Educatinal Innovations in Kenia - Research Paper Example

Snapshot This is a paper about something that I totally care about. I am passionate about Education, and I have dedicated my time to ensure that the realization of education, particulary amongst girl children is realized. This paper is a comprehensive analysis of the of social entrepreneurial plan that I have developed for a small village of Nyarombo in Kenya. It starts with my analysis of the role of None Governmental organizations in the development of educational opportunities for girls in Kenya. The second part is the policy and my actual plan on how I can combine with others to tackle the problem. The third part of the paper is the analysis of the situation. Introduction Today’s economies need workers with knowledge and skills acquired from a schooling program that not only educates but also prepares kids for challenges of the 21st century. However, many African countries are struggling with providing education for thousands of children. According to UNESCO, “today one in five adults is still not literate and about two thirds of them are women while 67.4 million women are out of school” (UNESCO, 2011). This emphasizes the importance of educational need in the world. While literacy is at the center of poverty eradication, curbing human population growth, ensuring sustainable development, and ensuring effective a democracy, Africa is still lagging behind in providing educational facilities. The International Development Research Center, UNESCO, and World Bank write that “although literacy rates have significantly improved in Africa over the last few decades, approximately 40% of Africans over the age 15, and 50% of women above the age of 25 remain illiterate” (AGAG, 2011). Without a clear focus on education, the improvement of living and elimination of poverty in Africa will not be realized. For the purpose, of this paper, we take a closer look at the state of education in Kenya. We also give examples of Non Governmental organizations that have embarked on filling the void that the government has left. In Kenya, access to education is still a luxury for many families in rural areas and slum dwellers. Before 2003, primary education was not free. The public had to pay a small amount of money for their children to acquire basic knowledge. Families that could not afford this small amount were denied access to education. Limited access to education meant that the families’ chances of improving their standard of living were thwarted by the lack of money. While the introduction of free primary education in Kenya changed this and increased access to education in Kenya, it has not been easy for families that live in rural Kenya. Literature Review While looking at the issue of education in Kenya, I decided to investigate what other scholars have argued on regarding the issue of education in Africa. While there is a general agreement that education should be given a priority in Africa, scholars have taken different routes in tackling the problem of education in Africa. In the book, Education for End of Poverty: Implementing all the Millennium Goals, Mathew Clark and Simon Feeny (2007) write the factors why education is an essential element of a global strategy for the reduction and eventually eradication of extreme poverty. They argue that education plays a vital role in eliminating poverty in three ways: One, education is paramount in crafting opportunities for better or more sustainable livelihoods because it increases chances of a community’s integration into the global community. Second, education is a fundamental pillar in eliminating social inequalities. An educated population performs better in eliminating gender disparity by understanding their impact on the society’s development. Third, training improves quality of life by improving literacy, health issues, material things as well as governance (p.viii). Mathew Clark and Simon Feeny summarize by writing: “Where literacy and access to information is costly, health standards and healthcare are of high quality, there is danger of failure in good governance, public order and a healthy civil society” (Calk and Feeny, 2007, viii). Mathew Clark and Simon Feeny thus build a strong case for education as a panacea to healthy and a functioning society. Still, a strong education begins from an effective child education program. Fighting poverty means that the government has to channel thoughts towards girl child education. Augustine Fosu, Germano, Mwabe and Erick Thorbecke view elimination of poverty as one of the most critical challenges for the African continent, (Fosu, Mwabe, Ali &Thorbecke, 1997, p.1). Thorbecke and Ali examine poverty and income inequality in Sub Saharan Africa and compare it to poverty in Latin America and Asia. They conclude that African poverty is a rural phenomenon. Again, poverty in Africa is increasing at an alarming rate compared to other regions of the world. In the early 1990’s over 50% of the African population lived in poverty. Poverty has worsened in the continent from the 1990’s to date (Fosu, Mwabe, Ali &Thorbecke, 1997, p.3). The writers note that standard of living in Africa is lower in rural Africa compared to that of Urban Africa. Even with the rising poverty in urban centers, attention should be given to rural in Africa. These poverty correctional measures should include increased access to education, improvement in nutrition and provision of better healthcare (Fosu, Mwabe, Ali & Thorbecke, 1997). The World Bank points towards deteriorating healthcare as one of the reasons for increased poverty in the poor countries. They argue that, with a better healthcare, there is a possibility of increased access to education that can end extreme cases of hardship eventually. DAC Network and Poverty Reduction (2003) point that, “the human and economic rationale for investing in health is mirrored by a growing consensus on the importance of a broad agenda in improving the health of the poor” (p.14). However, any contributions to helping support a pro-poor healthcare must be supported by the provision of quality services in public health, and personal care. Again, healthcare can be enhanced with increased access to education, food security, safe drinking water, sanitation, and energy. Education is also a powerful tool against HIV/AIDs. Healthcare is therefore an essential ingredient in practical education that can facilitate the elimination of poverty (DAC Network on Poverty Reduction, 2003, p.14). Susanne Hoek identifies two things that result from learning. According to her (Lynch, 1997), “by expanding mental and physical abilities, and providing concrete knowledge and skills education can contribute to individuals and societies’ material and spiritual welfare.” In a more direct way, education can change attitudes and values and to encourage changes in social and economic behavior. Susanne argues that to unfold its full potential education should be synchronized with a comprehensive consistent development strategy (Lynch, 1997, p.69). Scholars agree that education plays a paramount role in the elimination of poverty. Habbibulah Khan and Jeremy Williams make this point when they argue that “despite the inherent difficulties in quantifying the total contribution of education to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or other national income aggregates, it has always been considered a powerful instrument for reducing poverty and inequality through productivity enhancement, which is of course, a key ingredient for the maintenance of economic growth” (2006, p.1&2). They further state that “the relationship between education and poverty is quite clear; educated people have higher earning potential and are better able to improve the quality of their lives, which means they are less likely to be marginalized within society at large.” Education empowers individuals making them useful. A highly educated population has a chance to become productive in the society as a large. Focus should be given to education as an average of alleviating poverty and income inequality. Rural Africa can benefit most from donations that benefits education and empowers the kids. Yahxhong Zhang examined the inequalities of education between rural and urban Africa. In his findings, Zhang notes that while African countries witnessed tremendous growth in universalizing primary education, the region is far from realizing equitable distribution of education between the rural and urban education system. Zhang writes that challenge of educational inequality in Sub-Saharan Africa is heightened by low levels of academic achievement in rural areas compared to urban areas Zhang also notes that students in rural areas consistently underperformed their urban counterparts by enormous margins in African countries (2006, p.600) According to him, educational inequality between rural and urban Africa is a function of limited educational facilities in rural Africa, lack of enough teachers, books, and distance from school. Zhang also argues that while improving the quality of education in rural Africa will be a challenging task, it will present a valuable opportunity for national and international initiatives to widen educational access and provide better learning environments for all children (Zhang, 2006, p.596). The direct correlation between education and poverty implies that governments have to focus on child education as a panacea to poverty. Role of Non-Governmental Organizations Although it is the responsibility of governments to provide education to many, many actors play vital roles in delivering education. NGO has come from various types including local communities, international communities, and religious groups. As of 2004, there were about 250 NGO’s in Kenya. Because of the failure or the lukewarm attitude of the government to provide education in the KANU regime, NGO replaced the government as the number one facilitator of education to children. Evidently, during the decade of 90s, many orphanages, children’s homes, and other NGO mushroomed in Kenya. While some of these NGO’s were locally owned, foreign well-wishers mainly from Europe, North America, and sometimes Japan footed a large amount of their budgets. It would be absurd to underscore the role of Kenyan government by cooperating with NGOS’s in terms of licensing the operations of NGOs. This is why my paper presents a business social entrepreneurship policy that aims at helping the girl child in Africa. A school Proposal for an African Village Proposal to the Gates Foundation The objective of this project is to build a self sustaining elementary school in the village of Nyarombo in Migori District of Kenya. The school will be called Wasimbete Community Primary School. The school will aim to offer quality education to the children of Nyarombo Village. Many of these kids have been denied access to education because the only school in the village (Machicha Primary School) is three kilometers away from the village center. The school is also overcrowded with some classrooms having one teacher for 100 students. Introduction/Executive Summary The objective of this project is to build a self-sustaining elementary school in the village of Nyarombo in Migori District of Kenya. The school will be called Wasimbete Community Primary School. The school aims to offer quality education to the children of Nyarombo Village. Many of these kids have been denied school because the only school in the village is far away. The school is also challenged with the problem of overcrowding. The government of Kenya has failed to build a school in this neighborhood. Many of the brilliant kids are denied access to a better life because of lack of education. Building this school will provide an opportunity for the kids to have a better life in the future. The villages have donated a piece of land that is approximately 10 acres. The land is located to the main road connecting the village to the major urban centre that is 18 kilometers away from the village. With locally available materials such as clay bricks and cheap iron sheets, a building of the school can be constructed. The kids in this school will pay a small fee to be registered. This money paid with the students will be used to pay teachers and maintain the school buildings. To get more money, the school will also engage in small-scale agricultural activities such as rabbit farming, small-scale dairy farming, and fish farming. These activities will not only teach the children basic self-reliance techniques but also provide that much needed income for the running of the school. Background Education is an important factor in the development of a society. Evidently, the benefits of education go beyond the obvious advantage of improving life chances. Education empowers people not only with the skills, knowledge, and means of succeeding in life but also with the hope of a better life. Education is thus an important tool in the realization of a prosperous and developing community. It many societies, education serve as a panacea to solving rampant problems like hunger, overpopulation, preventable diseases, and abusive marriages. Yet in the village of Nyarombo in Suba West Division, Migori District, Nyanza Province of Kenya, this much necessary education is unattainable for many kids. I am therefore proposing a project that will provide a school close by for the children of Nyarombo village ( AMREF, 2012). The nearest school in the village is located in a radius of about three kilometers from the nearest shopping centre. Kids as young as six years old walk six kilometers everyday from and to school. The children are forced to go to school without meals. In the school, there are few teachers and hardly any learning amenities. Nyarombo produces the least number of high school graduates in the district. Girls are even fewer. Many girls are married off soon after primary school. A lot of them do not graduate elementary school. In Nyarombo village, girls graduating from high school constitute 20% of the total high school graduates. After high school, almost 90% of these girls opt for marriage because the families usually prefer to educate boys instead of girls. Methodology A fully equipped modern primary school would be ideal in solving the problem of illiteracy and women empowerment in the village of Nyarombo. If the school is built, children will attend school at a lower age, they will graduate young enough to proceed for high education. The girls will not be under pressure to get married. Second, the school will provide the kids an avenue to learn basic farming and agricultural skills like poultry farming and fish farming. These skills will be paramount in encouraging small-scale commerce in the village. In the end, extreme poverty will be alleviated in the community. Members of the community have already accepted to donate land for this project. The school will be located at the shopping center in the midst of Nyarombo Village. This project can create a turnaround in the village of Nyarombo in less than Eight years. I was hoping that your contribution in this endeavor will go in a big way to give hope for thousands of kids. 1. Work with community and hear their views on the project. The community involvement will allow us to lay out a plan for the future. The community involvement will also necessitate their responsibility in ensuring that the school project is successful. 2. Register the school’s name with the Government of Kenya so that it is officially accredited with the Ministry of Education. 3. Employ teachers, volunteers and some government accredited teachers willing to work for a small pay 4. Build first classes and administration block at the beginning of the year 2012 5. Advertise the school and register first students for the 1st grade in 2013 6. After the onset of first class, then the school can bankroll the farming projects to gain income Alternative Views Several arguments make the case that poverty eradication in Africa should be left for Africans. This argument proposes self-determination as an institution that can make Africa grow. The bigger message is that the burden of the world is left for the vulnerable to carry, the less fortunate of the world’s population. I am proposing this alternative because I have concern for Africa since I come from America that can save just a little to make a change for a better world. I realize that in the broader world, we are one and can be glad by helping one another. Cost and Benefit Evaluation The main goal of this project is to provide quality education to the children of Nyarombo by building a school at the centre of the community. Minimizing costs requires that we build a school of single eight classes using locally available materials. Most of the materials are readily available in the village and can go for cheap. Labor costs and materials included, the projects comes to the total sum of $ 40,000 a year. This sum includes the cost of teachers, food, housing, and licensing. Conclusion and Recommendation Today’s economies need workers with knowledge and skills acquired from a schooling program that not only educates but also prepares kids for challenges of the 21st century. However, many African countries are struggling with providing education for thousands of children. According to UNESCO, “today one in five adults is still not literate and about two thirds of them are women while 67.4 million women are out of school” (UNESCO, 2011). This emphasizes the importance of educational need in the world. While literacy is at the center of poverty eradication, curbing human population growth, ensuring sustainable development, and ensuring effective a democracy, Africa is still lagging behind in providing educational facilities. This proposal has recommended the building of a school help the children of Africa. Summary and Analysis of the Plan Nyarombo village has a problem of illiteracy and under education of girls. The girls are told to stay home until they are old enough to walk alone to school. Girls averagely graduate from elementary school at seventeen. Many of them are married off soon after elementary school. A lot of them do not graduate elementary school. In Nyarombo village, girls graduating from high school constitute 20% of the total high school graduates. After high school, almost 90% of these girls opt for marriage because families in Nyarombo prefer to educate boys instead of girls. Limited access to school limits the opportunity of girls to realize potential and alleviate problems such as early marriages, HIV/AIDS, and gender based violence amongst others. The problem in my community that requires an advocacy is the girl education problem in the village of Nyarombo in Western Kenya. In order to solve this problem, there is need to define it and to ensure that the stakeholders understand the nature problem and why it is necessary for the problem to be solved. As an advocate of girl education, I feel that it is my responsibility to educate the parents, government and girls in the village to illustrate the need for women empowerment in order for them to effectively have a better life for them and their future children. I believe that, without these children’s better future, my village’s progress will be stagnant. Also, educating the girls will help the economy of the village since educated girls are likely to be employed in the job markets that can lead to more income for the village hence realizing an improvement in the standard of life. To advocate for my problem, I have identified institutions such as the Gates foundations to help me with the funds to sponsor this program. I have written a letter and a proposal that request for funds that can help to build a school in Nyarombo village. To advocate for girl education, I have built a coalition of like minded people to assist me in my advocacy. I am working with the local government, fellow students, Church Organizations and well wishers to help push this agenda forward. The government will help in pushing policy of education for all. We rely on the government to implement laws that guarantee universal education for all. The policy making branch will include the key leaders such as donors, individual in charge of logistics and individuals who have shown commitment to the realization of girl education For effective persuasion to occur, my advocacy team will rely on supporting documents such as statistics, pictures, verbal communication from affected girls and written reports of the state of education in the village The advocacy plan will be a full-fledged campaign to support ongoing girls in the village schools, building of a new school to help the girls and law enforcement to arrest parents who do not comply to regulations of the state We hope to achieve the advocacy objective when we see increased enrollment of girls in elementary and secondary schools. 8. It is a vital for children’s advocacy to include people of different career options. This will not only create an inter-disciplinary approach in tackling issues affecting children but will also empower children advocates to have a rich and diverse paradigm for social services. Because of the different approaches that children advocacy requirements, it is beneficial for different professional backgrounds to be considered while tackling challenges that children faces. Some of the issues facing children faces require confidentiality, privacy, liability which other professionals understand. Teachers will bring a different approach that lawyers might lack. An advocate for children’s rights ought to have multidisciplinary approach for comprehensive and for a better grasp of different situations that children may face. In addition, an interdisciplinary approach will provide room for an analytical, political, interactional and ethical reasoning in support of children’s advocacy. References Agag members Fund. (2011). Africa Grantmakers Affinity group. in Education Facts and Figures. retrieved december 1, 2011, from tiders' center website:       http://www.africagrantmakers.org/index.asp?PageURL=277 AMREF. (2012). Dagoretti child in need project. Retrieved June 7, 2012, from http://www.amrefusa.org/‌where-we-work/‌our-work-in-kenya/‌dagoretti-child-in-need-project/ Clarke, M., & Feeney, S. (2007). Education for End of Poverty: Implementing all       the Millennium Goals, New York: Nova Science Publishers. Fosu, A., Mwabu, G., & Thorbecke, E. (2009). Poverty in Africa: Analytical and       Policy Perspectives. Nairobi, Kenya: University of Nairobi Press. Khan, H., & Williams, J. (2006, July). Poverty Alleviation through access to       Education: Can e-learning deliver? Retrieved from http://www.u21global.com/       PartnerAdmin/ViewContent?module=DOCUMENTLIBRARY&oid=157294 Lynch, J., Modgil, C., & Modgil, S. (1997). Education and Development: Tradition       and Innovation. London, UK: The Bath Press. Ouma, W. (2004). Education for Street Children in Kenya: The Role of Undugu Society. International Institute for Educational Planning, 23(3), 123-189. Serem, D. (2011, December 16). In Kenya, school offers meals, shelter, education and hope. Retrieved June 29, 2012, from http://www.unicef.org/‌infobycountry/‌kenya_61031.html UNESCO. (2011). Education [Why is literacy important?]. Retrieved December 1,       2011, from http://www.unesco.org/new/index.php?id=19156&L=0 UNICEF. (2009). UNICEF’s role. Retrieved June 10, 2012, from http://www.unicef.org/‌mdg/‌28184_28229.htm World Vision. (2012, August 17). World Vision in Kenya Today. Retrieved June 16, 2012, from http://www.worldvision.org/‌our-work/‌international-work/‌kenya Read More