UNHCR calls for concerted efforts to address education in Kakuma

Turkana,

Thursday, September 21, 2023

KNA by Cyrilla Barasa/William Inganga

Head of Office United Nations High Commission for Refugees-Kakuma has called for concerted efforts from both government and other donor partners to address increasing number of school-going children in refugee camps joining school in Kakuma.

Nicolas Kaburuburyo, Head of Office UNHCR-Kakuma, said out of the 300,000 refugees in Kakuma,162,000 were children of school-going age adding that this called for construction of more classrooms, provision of books and other resources that made learning possible.

“Due to instability in the region, especially in DRC, Burundi, Somalia and Sudan we see every year children joining schools and this calls for more classrooms, teachers, books and other resources to enable them access learning in a conducive environment,” Kaburuburyo said.

 Kaburuburyo made the remarks when a Mission team comprising Ministry of Education and donor partners lead by MOE Director—Directorate of Project Coordination and Delivery (DPCAD) Elijah Mungai visited the camp during the team’s three-day field visit to monitor and evaluate outcomes of World Bank funded Kenya Primary Education Equity in learning Programme (KPEELP). About Sh 45 billion has been injected into the programme.

Mr. Mungai said the government has partnered with World Bank, the Global Partnership for Education and other partners to reduce regional disparities in learning outcomes, improve retention of girls in upper primary education and strengthen systems for delivering equitable education outcomes.

“This is in line with the aspirations of Kenya’s vision 2030 that puts emphasis on education and training systems as a vehicle to drive the country’s efforts towards becoming an upper income economy,” he said.

The Director DPCAD said KPEELP’s main focus was on four key pillars of access and participation, equity and inclusiveness, quality and relevance and governance and accountability and recognizes girls education and refugees education as a cross cutting issues.

Mr. Mungai said that in equalizing learning opportunities in low learning outcomes, KPEELP has targeted 50 camp-based refugee schools by focusing on result –based grants, improving teacher deployment in target schools with highest shortages and supporting school meals for vulnerable learners.

To improve girls participation in schooling, including refugee hosting counties, the Director said KPEEL had removed financial barriers to school attendance and that the programme was meeting basic needs for girls and boys from poor background and vulnerable learners with disabilities and refugee children.

“We also track girls at risk of dropping out of school and facilitating the re-entry of enrolled girls who dropped out of school due to pregnancy. They area also psychosocial challenges such as language barrier and trauma that we are addressing to ensure children remain in school,” he said.

The Director further called for better utilization of funds and asked for formation of Board of Management in schools and strengthen their capacity in governance indicating that that will help in proper financial management and accountability for funds disbursed to schools.

He further said that construction of new classrooms in existing schools was needs-based infrastructure investment plan saying each school has its priority areas.

Shasani Augustine, a form one student at Tarach secondary and refugee from DRC applauded the scholarship programme and the efforts by the government to ensure the refugees accessed education. He said many children were suffering because of bad politics in instable countries.

“I want to study hard and become a politician and go back to my country to change the politics of my country because it is bad politics that is causing all this trouble for us,” Shasani said.

While visiting Bishop Mahon Teacher training college in Lodwar, Mungai said through KPEELP Teacher Training colleges will be strengthened to ensure that teachers who graduate from those institutions acquired the core competencies including retooling of tutors and establishment of ICT enabled learning resource centres to ensure teachers implement Competence Based Curriculum and CBA.

National Co-ordinator of KPEELP Martha Ekirapa encouraged the Elimu scholarship students to redouble their efforts in studies pointing out that she too was a beneficiary of Action aid sponsorship that saw her in later 80s go through her studies from secondary to university that changed her status.

“Do not give your background as an excuse of not working hard. Seize the opportunity given by this scholarship and change your life,” Ekirapa, National coordinator KPEEL said.

Other schools visited were in Kakuma and Kalobeyei included Ngudeng Primary, Kamuka Mixed, Nationakar Primary, Friends primary, Our lady Secondary school, and Tarach secondary school.

Other mission team members included Martha Ekirapa National Director KPEELP and Ruth Charo from World Bank.

Courtesy; KNA