Education
Children who cannot go to school because their parents cannot afford school fees , will highly unlikely achieve their potential .
Children , who might make it to go to school , but learn under difficult circumstances are unlikely to achieve their potential too . There are children who still learn under trees . There are areas of this country where the teacher to student ratio is dismal .
And sadly , it is at this point that a vicious cycle sets off - without an education , their future quality of life is affected .
Without a good educational foundation , it impacts the kind of job one can get or the type of work one can do . It limits the choices available to the affected children once they are grown up . They end up having to take any job they are offered . Because of the lack of quality education , sometimes they do not even know their rights , they do not know about minimum wage . In desperation , they will accept any kind of job as long as it puts some money in their pockets . It is no wonder that we have so many cases of Kenyan workers having emigrated for work , coming back in coffins . This Tibetan Proverb sums this up : “ A child without education is like a bird without wings .”
Education has been getting a bad rap nowadays in our country because of the millions of graduates who are not able to get jobs . I look at it differently - the place of education is to open up minds . Unfortunately , in Kenya and Africa , education has been equated to working in an office .
We need a Whole of Society Approach . I believe that as a society , as Kenyans , we can work together to improve the likelihood of Kenyan children living up to their full
potential . We all have a role to play . The Role of Government
It is undeniable that the Government carries the biggest responsibility of providing the basic services and infrastructure required for our children to tap into their full potential . It is the responsibility of the Government to provide quality education and healthcare to its citizens .
There is a lot that can be said here . There is also a lot of finger pointing that can be done here .
However , I would like to take a stance that would help in progressively improving the situation in our country . One thing that we know for sure is that the world has changed . Gone are the days where a Ministry or a State Agency could deliver its mandate by itself from beginning to end . This is particularly so in this digital first era , where partnership is the name of the game . The term “ Whole of Government Approach ”, envisions a space where Government agencies work in coordination , collaboration and cooperation .
Using education as an example on the need for partnership , even before children go to school , they have to be registered as Kenyan citizens . This falls under the mandate of the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government . We must begin to progressively implement tools that will enable us to know the exact count of our citizenry starting off right from birth ( with the necessary data protection and cyber security requirements having been put in place ). This is where a digital ID issued at birth becomes important .
With this digital ID , the Ministry of Health can on its part keep tabs with vaccination programs across the country
It is evident that the success of the private sector is the success of the Government . This therefore means that for this partnership between Government and Private Sector to be sustained well into the future , Government has a responsibility to provide a conducive operating environment for businesses . and do its part to ensure enforcement of the same .
Once the child attains school going age , the Ministry of Education then comes in , to ensure that every year children have enrolled into school as required . Having the count of children on the system also helps with planning as to how many teachers are required not only at the present moment , but to also project how many more will be required into the future . This applies to classrooms and learning materials too . This same information can be used by institutions of higher learning to plan for future enrolments .
Given that the future is digital , as a country , we acknowledge that our children need to be equipped with digital skills . At this point the Ministry of Education has to collaborate with the Ministry of Information Communication and the Digital Economy .
These are just but a few examples of the different partners that the Ministry of Education needs in the execution of its mandate . It is evident that no one entity can walk this journey alone and it therefore becomes important for this systemic approach to be adopted across Government . “ If you want to go fast , go alone . If you want to go far , go with others .” - African Proverb .
The Role of the Private Sector
The truth of the matter is that the Government cannot achieve the huge responsibility of providing quality services and adequate infrastructure to its citizens on its own . This is the space where the Private Sector comes in .
In Kenya , the Private Sector has emerged as a strong and critical partner to the Government . Many business entities are using their foundations as vehicles for delivery of services across the country . For example , the Wings to Fly Scholarship Program run by the Equity Group Foundation has to date reached over 5.4 million beneficiaries through its social protection programs . The church in Kenya has also been in the forefront of partnering with the Government especially in the education and health sectors . Indeed as Hillary Clinton said , “ You cannot have development in today ' s world without partnering with the private sector .”
It is evident that the success of the private sector is the success of the Government . This therefore means that for this partnership between Government and
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