SUBJECT

INVITATION TO DELIVER A LECTURE A NATIONAL DEFENCE COLLEGE-

INTRODUCTION.

According to the Oxford Dictionary education is the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning, judgment and preparing oneself and others intellectually in order to be able to deal with challenges in life. It is believed to be one of the fundamental factors of development. No country can achieve any form of development unless it’s citizens have been exposed to some form of education.

EDUCATION TRENDS IN AFRICA.

In Africa formal education was introduced by the Europeans who had colonized the continent from the 16th century. However the colonist did not consider education of the natives a priority. It was not until the 19th century with the expansion of missionary activities in the continent that efforts were made to provide basic education to a selected minority of the Africans. The missionaries needed people who were literate enough to serve as interpreters while the government was in need of low level assistants or clerks. Access to education and especially higher education become a priority for African countries only after independence.

In Kenya, the education sector has experienced a tremendous expansion since independence in 1963. According to Ministry of Education Science and Technology(MOEST) the number of public and private primary schools have risen from 6,058 in 1963 to 27,487 in 2010 while the number of secondary schools has grown from 151 to 7,308 over the same period.Enrolment in primary education has grown from 892,000 to 9.4 million whilst enrolment in secondary education has grown from about 30,000 students in 1963 to more than 1.7 million. The education sector has also experienced an increase in transition rates, increased teacher numbers, enhanced equity in gender,l improved relevance and quality across the levels. This growth can be attributed to the implementation of recommendations made by various commissions, committees and task forces on education and training. Each of these have produced policy documents That have been instrumental in addressing the challenges that have faced the education sector from time to time.

The first of these commissions was the “Report of the Kenya Education Commission, (The Ominde Report) of 1964. The commission sought to reform the education system inherited from the Colonial Government and make it more responsive to the needs of independent Kenya. It proposed an education system that would foster national unity, address issues of racial segregation in schools and the create sufficient human capital for national development. The sessional paper No.10 of 1965 adopted the Ominde Report as a basis for post-independence education development.

In 1976 the “Report of the National committee on Educational objectives and policies (The Gachathi Report) was constituted. It recommended Government support for Harambee schools by providing them with teachers. It also led to the establishment of the National Centre for Early childhood Education (NACECE) at the Kenya institute of Curriculum Development.

The “Report of the Presidential working party on the second university popularly called the Mackay report was constituted in 1981.   The commission led to:-

• Removal of the Advanced (A) Level of secondary education.
• Expansion of post-secondary training Institutes
• Establishment of Moi University
• Establishment of the Commission for Higher Education currently referred to as Commission for University Education(CUE).
• The establishment of the 8.4.4. Education system.

The “Report of the Presidential working party on Education and Manpower Training for the next decade and beyond” (The Kamunge Report) was constituted in 1988. The commission led to the policy of cost sharing between the Government, parents and communities.

The Commission of inquiry into the Education system of Kenya, The Koech Report of 2000, recommended a ‘Totally integrated Quality Education and Training (TIQET). Most of the recommendations made by this commission were however not implemented due to the cost implications.

In 2003 the nation held an education stakeholders conference. The decisions that were made during that conference were actualized in the sessional paper No. 1 of 2005. The main concerns addressed in this policy document include,

• access
• retention
• equity
• quality
• relevance
• internal and external efficiencies

The education sector continous to develop policies that influence the trends in education and ensure that the sector is on course to instituting an education that can meet the demands of the 21st century. Recent policy documents that have had an impact on education include,

The Kenya Constitution 2010.

The Consititution recognises education as a basic human right and guarantees every child the right to free and compulsory basic education which includes ECDE, Primary and Secondary education. This is in recognition of the fact that an educated citizenry is a major resource that can propel any nation to great prosperity. Under the constitution the management of is shared between the national and the county government. The education system is structured in three phase, basic education, TIVET and University education. Basic education covers two years of pre-school, eight years of primary and four years of secondary education. Tertiary education comprises TIVET, teacher training and higher education. TIVET constitutes technical,vocational education an training and is offered at all levels. University education takes a minimum of four years leading to the award of a university degree.

The Kenya Vision 2030 .

The policy document places great emphasis on the link between education and the labour market. It stresses on the need to create entrepreneurial skills and competences and strong public and private partnership. It articulates the development of a middle-income country where all citizens embrace entrepreneurship, engage in life-long learning, have better reading, reasoning quantitative and expository skills. It encourages an education that will enable the citizens to make decisions, engage in problem-solving, become more responsible and require less supervision in the performances of their duties.

To implement the strategies that have been cited in the policy documents, the sector has developed several Acts such as.

• The Basic Education Act 2013.
• The TSC Act 2012.
• Consititution of the Education Standards &Quality Assurance Council
• Sessional Paper No. 14.of 2012. In this policy document the government provides policy direction for reform in education service delivery through introduction of vocational, technical, talent and academic curriculum pathways. Information Communication Technologies ICT will be used in teaching and learning tool.

Education and the question of development in the 21st century.

One of the key features of the postmodern world is globalization. This shift from a fragmented world economy to an integrated one has significantly affected the levels of economic growth and development observed in many countries. To be competitive a country needs certain competences that are core to economic growth through increased production and prosperity. Thse competences can be in different forms but it is clear that a country endowed with well trained, experienced and healthy human capital triumphs. It is able to transform, utilize its natural resources in a very efficient manner and produce high value goods and services. Investment in human capital has been cited as one of the key drivers of the modern economies. The well performing economies of Asia, Europe, America and even the emerging economies of Korea and   Malasya recognized early the importance of human capital and invested heavily in it. As more and more world economies transit from industrial based to knowledge based economies the importance of investment in education will rise relative to other forms of investment. Indeed the substantial amount of resources committed to education by many governments is a clear indication of the recognisation of the vital role that education plays in any nation’s development.

African countries have demonstrated commitment to the provision of quality and relevant education which is accessible to most of the citizens as stipulated in the universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. Respective African Governments have also signed various educational protocols such as the Education for All (EFA) signed at the Jomiteim world conference in 1990 and the Dakar Framework for Action (2000) which advocated for   Universal Primary Education. Most African countries have made significant strides towards the realization of these goals.   This has resulted in an increase in the countries’ investment in education. According to the Global monitoring Report 2010 African countries that are likely to achieve the EFA goals include Kenya, Tanzania, Egypt, South Africa and Morrocco.

Many African countries have also abolished fees and levies in primary and secondary schools as a commitment to the attainment of Universal primary educative (UPE) in line with the Millennium Development goals (MDGS). Kenya for example, introduced free primary education (FPE) in 2003 and free day secondary education (FDSE) in 2007 Other countries that have abolished schools fee include Ghana, Tanzania and Malawi.

It is however noted that the investment is skewed against higher education in most countries. For a long time African countries have neglected investment in higher and tertiary education which have proved to be the cornerstone of skills development. This, however is about to change as many countries are undertaking radical reform with a view to allocating substantial resources to tertiary, higher education, university education and other research institutions.

In Malawi for example, the National Education sector plan (NESP) of 2008-2017 provides a vision for the whole education sector in the country. The NESP pledges to expand access to tertiary, entrepreneurial and vocation education and Training (TEVET).

In Kenya the National Education Sector Support Programme (NESSP), 2013-2018 addresses all Educational programs from the ECDE to University. The sector plan pledges to deliver reforms in line with the Kenya Vision 2030, The Constitution of Kenya (2010), sessional paper NO.14 of 2012, the Basic Education Act 2013 and the Jubilee Manifesto.

It has been argued that the quality of a people determines the quality of a nation. In order for individuals to contribute to economic development they must be able to make the right choices and be aware of the consequences. This awareness is mainly acquired through education. It is therefore important for governments to strive to provide quality education which is a pre-request to quality mindsets. A Higher education is crucial for capacity building and professional training. Recent research findings indicate that expanding higher education promotes faster technological growth and improves a country’s ability to maximize its economic output (Bloom etc at 2006). Completion of higher education enhances adaptability, teamwork, communication skills and motivation to continued learning.   A report by the Centre For Global Development on Education indicates that each additional year of schooling for learners in developing countries translates to a 10% increase in earnings as a result of increase in labour productivity. The report further states that no country has ever achieved rapid and continuous growth without reaching an adult literacy rate of at least 40%. It is therefore evident that for sustainable development, it is essential to provide adequate resources at all levels of the education sector.

EDUCATION AND EQUITY

Equity emphasizes on the need to have equal education and training opportunities for all Kenyans. Equity can be achieved through;

• Fair play in terms of gender
• Naatural justice by understanding that all people are equal
• Even distribution of resources for all, including the marginalised and disadvantaged
• Affirmative action to benefit disadvantaged groups for example women and children especially those in difficultcircumstances, slums and the internally displaced

Historically there have been a lot of disparities in the provision of education and various factors have been cited as contributors to these disparities. Some of the groups that have been marginalized include those living in ASALS, children with special needs, the girl child among others. The government recognizes that meaningful development cannot be achieved if a sizeable population of the nation is not literate and cannot therefore participate fully in economic development. In order to provide basic education to these groups the Government through the State Department of Education has instituted several strategies referred to as Alternative Provision to Basic Education(APBE).These include;

• Mobile/out of school programmes
• Distance learning
• e-learning
• Accelerated learning for the gifted and talented
• Establishment of talent academies.
• Operationalisation of the Nomadic Education Policy Framework by establishing the National council for Nomadic Education in Kenya, (NACONEK)
• Establishing rescue centres to carter for the vulnerable girl- child in ASALs

The government has also enhanced access to adult education especially in the ASALs.

Although there many challenges in providing Education for the groups cited above it is worth noting that the strategies that have been put in place are a testimoy that the Government is committed to have addressing the isses of Equity in education.

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION

In an increasingly knowledge based society, sciencetechnology and innovation are becoming critical components in any nations productivity. This in essence means that education in the 21st century must shift from knowledge production to knowledge creation. The ability to create, distribute and exploit knowledge is a major source of competitive advantage, wealth creation and improvement of the quality of life.

Developed countries like Japan, America, Germany and France have made great strides in inventions which have placed them at the top of the worlds

economic scale. In recognition of the important role that S,T&I play in economic development of a country, the Government , througth the ministry of Education has developed policies and guidelines that will propel the education sector towards meeting the demands of the 21st century. These policies are well articulated in ;

the Basic Education Bill 2012

Sessinal Paper No. 14, 2012, Policy Framework for Education and Training

S

Kenya’s Vision 2030, the country’s Development Blueprint proposes intensified application of science, technology and innovation to transform the country into a “Middle-level income economy. The Vision places great emphasis on the link between education and the labour market, the need to create entrepreneurial skills, competencies and strong public and private sector partnership.

In addition Article 11 of the fourth schedule of the constitution of Kenya 2010, has set out the   states obligations of the science and technology sector. These include;

• Recognise the role of science and indigenous technologies in the development of the nation; and
• Promote the intellectual property rights of the people.

To achieve this objective the Government has set up a National ICT Innovation and Integration Centre which will provide training with aspects of innovation to address technological gaps in education. The centre is a capacity development hub for effectiove use of ICT in education and training.

The policy on ICT, The Kenya National Science, Technology and Innovation Policy and strategy underscores the importance of mainstreaming science ,technology and innovation in all sectors of the economy. For this reason the country has put more emphasis on science education at all levels of the education system.

To achieve this, the Kenya Government should ensure that young people are enthuthiastic about science and are able to participate fully in a country where knowledge and innovation are at the heart of both economic andS social development.

There is an international consensus that a strong science education system in the school years is a necessary pre-requisite to having an economy based on knowledge and innovation. Therefore, there is no doubt that the role of science in modern society is changing. It is very different to that of many generations ago. Increasingly, the challenges communities face be it at the local level such as environmental degradation or enhancing economic productivity through science and innovation or at the global level such as climate change – all depend on science.

The 21st Century science education all over the World has several objectives. The first set are those that allow the individuals to enter tertiary education in a domain where the skills acquired will be useful. But there are those objectives of science education for all young people during their compulsory school years.

All children need to have a practical knowledge at some level of how things work with enough understanding to appreciate the technological environment in which they live and work, the environment complexities of the world they live in and the way the biological world works. They also need to know how scientific processes operate and have some level of scientist literacy so that they can play an informed participatory role in the science related decisions that society must make.

Education needs for the 21st century.

In order for our eduction to remain relevant for the 21st century there certain areas education policy should focus on some of these are:

An education suitable for the challenges of the 21st century is on that:

Focuses on 21century skills content knowledge and expertise

Understands the 21st Century Standards

• Focuses on 21st century skills, content knowledge and expertise.
• Builds understanding across and among core subjects as well as 21st century

interdisciplinary themes.

• Emphasizes deep understanding rather than shallow knowledge.
• Engages students with the real world data, tools, and experts they will encounter

in college, on the job, and in life–students learn best when actively engaged in

solving meaningful problems.

• Allows for multiple measures of mastery.

21st Century Curriculum & Instruction

• Teaches 21st century skills discretely in the context of core subjects and 21st

century interdisciplinary themes.

• Focuses on providing opportunities for applying 21st century skills across content

areas and for a competency-based approach to learning.

• Enables innovative learning methods that integrate the use of supportive

technologies, inquiry- and problem-based approaches and higher order thinking

skills.

• Encourages the integration of community resources beyond school walls.

21st Century Assessment

• Supports a balance of assessments, including high-quality standardized testing

along with effective classroom formative and summative assessments.

• Emphasizes useful feedback on student performance that is embedded into

everyday learning.

• Requires a balance of technology-enhanced, formative and summative

assessments that measure student mastery of 21st century skills.

• Enables development of portfolios of student work that demonstrate mastery of

21st century skills to educators and prospective employers.

• Enables a balanced portfolio of measures to assess the educational system’s

effectiveness at reaching high levels of student competency in 21st century skills.

21st Century Learning Environments

• Creates learning practices, human support and physical environments that will

support the teaching and learning of 21st century skill outcomes.

• Supports professional learning communities that enable educators to collaborate,

share best practices and integrate 21st century skills into classroom practice.

• Enables students to learn in relevant, real world 21st century contexts (e.g.,

through project-based or other applied work).

• Allows equitable access to quality learning tools, technologies and resources
• Provides 21st century architectural and interior designs for group, team and

individual learning.

• Supports expanded community and international involvement in learning, both

face-to-face and online.

21st Century Learners

Students today are partly shaped by their environment, which is media rich, immediate,

fast, engaging, dynamic and instant. It is electronic and digital, a communication

medium implying instant gratification.

This

In summary, we know that 21st century learners are: