VVOB – Education for Development has partnered with the Kenya Education Management Institute (KEMI) in developing an App–based Instructional Leadership training programme that helps teachers to learn critical concepts of instructional leadership using their mobile phones.
Speaking to Education News in her office, VVOB in Kenya Country Programmes Manager, Claire Mazin, said the programme is dubbed Implementing National Curriculum Reforms through App–based Learning for School Leaders in Secondary Education (INCREASE).
“The course targets school heads in Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) and aims at building their capacity in order to support the implementation of Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC),” said Mazin.
She revealed that the course – Effective School Leadership for Junior Schools’ (ESL4JS) – covers the role of school leaders in the implementation of CBC, digital literacy, effective resource management, governance, learner support programmes, and learner and teacher welfare.
Mazin added that the course is aimed at strengthening teachers’ instructional leadership competences, thus enabling them to gain a deeper understanding of CBC framework and its implications for teaching and learning.
“Participants are drawn from public and private schools. Under the online delivery, we utilize an App that is used as a gateway to the KEMI Learning Management System (LMS). To achieve this, we developed KEMI APP which is available on play store to help reach out to as many school leaders as possible,” disclosed Mazin.
KEMI Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Maurice Odondo described the ESL4JS training as evidence-based as it sought to address all the capacity gaps that had been identified during a training needs assessment exercise that was carried out across the country.
He said the findings from the assessment revealed that 82.7% of secondary school leaders, and 70.7 % of primary school leaders did not feel adequately capacitated to mentor and support teachers on all components of the CBC curriculum.
Dr. Odondo noted that the assessment further revealed that majority of school leaders ( 65.2% in primary and 80.2% in secondary) were not confident in mentoring and supporting teachers on CBC curriculum design.
“Building the capacity of school leaders in Junior Schools to lead the implementation of the CBC was therefore identified as the central focus for the collaboration between KEMI and VVOB. It is against this background that the ESL4JS training was developed,” clarified Dr. Odondo.
Mazin said that the training was structured in three cohorts with the first group having commenced their training in August 2023 and participants were drawn from Turkana, Taita-Taveta, Machakos, Kisumu and Kakamega counties.
YOU MAY ALSO READ:
Bandari Maritime Academy graduates first batch of regimental trainees
Training for the second cohort began in April and ended in July 2024 and participants were drawn from Garissa, Kirinyaga, Makueni, Nakuru, Busia, Kericho, Kilifi and Nyamira counties.
The third and fourth cohorts of participants will be rolled out in 2025 and 2026.
“The app-based training ensures cost effectiveness, flexibility and relevance to continuous professional development,” she said.
The Manager said that her organization’s work has had a significant impact in the country since 640 leaders from 13 counties have been trained to organize school–based professional development in JSS schools, and target to reach at least 1,000 by the end of 2025 to support CBC implementation.
By Tindi Kuchio
You can also follow our social media pages on Twitter: Education News KE and Facebook: Education News Newspaper for timely updates.
>>> Click here to stay up-to-date with trending regional stories
>>> Click here to read more informed opinions on the country’s education landscape
