, in a press release.

Financial aspects of education

The report emphasizes possible yields from investing in education and training for young people. It indicates that such investments are smart moves for countries seeking to boost their economic growth - that every US$1 spent on a person’s education, yields US$10-15 in economic growth over that person’s working lifetime.

The report also calls on donors to sustain support to the education sector in order to ensure that young people adequately prepared for the labour market. According to the report, total aid decreased by 3% in 2011.

However, the issue is more complex than just putting money on the table. Ensuring that the money is spent efficiently, and making educa-tion a priority for aid agencies, is just as impor-tant.

The report continues that the issue of educa-tion, skills and youth is not only having an impact on Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 2 – universal education, but is also closely connected to the other MDGs. MDG1 (to end poverty and hunger), for example, includes the target of full and productive employment and decent work for all.

EFA Goals 1. Expand early childhood care and education2. Provide free and compulsory primary education for all3. Promote learning and life skills for young people and adults4. Increase adult literacy by 50% from 2000-155. Achieve gender parity by 2005, gender equality by 20156. Improve the quality of education

The report estimates that about 200 million youth graduate from learning institutions without adequate skills to make them contribute effectively to society.

A further 71 million are not attending school hence missing out on future employment opportunities. The report indicates that this does not only jeopardize economic growth and social cohesion, but also leads to growing frustration among youth.Slow Progress .

The report further indicates that there is a slow progress towards

Students celebrate KCSE results:millions of young people graduate from learning institutions without adequate skills to make them contribute effectively to society.

achieving most of the EFA goals. Most countries will – like adult literacy, universal primary educa-tion, which, according to the report; will miss the 2015 target.

EFA Updates: invest more in the youth for increased returns

Summary of RecommendationsMoreover, upper secondary curricula should provide a balance between vocational and technical skills, including information technol-ogy (IT), and transferable skills, such as confi-dence and communication skills, which trans-late easily to the work place, the report states.

Furthermore, the report claims that any post-2015 development goal for skills development should be more precisely defined and measur-able than some of the current goals.

For example, there is no consensus on exactly what constitutes progress in EFA Goal 3 (equitable access to appropriate learning and life skills programmes).

The report argues that agreeing on a coherent set of indicators that are comparable across countries is necessary in order to measure progress.

The report, a mix of evidence-based research, analysis and recommendations, outlines ten important steps to support skills development for young people:

1) Provide second-chance education for those with low or no foundation skills;2) Tackle the barriers that limit access to lower secondary education;3) Make upper secondary education more accessible to the disadvantaged and improve its relevance to work;4) Give poor urban youth access to skills training for better jobs;5) Aim policies and programmes at youth in deprived rural areas;6) Link skills training with social protection for the poorest youth;7) Make the training needs of disadvantaged young women a high priority;8) Harness the potential of technology to enhance opportunities for young people;9) Improve planning by strengthening data collection and coordination of skills programmes;10) Mobilize additional funding from diverse sources to meet the training needs of disadvan-taged youth.

The EFA Global Monitoring Report is developed annually by an independent team and published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO.

- in 1990 to 60 in 2010, although this rates are insuffi-cient to meet the target of 29 by 2015

Many children do not receive pre-primary education. In low income countries, only 15% accessed early childhood educationGoal 2- On the current trends, the target of universal primary education will be missed. With the 2015 dead-line drawing closer, only twenty nine countries have a net enrollment ratio of less than 85%. - Dropout remains high in low income countries Goal 3• Millions of young people face life without founda-tional skills that are essential to earn a living• Despite a global increase in enrollment, low income countries are experiencing low enrollment rates at 52%.

- Many drop-out adolescents live in third world countriesGoal 4- Most countries will miss this goal by a big margin.- Globally, adult literacy rates have increased over the two decades, from 76% in 1985 – 1994 to 84% in 2005 – 2010- The world is not in a position to eradicate illiteracy by 2015 or anytime soon – youth illiteracy stood at 90% in 2005 – 2010. Goal 5 Convergence in enrollment between boys and girls has been one of the most successful of the EFA goals. - International learning assessment indicates that girls perform better than boys in reading at both primary and secondary school level, with boys having an advantage in mathematics. Goal 6 - Millions of school going children do not learn the basics (out of 650 million children of primary school age, over 250 million do not reach grade 4. - A significant proportion of teachers remain untrained

Report Highlights

Goal 1Early childhood care and education is improving but from a low base in some regions.- Child mortality rate fell from 88 per 1000 live births

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The journey of Education Reforms in Kenya cannot be described without mentioning the Launch of Vision 2030 and the Promulgation of the Constitu-tion of Kenya (2010).

Vision 2030 is Kenya’s Blue Print for Development covering the period 2008-2030 and was Launched by His Excellency the President of Kenya Mwai Kibaki on the 10th of June 2008 while the Promul-gation of the Constitution of Kenya (2010) marked a new dawn for Kenya providing opportunities for structural and systemic changes in the Country.

Two Education Sector Task forces formed in the aftermath of these two great events aligned their work to them. In January 2011, The then Minister for Education Professor Sam Ongeri established a Task Force led by Professor Douglas Odhiambo to review and align the Education and Training Sector to the Constitution(2010).

The Taskforce was launched on the 2nd February 2011 and presented its Report in the month of February 2012. In the Month of September 2011, The Minister for Higher Education, Science and Technology established a taskforce to align the Higher Education Science and Technology Sub-sector with the Constitution.

This task force which was led by Professor David Some was launched on 28th of September 2011 and presented its Report in March 2012.

EDUCATION REFORMS: OUR LONG JOURNEY TO SUCCESSBy Joseph Wasikhongo

EYC has also been engaging with County Educa-tion Networks to update them on Education reforms as well as to get additional input on the same. The organization has also been part of many consultative processes and meetings with regards to Education Reforms including Ministe-rial and Donor consultative meetings.

Our quest for education reforms received a major boost in August 2012 when the Cabinet under the Chairmanship of the His Excellency the President passed 8 Bills and a policy frame-work for education and training.So far out of 10 pieces of Legislation, two Bills have already gone through the parliamentary process and received subsequent assents from His Excellency the President hence becoming Law. We have Two Acts of Parliament namely the TSC ACT, 2012 and the KNEC ACT, 2012.

Janet Muthoni-Ouko makes a presentation at a workshop on education, training and research for reforms for MPs that was partly sponsored by EYC in July 2012

A National Delegates Validation conference was organized in the month of March between the 26th and 29th to discuss education reforms and mapping a Way forward.

The conference delegated analyzed the Report as presented by the Professor Douglas Odhi-ambo led Taskforce that has been critical to the development of key Bills and an Educational Framework aimed at reforming the Education Sector.

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By the time Parliament adjourned in October 2012, The following Bills were at various stages in Parliament• Basic Education Bill 2012, awaiting third reading in Parliament

• TIVET Bill, 2012, awaiting second reading in Parlia-ment

• University Bill 2012, awaiting second reading in Parliament

• Science, Technology and Innovation Bill, 2012, await-ing second reading in Parliament.

The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development Bill (KICD) 2012 has been gazetted and is available at the Government Printers at Cost.

The sentiment on the pace of Education reforms has been mixed. Whilst some stakeholders are satisfied with the pace at which the reforms has been happening others are of the opinion that the pace has been quite fast hence denying them the opportunity to input in some of the pieces of legislation.

It is encouraging that the Parliamentary Committee on Education gave an opportunity for stakeholders on Thursday 1st November 2012 to present their views or grievances on it in preparation for continued debate once Parliament resumes.

Stakeholders in the sector were also disturbed when an industrial strike by teachers hit the sector in the month of September. This slowed down the pace of Education Reforms since energies of key stakeholders were expended in the direction of trying to bring the strike to an end.

The recess of parliament and the next general elec-tions could prove to be a major impediment to the progress and gains so far made in the sector. Parlia-ment recess before approval of the draft bills will slow or lead to the postponement of the enactment of reforms in the sector, until the next administra-tion.

As EYC, we encourage all stakeholders to support reforms within the Education sector as a framework for upholding the Right of a child to Education as well as a foundation to develop skills and competen-cies that Kenya Vision 2030 requires for its realiza-tion.

EYC equally hopes that the reforms in the sector will stimulate active citizen participation in the sector including demanding for integrity and accountabil-ity.

Throughout the process, in the spirit of a key consti-tutional principle of participation, efforts have been made to ensure CSO participation in the Bill devel-opment process.

For instance, in the month of June 2012, Elimu Yetu Coalition organized a National conference whose theme was Education Reforms. Delegates drawn from CSOs across the Kenyan Counties, Lawyers, Journalists , Academicians, Ministry officials from both Basic and Higher Education came together to thoroughly interrogate the Bills and provide input.

The Result was a conference communiqué that provided suggestions for amendments to the exist-ing Bills. - Joseph Wasikhongo is EYCs Campaigns Manager

Participants pose for a group photo during the Naivasha workshop

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Good governance respects the right of the child to education. It also guarantees a globally com-petitive quality education. No matter how many times we review and reform the education sector, our efforts will remain futile without due atten-tion to good governance.

Conversely, bad governance impedes sustainable development and access to education services. It also cripples efforts around poverty alleviation and equalization of opportunity.

Different reports as well as distinguished schol-ars have argued that good governance brings with it incredible range of benefits. These ben-efits include prudent management of resources both material and human, equality, transparency and accountability where deliver of benefits and opportunities is concern and inclusivity in deci-sion making and delivery of services that fulfill the right to education.

With the promulgation of the Constitution on the 27th August 2010, it became clear that education is not just a necessity but also a basic human right. It has even been further argued that educa-tion is not only a right but also justice for the child.

The constitutional guarantee therefore ensures that education remains a national responsibility. However, the management and distribution of resources to the sector is should considered as a key issue to be focused on - considering that the sector is among the heavily funded sectors in the country.

For sustainable development and improved access to education, resources must be managed prudently. But when they fail to meet their intended objective, they cripple education service delivery and compromise efforts towards attaining national and international develop-ment goals.

The taskforce report on education (March 2012), raises concerns over the way institutional finances are audited. The report states that account are audited by school auditors based at the district, provincial and national levels.

What makes the situation less satisfactory is the fact that most institutions (particularly primary and secondary schools) lack bursars/accounts clerks. Other institutions have employed finance staff with questionable qualifications, making it difficult to raise questions in cases or events of misappropriation of funds.

Bad governance in this context is therefore synony-mous with under performance, poor financial man-agement and misappropriation, high staff turnover and infrastructural deficits among many other chal-lenges.

To secure good governance in the education sector, we should therefore involve all stakeholders at all levels. Governance is not simply a question of struc-tures, it is also about policy and processes that move towards the energies of their people.

- Philip Odete works with Transparency International Kenya under the Education Governance Project

Audit reports have to be authorized by the head of schools audit at Ministry headquarters.

In addition, authorized audit reports are sent to institu-tions to be discussed by respective governance bodies. As a result, the reports get back to the institutions a little too late for any meaningful corrective measures to be taken by respective management teams.

EDUCATION REFORMS:

The new constitution ensures that education remains a national responsibility. Photo: sourced from the Internet

By Philip Odete

Good Governance is Key to Progress in Education Sector

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EDUCATION REFORMS Timeline

June 10, 2008: Launch of Vision 2030, Kenya’s blue print for development covering 2008-2030 by his Excellency the President of the Republic of Kenya.

August 27th 2010: The promulgation of the Consti-tution of Kenya(2010) which marked a new dawn for Kenya

January 2011(est), launch (2nd February 2011): Min-ister of Education establishes a Task Force Estab-lishment to review and align the Education and training sector to the Constitution(2010) and Vision 2030 led by Professor Douglas Odhiambo.

Established on 14th and launched on 28th Septem-ber 2011: Minister for Higher Education, science and technology establishes a Task force to align the Higher Education Science and technology sub-sector with the Constitution. Task Force led by Professor David Some.

March 26th-29th 2012: Education Task Force National Delegates Validation Conference to discuss education reforms, critical analysis of the report(Professor Douglas Odhiambo) and mapping a way forward.

May 2012: Cabinet approval of the TSC Bill

13th -115th June 2012: National CSO Conference organized by Elimu Yetu Coalition the theme of which was Education Reform

July 5th-6th 2012: Naivasha Parliamentarian retreat, Education Reform Capacity building for selected Parliamentarians

14th August 2012: Parliament passing the TSC Bill

16th August 2012: The cabinet approves key Education Bills and Policy Framework for Educa-tion and Training

28th August 2012: His Excellency the president assents TSC Act hence becoming law

9th October 2012: Parliament Passes the KNEC Bill

10th October 2012: Forwarding of the Learners with Disabilities Bill, 2011 to the AG for consider-ation and fast tracking to Parliament for possible enactment

12th October 2012: President Assents the KNEC Act

Higher Education Minister Prof Margaret Kamar and Parliamentary Committee on Education Chairman David Koech during the MPs Workshop on Education Reforms in Naivasha.

Parliamentary Select Committee on Education Chairman David Koech chats with some of the participants during a workshop on TSC and Education Bills in Limuru

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KNUT Chairman Okuta makes a point

A participant - Mathews Khalumi makes a contribution

National Stakeholders Conference on Education Reforms

The Conference which was sponsored by EYC brought together stakeholders to deliberate on key reforms in the education sector in the country. It was held at Kenyatta Conference Center (KICC) from March 27th - 29th, 2012. In this photo, Education Minister Mutula Kilonzo, Higher education minister Prof. Margaret Kamar, Former education PS Prof James Ole Kiyiapi and Gwasi MP John Mbadi pose for a photo with students during the event. Other Photos: Janet Muthoni-Ouko with a delegate (1), KNUT officials (4), civil society representatives (2,3 & 5)

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The Conference which was sponsored by EYC brought together stakeholders to deliber-ate on key reforms in the education sector in the country. It was held at Kenyatta Conference Center (KICC) from March 27th - 29th, 2012. In this photo, Education Minister Mutula Kilonzo, Higher Education Minister Prof. Margaret Kamar, Former Education PS Prof. James Ole Kiyiapi and Gwasi MP John Mbadi pose for a photo with students during the event.

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2: Hon David Koech (right) with KUPPET Chairman Mr. Okwemba Milemba.3 :EYC’s Campaigns Manager Mr Joseph Wasikhongo & some of the participants (1 , 5 &7 )4. Hon Koech poses for a photo with the participants6: Hon Koech addressing participants

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The 4th CSOs Conference 2012

The conference which took place from 13th - 15th June at The Kenya Institute of Education headquarters in Nairobi was organized by and attracted over 200 participants. It focused on taking stock of education reforms in the new dispensation and setting standards of reforms implementation within the proposed new structures as we count down to 2015 EFA targets. During the Annual General Assembly that was held at the same venue on 16th June, Mr. Daniel Wesonga was elected as the new chairperson for the EXCOM. Other new organizations represented in the EXCOM include Transparency International, World Vision, Kenya Alliance for the Advance-ment of Children rights (KAACR)and Balm of Hope

Former Education PS Prof James Ole Kiyiapi Higher Education Assistant Minister Prof Kilemi Mwiria

Mr. Dalmas Otieno, TI-Kenya

Mr. Akello Misori, Secretary General (KUPPET)

Mr. Boaz Waruku (ANCEFA)with EYC National CoordinatorJanet Muthoni-Ouko

Mr Daniel Wesonga addresses participants after being elected EYC chairperson

Mr. AndiwoObondoh(chairman,EYC board Of Trustees)

Susan Bukoshe Ombunya,Director, Balm Kenya Foundation displaying her �����������of membership to EYC.

EYC’s Ms Magdalene Keruboassists a participant during the conference

Education Assist. MinisterProf Ayiecho Olweny

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A participant making a contribution during the plenary session

A member of the media team covering the event

Frankers Dado casting his vote to elect EXCUSE membersA i i k l li i

The Naivasha Retreat: MPs and Stakeholders Pledge

THE OVER 40 MPs and other stakeholders agreed to support education reforms by ensuring that the bills and policy papers are passed by parliament and cabi-net.

The MPs and stakeholders convened at the Great Rift Valley Lodge in Naivasha from 5th to 6th July 2012 to provide their input on Education and Training Policy Framework, Science and Technol-ogy and Innovation framework, the Basic Education Bill, Kenya National Examinations Council Bill, Kenya Institute Curriculum Development Bill, Universities Bill, Kenya Qualifications Frame-work Bill, Science, Technology and Innovation Bill.Some of the MPs who attended the event include:

Hon Dhadho GhodanaGwasi MP John Mbadi

Hon. Hussein SasuraHo Dr. Otieno Kajwang

Hon. Moses Wetangula

Hon. John Mututho

On David Noggin

Hon John Kizito

Dr. Wilber Ottichillo

Hon. Martin Ogindo

Prof. Kamar shares a word with Hon. Mutula Kilonzo as Prof. George Godia, PS; Ministry of Education (center) looks on

to Support Education Reforms

‘Tetea chekechea’. This was the slogan that took centre stage during the recently launched ‘Rights from the start’ project which is a partnership between UNICEF and EYC. Despite being goal number one among the Dakar Frame work for action board ECDE remains one of the most neglected goals. The colourful launch was held at the Panafric hotel, Nairobi and was presided over by the Director of Qual-ity Assurance and Standards in the Ministry of Educa-tion, Mr. Mohamed Mwinyipembe. The event was graced by civil society organisations working in the ECDE sector and technical officers of political parties in Kenya. Samwel Gitonga, a young ECDE learner from Humble Hearts school in Nairobi’s emphasized on the need for Early Childhood Education to be taken seriously.

The goal of the project is to champion for increased investment in Early Childhood Development and Edu-cation for improved access to quality education. The project objective is to work on increasing awareness on the importance of ECDE among the political class for favourable policy and decision making. The project targets the poor Kenyan children who have no access to quality ECDE.

T Through the project, Elimu Yetu Coalition shall be engaging the executive officers and technical officers of political parties’ with an aim of increasing aware-ness on ECDE so that ECDE can be part of the politi-cal party manifestos.

In addition to this, we hope to take advantage of this electioneering period to have one on one meetings with political aspirants to lobby for their buy in into the ECDE messages and use ECDE advocacy mes-sages as a rallying tool amongst the electorate. Top on the ECDE agenda is championing for increased budgetary allocation towards ECDE. In FY 2012/2013, the total budgetary allocation to educa-tion sector was 233.1 Billion of which 1.6 billion was allocated to ECDE sub sector.

Secondly, Elimu Yetu Coalition seeks to strengthen partnerships with other stakeholders to implement all laws touching on ECDE. Also, we seek to ensure children from poor households have access to quality ECDE.

‘TETEA CHEKECHEA’ – RIGHTS FROM THE START PROJECTBy Catherie Asego

Samwel Gitonga, a pre-school learner from Humble Hearts school reciting a poem on the importance of Early Childhood Development Education.

Ms Irene Mbivya, a technical officer from KANU making remarks at the launch

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Rights From the Start...

The launch of the ‘Rights The launch of the ‘Rights from the start project’ marked the beginning of a marked the beginning of a long journey whose finish line long journey whose finish line shall ensure that our nation has the ability to foster health has the ability to foster health and well being of the next and well being of the next generation- given today’s children will become tomor-rows’ citizens, workers and rows’ citizens, workers and parents.- - Catherine Asego is the Campaigns Catherine Asego is the Campaigns Officer, EYC

Catherine Asego (right) with Joseph Wasikhongo at the eventg ( g ) p g

By Silvano Ateka/EYCBalm Kenya Foundation’s initiativeAdvancing the Rights From the Start Agenda

Clad in graduation regalia, young grad-uants wait impatiently to receive ‘power to read and write’.

It is a graduation ceremony in the remote Emuhando ‘A’ village in Kaka-mega County where over fifty children graduated from a Balm Kenya Founda-tion sponsored nursery school.

Mr Bwana also hailed Balm’s efforts to improve the quality of ECDE in the area: “Let the Balm of Kenya Foundation nursery be the center of excellence in this region.” He said. The organization relies on support from EYC and well-wishers to provide free quality education to needy children in the area.

The event which took place on 19th November 2012 was graced by the County’s Education Director Mr. Arita Bwana who urged the comm unity to invest in education, especially at founda-tional level.

Mr. Bwana with one of the graduants

A country with so many barriers to play is hardly a “Nation Fit for Children.” The government has signed a number of conven-tions, protocols and has formulated a number of policies which should help remove some of the barriers.

Children should not be made to wait until all the circumstances improve before they can reclaim their childhood and enjoy their right to play. The right to play belongs to them. “Let Children Be Children.”

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), the most widely and rapidly ratified international treaty in the history of the world is a standard against which a nations treatment of the children can be measured. It was officially approved in !989 and all countries (194 ) except two have signed. Kenya signed in 1990.

The child’s right to play, leisure and recreation is set out in article 31 of UNCRC which states:-

State Parties recognize the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the art.

The convention has led to great improvements in policies, programs and services contributing to children’s protection and promoting greater respect for their rights.

However, in spite of the wide spread recognition of the Convention, exten-sive research demonstrating the importance of play in human develop-ment reveals that the right to play is not receiving the attention it deserves.

Of the article 31, emphasis has not been placed on the right to play as it is one of the least understood, least recognized rights and consequently one of the world most consistently ignoredtoday.

- Pressure of work at home and school- Lack of play space and equipment- Unsafe environment- Child laborLack of awareness- Poor planned urban settlement- Displacement- Discrimination

To save this situation, there is a campaign through-out the world based on reports submitted by State Parties to the UN Committee on the Right of the Child, based on research and consultations of the status of play in countries which had signed and ratified the Convention.

In Kenya this campaign is being spearheaded by Centre for Research, Communication and Gender in Early Childhood Education(CRECHE). The launch of the campaign was in 2010; officiated by the then Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Development, Dr. James Nyikal.

Some of the most widespread and generalized barriers to the child’s right to play here in Kenya can be summarized as:

CRECHE is working with a number of organizations and devel-opment partners to create awareness of the right of child to play which should be better understood if integrated into the general movement toward children rights, international treaties, goals and protocols, national policies, acts and the new constitution.

Right To PlayBy Dr. Pamela Kola

Dr. Kola

children playing

Dr.Pamela Kola is the Executive Director, Centre for Research, Communication and Gender in Early Childhood Education CRECHE). She is also the Vice President-International Play Association (IPA) and Africa Region Representative.

17

By Joseph Matheka

A forum for CSOs working in the field of Non Formal Education (NFE) / Adult and Continuing Education (ACE) took place on 24th May 2012 at the Kenya Education Management Institute. A total of 38 orga-nizations were represented bringing together 62 participants.

The objective of the meeting was to take stock of the status of NFE/ACE in Kenya and share the best practices.

The forum provided a unique opportunity for various actors in the ACE and NFE sector to interact and make concrete recommendations. The outcome of the meeting provided the necessary roadmap for the various stakeholders in the improvement of ACE. Stakeholders were drawn from CSO, universities and SAGAS in the education sector.

Various presentations were made to facilitate the deliberations by the participants. Key among them were representatives from; BTL, DACE, KIE and a representative from the Association for Develop-ment of Education in Africa- ADEA.

EYC was represented by the then Chair, Joseph Matheka, the Director of PALM (Partners in Literacy Ministries) .

Adult Education Forum for NFE/ACE

The role of ACE in the education system was emphasized. It is a lobbying tool that will catalyze discussions and advo-cacy on the need for increased support to the ACE and NFE at policy review, implementation and funding levels.The keynote address was delivered by the head of the Director-ate of Adult and Continuing Education at MoE Mr. I.N. Kinara.

The General Secretary of Bible Translation and Literacy (BTL), Mr. P. Munguti underscored his organization’s role in the development of Orthography of many languages of Kenya.

The Forum was the brain child of the Technical Working Group on ACE (TWGACE) –a think tank on NFE/ACE com-posed of the key CSOs in the sector, KIE and the University of Nairobi under the chairmanship of the Director for ACE.

What does Vision 2030 beckon into our minds?By Silvano Ateka

Flagship projects like Tatu City and Thika Super highway or technological labs like the ihub? Are children involved in the planning of the Vision’s projects? The Workshop “Children and Vision 2030” that was organized by Children's Legal Action Network (CLAN) at the Nairo-biSafari Club last week sought to clarify how the Vision affects children.

It was established that there is limited consul-tations and participation of children in national and county development agenda. That experts do not seek views of children on issues affect-ing their communities and also in the develop-ment and implementation of vision 2030.

A detailed way forward and proposals for Kenya Vision 2030 process for the children sector in the long term was therefore suggested and some ideas explored. Work-shop participants also suggested that inter-ested CSOs should link with Ministry of Plan-ning and Vision to discuss and explore oppor-tunities for resource sharing to support the Vision’s plan process especially atCounty level.

Mr. Matheka

18

As a river follows its course: Jane Akinyi s Story

Jane Akinyi’

Out of the Closet

As Jane plans to open her beauty shop soon in the city, the doors of opportunity are being shut for many children across the country. Out of igno-rance, many parents are hiding them in the closet for being ‘mentally retarded.’

The community is also ignorantly looking down upon them as a crazy bunch. As Jane’s story reveals, dyslectics human being like all of, endowed with special gifts that should not be measured with an academic yardstick alone.

By Fayel Akinyi

As a River Follows its Course

However, as a river follows its course, Jane was determined to accomplish her dream.

She was beautiful. She wanted to become a ‘beauty specialist’. Having undergone painful moments as a result of her condition, she also wanted to educate people about it through perfor-mance arts.

JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJanananannee ee JJJJJJJ AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAkikikkiiikikkkkAAAAAAAAA nynynyyyyynyyyyyyyyyynyyynyynynnyyi’i’’’’’i’i’i’’’’i’i’’’’’’’i’’’i’i’’’’i’’i’ii’’’’i’iii’’’’iii’i’iiii’iiiiiiiiiiiiii

When Jane Akinyi was diagnosed with dyslexia at age 5, neighbors regarded her as ‘crazy’. It was predicted that she would end up in a bedlam. Now at 25, she has defied the odds to become a profes-sional hairdresser and beauty therapist.

She is also enlightening her community about her condition. Through performing arts, she is able to create awareness about dyslexia – thanks to Kenya Association of the Intellectually Handicapped (KAIH) whose aim is to empower persons with intellectual disabilities.Journey to Success

As she talks about her plans to start her own beauty Out of the Closet

While Jane plans to open her beauty shop soon in the city, the doors of opportunity are being shut for many children across the country. Out of igno-rance, many parents are hiding them in the closet for being ‘mentally retarded.’

The community is also ignorantly looking down upon them as a crazy bunch. As Jane’s story reveals, dyslectics human being like all of, endowed with special gifts that should not be mea-sured with an academic yardstick alone. shop, her smile radiates confidence. It also depicts her jour-ney to her success as long and arduous. Like many dyslectics, Jane has endured many chal-lenges. She spent many years in school – her report card indicating that she was not living up to her potential.She was forced to endure the insults at her. Yes – her inability to keep pace with other pupils at schools earned her a barrage of insults. She was called ‘stupid’, crazy, mentally retarded and so on.

“Life in the special school was not good for me. I had to ask my mother why I was taking long in school while my younger siblings kept moving ahead.” She says.

It was a lesson well learnt. Jane was not gifted academically. Her dream was not to scale academic mountains up to the summit!

She did not yearn to become a doctor or a lawyer. Though ‘stupid’ as she was commonly regarded, she still possessed a potential excel in life.

19

About KAIH

The Kenya Association of the Intellectually Handi-capped (KAIH) KAIH is a nonprofit organization aimed at empowering persons with intellectual disabilities (PWIDs) and their families, we want to restore the hope that the families and the PWIDs have lost and show them that with support they are capable of a lot.

KAIH wants to promote the human rights of PWIDs and their families within the society through educa-tion, advocacy, and empowerment and information exchange. We work in 6 counties namely; Nairobi, Migori, Siaya, Kiambu, Mombasa and Nyeri.

Doing what she loves best: Jane and her colleagues perfoming a play during CSOs EFA conference at KIE

We are a family based organization working towards promoting the full inclusion of PWIDs and their fami-lies in the society. We have various programs, under our education project we advocate for the full inclu-sion of PWIDs in the mainstream schools.

To learn more about us, you can pay us a visit at Mtindwa Apartments in Umoja, off Moi Drive or visit our website:

www.kaihid.org for details.

PHOTO: KAIH National Coor-dinator Ms Fatma Wangare , (left, backrow) with some of the dyslectic persons that her organization is assisting.

Did you know that….

Dyslexic people are highly creative, intuitive, and excel at three-dimensional problem solving and hands-on learning?

That dyslectic people can excel in academics – they can read and write efficiently?

20

October is the Dyslexia awareness month world wide. Dyslexia Organization, Kenya marked the day by having a Kids Fun Day Event on October 27th, 2012 at the Upper Hill Springs Playground.

Among the many children who participated to mark the day was the 15 year old Martin from Rare Gem Talent School in Kitengela. Martin like many other children from Rare Gem Talent School is dyslexic.

Ordinarily Martin would be in class 8 or form 1. However, his condition has forced him to repeat classes, what earned him ‘nicknames’ such as ‘slow learner, stupid, daft and so on.

The insults made him to detest school. Even his parents were about to give up on him. They had done everything within their ability to give their good education but all seemed to be in vain.

Martin’s mother was surprised a program on TV seemed to describe her son’s condition. The program’s guest was talking about dyslexia – detailing what individuals like Martin were going through.

It was a ‘stitch in time’ for her; she later contacted the guest and sought help for her son. Despite being dyslec-tic, he is now leading a normal life; thanks to the Dyslexia Kenya organization that is now supporting him.

Dyslexia - Creating Awareness So what is dyslexia?

Dyslexia is learning difficulty that is a neuro-logical, often genetic, disorder which inter-feres with processing language.

Children with dyslexia have problems with decoding words, blending letters, reading fluently, reading orally, and comprehending what they have read. It is the most common cause of reading, writing and spelling difficul-ties, affecting 10-15 percent of school going kids.

Dyslexia is not a disease and shows no physi-cal signs. Without timely intervention, the affected individuals are at high risk of abuse and misunderstanding from peers, public and even their own family, like Martin. Commonly labeled as ‘slow learners’, dyslexic children are stigmatized at school and out of school. They are made to repeat classes and eventu-ally drop out of school.

However, through awareness and early inter-vention, these children attain the learning levels and succeed academically to become successful people in the society e.g. Richard Branson, Whoopi Goldberg, Tom Cruise, Win-ston Churchill, Will Smith, Orlando Bloom and many others.

How do you recognize Dyslexia- Slow, laboured, inaccurate reading

- Skipping non visual words when reading e.g. the, and, there

- Phonetic spelling i.e. spelling words the way they sound e.g. nek for neck, naïf for knife, hed for head etc

- Reversal of letters b for d e.g. dady for baby, doy for boy and u for n, w for m etc

- Continuously misspells high frequency sight words (non-phonetic) but very common words e.g. they, where, when –wen,

- Substitutes similar looking words even when talking, even if it changes the meaning of the sentence e.g. sunrise for surprise house for horse while for white etc.

Martin

By Phylis Munyi

21

What is dyslexia org. Kenya doing?Dyslexia Organisation, Kenya is a registered orga-nization founded by parents and teachers of children with Dyslexia.

The main objective is to create awareness on this condition that causes many children suffer neglect and stigma. We hope to demystify Dyslexia and help people with dyslexia find a place in society.

We network with other Dyslexia International Organisation in order to get advanced research findings about dyslexia and other learning disabili-ties.

We work with the Ministry of Education and hope to find a solution to the examining method to address this category of learners.

What dyslexia is not!- It is not a visual problem- It is not a lack of intelligence- It is not developmental lag-Is not uncommon 10-15% of population is dyslexic- Is not responsive to standard reading instruc-tions. Dyslexia need not inhibit anyone from achieving his/her full potential.

"He told me that his teachers reported that . . . he was mentally slow, unsociable, and adrift forever in his foolish dreams." — Hans Albert Einstein, on his father, Albert Einstein (His name is practically synonymous with "genius", widely regarded as the greatest scientist of the 20th century, recipient of a Nobel Prize for Physics, known especially for his "Theory of Relativity."

"I never read in school. I got really bad grades--D's and F's and C's in some classes, and A's and B's in other classes. In the second week of the 11th grade, I just quit. When I was in school, it was really difficult. Almost everything I learned, I had to learn by listening. My report cards always said that I was not living up to my potential." —Cher (Famous actress, entertainer, singer)

"My teachers say I'm addled...my father thought I was stupid, and I almost decided I must be a dunce." — Thomas Edison (One of, if not the most prolific inventor of all time, holding a record 1093 patents; founder of Science journal.

Albert Einstein was a German theoretical physicist, author, and is one of the most influential scientists and intellectuals of all time. He has published over 300 scien-tific and over 150 non-scientific works and has received several honorary doctrate degrees from numerous American and European colleges. His name “Einstein” has in modern day, become synonymous with the word “genius”.

Ludwig van Beethoven was a German pianist and composer and is one of the most influ-ential composers of all time. He continued to compose, perform, and conduct even after becoming completely deaf.

Richard Branson is one of the most well known entrepreneurs of his time. As the founder of the Virgin Group, he has had his hand in the music industry, transpor-tation, and telecommunications. He has also set a goal to break as many world records as possible.

For more information visit: http://www.thepowerofdyslexia.com/famous-dyslexics/

Some Famous Dyslectics

Some Quotes From Famous Dyslectics

22

Using Technology to Beat

Access to secondary education has been very low in slum areas due to lack of public second-ary schools and cost related aspects. To addressthe problem, the Network for Non-Formal Education Institutions (NNFEI) has introduced the use of video conferencing to share content especially among the schools in slum areas.

With funding from Commonwealth of Leaning(COL), NNFEI has been training teachers to work on the new learning platform. The organi-zation has also developed content for second-ary schools in subjects that include:

Mathematics, English, History, Geography,CRE, Business Studies, Biology, Chemistry Physics and Kiswahili. The content is accessible via the web portal - www.nnfeischools.co.ke

The Use of Technology and Open Education Recourse will reduce the cost of Providing Education for all. African Governments should work together through Commonwealth of Learning (COL) to develop education content that can be easily adapted for individual coun-tries Open Schools Programs.

The 2015 EFA Deadline:

The organization has also been licensed by the Communi-cation Commission of Kenya to air digital content. Last month, the organization launched the Elimu 24/7 TV Channel and Web Portal.

The station will broadcast on a 24 hours program enabling working youth to study in the night. This program will also enable young mothers who dropped out of school to study at home and enroll for KCSE at their own time.

This being the first platform to offer Basic Education on a TV,mobile and web Learning the Launch of Elimu 24-7 TV Channel and web portal will mark a millstone towards enabling education for all by 2015.

N-NFEI has also launched a major campaign of providing TV screens and decoders to schools and churches in the slums. She is inviting cooperates to donate the equipments for the program.

The platform was launched at Kenyatta Interna-tional Conference Center (KICC) by the Assistant Minister for Education in the presence of COL representatives, UNESCO, Hon FT Nyammu , Hon Mutava Musyemi, N-NFEI Board of Direc-tors among other stakeholders.

Key Issues Raised During the Launch

• Need to embrace Open Education Recourse (OER) because it reduces cost on content Development and it promotes sharing of public investment from a global perspective.

• Governments should invest on provision of hardware and software that will enable use of technology in

schools. These include computers labs, captops for tablets with educational content for teachers and students and Internet in all schools(Public, Private and Non Formal Schools)

• As Kenya enters to digital world in communication the ministry of education should provide schools with TV Screens and Decoders.

• The Government to support ICT and use of OERs Train-ing of all teachers to enable them effectively use technol-ogy in teaching.

• Teachers training colleges to include ICT in the training curriculum. The teachers colleges should also include OER as an appropriate way of teacher’s reference for teaching materials and teaching Aids.

A section of the Kibera Slum: the new E-learning platform targets slum areas

Elimu TV platformBy Jane Muriuki

23

History’s notable military hero Alexander the Great had another outstanding characteristic – he was an avid reader. Homer’s Iliad was his favorite. He kept it as a ‘portable treasure of all military virtue and knowledge.’

In his career as a military man, he also read other books especially plays of Euripides, Sophocles, and Aeschylus.

Today, such passion for reading especially among young people is dissipating. The culture of ‘cut and paste’ is swiftly replacing the studious reading process.

Blame it on ‘cut and paste’ trend - young scholars are not active in public debates. Some are able to write – yet do not expose lies peddled by politicians in their vote-hunting missions.

Only a few read passionately. To the majority, classics like Julius Ceaser and King Lear are ‘boring’. Some of them have even forgotten basic facts about their own country’ If these examples are anything to go by, then we have a good reason to pity our generation a far as advancement of scholarship is concerned.

Universities are turning into places where young people only obtain good grades and nothing beneath or beyond them. Libraries are lonely place except during exam time.

Gone are the days when university students articulated key concepts in their academic province with clarity and competence. Passion and persistence. Heated debates on ideologies such as capitalism and Marxism are dead.

Those days seem to have gone with the falling of the Berlin wall – as one writer posited. The young scholar is no longer the epitome of intellectual rigor.

With much focus on good grades, the scholar has perfected the art of shortcuts just to color the transcript. It is seldom in his genuine interest to feed his spirit with the bread of books or quench his thirst at the wells of thought.

Indeed, we are a Facebook, Google and Wikipedia generation. A ‘cut and paste generation’. Shall we really have anything substantial to show when ‘posterity will vainly ask for proof of our intellectual merit?’

Opinion : The Dying Reading Culture

Students read only when it was assigned as a task. No one seems to be interested in imbibing knowledge for intel-lectual nourishment.

Imagine reading a whole semester’s work within a few hours to exam time. Or researching and preparing a Pow-erPoint presentation that is a few minutes past due date.

For those who fail to beat deadlines, there are many excuses. Often, it is about the computer - how it crashed just seconds before the student could ‘click on the ‘print’ icon and accomplish the task.

Students in a library: reading culture among young people is dissipating

By Silvano Ateka

24

BY RAPHAEL OBONYO

Adapted from The Star, (Thursday, November 15,

Although the government has made significant strides in creating infrastructure that is envisaged in vision 2030, the same cannot be said of educa-tion.

Government must show its commitment by not only reforming college education system but also making it affordable to help young people acquire vital skills that are needed.

Higher education is the key to most competitive jobs particularly those outlined under the vision 2030, but the government is not paying satisfac-tory attention to college education.

A report released recently by Youth Agenda reveal that lack of access to quality education particularly at college level has been a major impediment to the growth in employment.

The study, a youth fact sheet of vision 2030,found that a significant number of young people across the country cannot afford the high tuition fees charged by universities and colleges.

This situation is lamentable considering the exist-ing disconnect between the ambitious projects of vision 2030 and the grim reality on the ground. Take for instance Lamu port, the biggest vision 2030 project.

Maritime experts estimate that in the next 5 years, the industry will create 400,000 jobs and it is only a handful colleges offering courses related to the sector.

The situation is even worse at the university level where it is only Jomo Kenyatta University of Agri-culture and Technology (JKUAT) that is offering courses related to shipping.

The country is wasting a huge number of poten-tial candidates. In 2011, for instance, more than 60,000 eligible students were unable to attend university due to space limitations and the government inability to cover the cost.

There is need to expand and increase the number of universities and ensure that they are equitably local-ized throughout the country. The existing public university can only accommodate only 3% of the university aged population.

Government must allocate more resources to higher education. The current budgetary allocation to higher education does not rhyme with what is provided to primary and secondary education creating a huge transition gap.

Regrettably, Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) has over the years lacked capacity to cater for needy students who do not secure university education and have specialized skills that can be harnessed through tertiary colleges.

It is high time HELB made fundamental changes and employ creative ways of raising revenue since the current government allocation is seriously constrained to promote sustainable development.

Also the country must encourage private sector, Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and Foun-dations to provide scholarships to needy students and support education programs.

For example, companies like Equity Bank already have scholarship models that target secondary school students. Such programs need to be encouraged, replicated and extended to reach more people.

The crucial role of higher education in the formulation of sound policies and national development cannot be overemphasized. As such, Kenya must enhance its efforts to expand access to higher education. Raphael Obonyo is the external advisor, UN-Habitat's youth advisory board

Although Kenya’s university have been innovative by creating infrastructure to train more students through parallel degrees programmes, the cost is prohibitive for majority of Kenyans especially those who are not working.

As Kenya seeks to deal with its many challenges, higher education must be considered a priority and put at the same level as employment, food security, health and national security.

Make Varsity Education Affordable To All

25

A participant in a community dialogue meeting in Kwale

A participant in a community dialogue meeting in Kwale

A participant in a community

IiDASA’s melany Tembo talks to participants in a commu-nity dialogue forum in Kinango, Kwale County

A participant in a community dialogue meeting in Kisii

KUPPET’s Akello Misori (center) with other stakeholders in a breakfast meeting organized by EYC in August at Hilton Hotel to deliberate on the teachers strike

Our County Education Networks

County Contact Person Point Organiza�on E-Mail

1 Nyamira County Naomi Ondieki Nyamira County Peoples Forum

nnyaechero@yahoo.com

2 West Pkot County

Debora Ka�na Yangat debbiekaras@yahoo.com

3 Taita-Taveta Agos�no K. Nguruwi COPDEC anguruwi@yahoo.com

4 Mombasa County

Maimuna Nundu Ujamaa Centre nundumaimuna@yahoo.com

5 Kericho County Joseph Kirui KFYWP youthwomenprogramme@yahoo.com

6 Machakos County

Jacob Ngumi YPD youngprofessionalsngo@yahoo.com

7 Kakamega County

Mathias Khalumi CEEDA ceeda2003@yahoo.com

8 Vihiga County Angule Gabriel IEARN Angule2001@yahoo.com

9 Embu County Richard Mugo ALEED alleedorg@yahoo.com

10 Bomet County Cheruiyot Baliach Natures Wisdom ntrws@yahoo.co.uk

11 Kiambu County Ann Wanjiru Kiara PEEP peepkenya@yahoo.com

12 Elgeyo Market Kipkoech Cherambei Chembai Farmers Block 4

kcherambei@gmail.com

13 Makueni County

Peter Ng’ola Owi� Wote Youth Dvpt Projects

pngola@yahoo.com

14 Nyeri County Tim Kariuki Nyeri Educa�on Empowerment Project

nyerieduca�on@gmail.com

15 Trans-Nzoia County

Jane Mbagaya Save Africa wakwoojane@yahoo.com

saveafrica5gates@yahoo.com

16 Kitui County

Brigi�e Kitenge Interagency Rural Development Programme

irdp2@yahoo.com

17 Isiolo

County

Joseph Kalapata Forum for Pastorist Development

ekalapata@yahoo.com

18 Kisumu

County

Chris Owalla CIAG Ciag-kenya@hotmail.com

19 Migori

County

Oloo Janak Migori CLAN williamjanak@yahoo.com

20 Kajiado

County

Stephen Murianka Dopotoe-maa gsmurianka@gmail.com

21 Bungoma

County

Onesmus Mmasi MURUDEF ommasi@yahoo.com

22 Kili�

county

Anisa Menza MEDA- Info_meda@yahoo.com

23 Kisii

County

Jeremiah Ombane Carewell Society jereombane@yahoo.com

24 Nairobi

County

Janet Muthoni EYC muthoniouko@elimuyetu.net

25 Tana River Frankheart Ddaiddo TRCCCA frankheartddaiddo@yahoo.com

26 Nakuru County Jonathan Kimunge Cerenet (Central Ri� Educa�on Network)

cerenet2010@gmail.com

scepkenya@gmail.com

27 Kwale County Daniel Mangale ABC Project dmangale@gmail.com

AAK: Action Aid InternationalALEED: Alliance for Education and Empow-erment in DevelopmentAMWIK: Association of Media Women in KenyaANCEFA: African network Campaign on EducationANPPCAN: African Network for the Preven-tion and Protection Against Child Abuse and NeglectASAL: Arid and Semi-Arid landsCDF: Constituency Development FundCerenet: Central Rift Education NetworkCIAG: Community Initiative Action group-KenyaCLAN: Children Legal Action NetworkCoalition for the Promotion and Develop-ment of the Child (COPDEC)COMEDAF: Conference of Ministers of Education of the African Union

Acronyms

Puzzle answers

Each letter in this puzzle is represented by a number 1-26.Can you crack the code and solve the crossword? Every letter of the alphabet is used at least once. Three letters are already in place to get you started.

CSO: Civil Society OrganizationCIAG: Community Initiative Action Group-KenyaDFID: Department of International DevelopmentEFA: Education For ALLEYC: Elimu Yetu CoalitionEXCOM: Executive CommitteeFPE: Free Primary EducationGCN: Girl Child NetworkIDASA: Institute of Democracy in South Africa.JCDP: Joint community Development ProjectKALA: Kenya Adult Learners AssociationKFYW: Kenya Foundation For Youth and Women ProgramMEDA: Malindi Education and Development AssociationMURUDEF: Muma Rural-urban Development FoundationPEEP: Pride Empowerment Economic ProgramUBSEC: Urban Slum Basic Education Campaign

Elimu Yetu is an official publication of Elimu Yetu Coalition. Please, contact us to find outhow you can be part of our Education Campaign family.

Elimu Yetu Coalition2nd Floor, Hillside Apartments

Ragati Road, Off Haille Sellassie AvenueP O Box 24621-00100

NairobiTel: 0202446669 / 0715242644

Email: info@elimuyetu.net / elimuyetu@gmail.comwww.elimuyetu.net