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Published: November 17th 2006
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This is the salary of a nursery school teacher in Mombasa - assuming that the community can afford to pay the $16 that month. In Kenya, primary school (level 1 to level 8 -- British system) is free. But nursery school is not. Neither is secondary school. And by free I just mean school fees -- not the fees for books or uniforms or feeding programs. So sending your children to school is both a sacrifice when living in extreme poverty -- 80% of Kenyan families. But sending your kids to school is also hope for a higher standard of living -- so famililies are sacrificing and the primary schools are bursting at the seams.
Free primary education was introduced in Kenya 4 years ago. The system is still trying to adjust because it was a political decision. No frameworks, plans or strategies were in place. Also means not enough teachers trained or otherwise and some 100 children to a classroom -- that is lucky to have a roof. But let us not be too critical -- because you have to start somewhere. And at least children now -- both the boy child and the girl child -- as they
are referred to -- are now getting the opportunity - which they did not have 4 years ago. The challenge facing Kenyans (similarly in the other East African countries of Tanzania and Uganda) is how to improve the quality and continued access to education as the kids progress past Standard 8. Another challenge -- how to ensure there are quality teachers, resources and buildings to meet the exploding population. This is a daunting task yet so critical for the future development of the nation. And this is where the Aga Khan Institute for Educational Development (IED) comes in. This is an institute of the Aga Khan University -- first one in Karachi -- second one now in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (serving all of East Africa). This is an institute that develops and educates teachers to meet the multi-faceted educational and socio-economic challenges they face. Its goal is to invest in and build the local human resources in education -- aka teacher and administrator professional development and support. You may recall my friend Gordon Macleod -- he has been one of my gracious hosts and mentors on this learning journey. Gordon is past director of the AKU-IED in Karachi and
is the current director of the IED-East Africa. Gordon and his colleague Naureen arranged for me to visit a madrasa (nursery school) and witness first hand the quality of teaching that is being developed and delivered -- in incredibly modest surroundings. Gordon had suspected I would fall in love with the work of the madrasas -- as usual he was right!
So let's get back to the madrasa -- Rahma Nursery School in Majaoni (just outside Mombasa). Gordon, Naureen and I visited the nursery school in mid October when we were touring Aga Khan projects in both Mombasa and Zanzibar. The majority of the population on the Kenyan Coast is muslim and madrasa means school in arabic as I recall. A one room school room exists adjacent to the Mosque. I was taken back by the modest environment and also struck by the resourcefulness of the people. Tires and bathtubs were recycled to create a play ground for the children. The school room was visually stimulating -- with drawings of ABCs, numbers, common animals and objects. There were boxes of rocks, sea shells and nut shells -- all to be used in the learning and creative process. Again teachers
are encouraged to use whatever they have in their natural environments to help with learning and creativity. This also helps the children's education to be relevant to their environment. The age group of the children attending the madrasa is 3 to 6 years -- sometimes a little older. There had to be close to 30 children as they straggled into the class room despite the pouring rain -- walking barefoot in the mud to come to school. No parents were dropping them off. They just arrived one and two at a time. One of the last to arrive was a girl child wearing a hijab (head scarf) - she would have been about 4. She was wet and muddy and her eyes were bright -- she was excited to come to school -- to learn and play. No amount of rain was going to stop her! The singular intention of this beautiful child still remains with me.
And learn and play is the basis of the Madrasa's child centered approach to school. AKU-IED, East Africa supports Madrasa Resource Centers in Kenya and Tanzania. These are resource centers that nursery school teachers can come to get books, materials, ideas and
support for lesson plans. 100s of nursery schools are being supported to give these kids who live in dire poverty a chance to build a strong foundation for future learning. I had the opportunity to meet two directors of the Madrasa Resource Centers -- Najma in Mombasa and Asha in Zanzibar. These capable and charamastic women impressed me greatly.
I must admit that I had tears in my eyes the entire time I was in the class room (also predicted by Gordon) I was overwhelmed by the children's politeness, focus, excitement and desire to learn -- be it numbers, the alphabet, colors or names of fruits. And remember we are talking about a group of thirty 3 to 6 year olds!!!! I came away with so much hope and admiration -- for the kids and the young women who were teaching and encouraging. I was impressed with the learning and reflective techniques being applied. The children would finish a task or a module and then they would all gather in a circle on the floor and take turns talking about what they had done and what they had learned. And remember these young teachers may get paid $16 a
month. In fact one of the young teachers we met that day had gone 8 months without pay -- yet she came to teach everyday -- for the sake of the children! How can you not be inspired to help and support these teachers -- these children? I certainly have been!
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Rob
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They are the future
Children are the future of this planet, school should be a right not a privilege. I am glad that the Kenyan goverment has had some foresight to realise this. It is unfortunate that only the primary grades are free. When I was in school the only thing I could think of was getting the hell out of there, in hindsight I realise what a gift I was given. Knowledge is power, it can change a family, a town, and a country. It should be shared with all. Jambo Cuzin Jan, keep them coming.