The Ministry of Education is expressing concern about emerging dangers that not only jeopardize the safety of schoolchildren but also disrupt their education, leading to some students dropping out.
The National Education Sector Strategic Plan 2023-2027, issued by the ministry, highlights climate change, mental health challenges, and cybercrime as pressing issues that demand immediate attention. The document will serve as the roadmap for the education sector over the next five years. It was launched by Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu last week.
Additionally, it highlights long-standing issues such as alcohol and substance abuse, HIV, insecurity, extremism, radicalisation, drought, and floods as further threats within the education sector. The heavy rains and subsequent floods had a negative impact on education during the months of March and April, resulting in schools being closed for an extended period of two weeks.
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The ministry aims to tackle these challenges by integrating various initiatives into the school curriculum. Their goal is to empower learners with the necessary knowledge, skills, and values for creating a sustainable future and mitigating the impact of climate change.
As per the document, the strategy involves integrating climate-friendly solutions into school curriculum by including education on climate change.
“The climate change crisis will be addressed within the broader education for sustainable development framework and will entail interventions such as greening, recycling and carbon reductions,” the document reads.
Simultaneously, the government is preparing to introduce planet-friendly cooking technology for school feeding programmes. This technology will utilize steam cookers instead of the traditional firewood method.
Additionally, there is growing concern about alcohol, drug, and substance use among learners, with schools and homes identified as the primary environments where encounters with these substances occur.
The ministry’s efforts will focus on addressing the factors that render students vulnerable to substance abuse. Additionally, the plan addresses the increasing incidence of non-communicable diseases, mental health challenges, and HIV infections among students, teachers, and adolescents. It underscores preventive measures and early detection, acknowledging their adverse effects on educational outcomes.
“Focus will be on prevention and management for inspections of non-communicable diseases, including mental health and psycho-social issues that affect learning outcomes,” the document reads.
The ministry is also committed to tackling gender-related obstacles in education, including child marriage, teenage pregnancy, and sexual and gender-based violence.
Additionally, they emphasize peace education and global citizenship as key areas of focus, aiming to foster social cohesion, peace, and a global sense of responsibility. It enables learners, teachers, parents, and others to counteract radicalisation and extremism, recognising that educational institutions are susceptible to these risks.
“Empowering students will enhance prevention, detection, and effective responses to such dangers. This initiative will be implemented through child safety and protection programmes,” the document reads.
By Frank Mugwe
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