Education experts from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Zanzibar now want life skills to be integrated in the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) as a core component in the new education system.
In a conference organised by Zizi Afrique Foundation through Action for Life Skills and Values in East Africa (ALIVE) programme, education experts advocate for a more holistic approach to education.
The forum held in Isiolo County marks five years of advocacy for life skills addition to the education system in preparation of learners in their growth through participation right from the classrooms.
The executive director of Zizi Afrique Foundation, Mr. John Mugo emphasized that education alone was not enough in the holistic learning process during growth of children.
He said learners must be equipped with real-life skills, integrity, resilience, financial literacy, and emotional intelligence so that they could prosper beyond the classroom.
Mr. Mugo said the approach focuses on collaborating with key institutions such as teacher training colleges, curriculum developers, and examination councils to ensure life skills are actively integrated into CBC.
According to Mr. Mugo, holistic development of the learners even as they are imparted with the mainstream academic skills, which he said had been the main component under the CBC, more emphasis should be put in place to have teachers and parents come on board as implementers.
The Regional Education Learning Initiative representative, Dr. Irene Nyamu warned that failure to embrace a learner-centred approach could result in a generation of graduates who struggle to meet the 21st-century challenges.
Dr. Nyamu said the shift in the teaching methods will help to come up with graduates who can adapt well to situations and have problem-solving skills and ethical values.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Uganda’s National Curriculum Development Centre, Dr. Grace Baguma highlighted the need to redefine education priorities to focus on attributes such as integrity, innovation, and social responsibility.
Dr. Purity Ngina, the CEO of Kenya National Gender and Equality Commission, said that learners should be taught critical thinking, empathy and respect from a young age so that society could witness reduction in cases of gender-based violence (GBV), corruption, and youth delinquency.
The Coordinator for ‘Women for Health and Education,’ Ms. Shoba Liban said children from pastoralist communities and those from arid and semi-arid land will also immensely benefit from the intended education approaches.
She said discussions had clearly shown that life skills are no longer optional but essential with the recommendations from this meeting expected to be presented to the various East African education ministries with hope of reshaping CBC into a system that not only educates but also empowers learners.
By David Nduro
