Zizi Afrique Want Life Skills and Values Incorporated in Curriculum
The Uasin Gishu Youth Initiative and Zizi Afrique Foundation, a local non-governmental organization, have successfully disseminated a report on the assessment of life skills and values (ALiVE) among teenagers.
The main aim of the initiative is to enhance the Kenyan education system by equipping school-going children between the ages of 13 and 17 with the necessary skills and values for learning, living, and working.
At the report launch, Joshua Kemboi, the Zizi Afrique Uasin Gishu County Coordinator, highlighted the importance of life skills and values such as problem-solving, collaboration, self-awareness, and respect, with literacy and digital literacy as additional areas.
He emphasized the need for the national curriculum to incorporate life skills and values from pre-primary to university level to produce graduates ready for the job market.
“We need to incorporate life skills and values in the curriculum from pre-primary to university level to churn out a graduate ready for the job market,” he said.
The study targeted 17,276 adolescents from 14,197 households aged 13-17 years from 798 enumeration areas in 20 counties for assessment. The report reveals that only 5 percent of adolescents are proficient in problem-solving.
Most adolescents (55 percent) can recognize the existence of a problem from one perspective and identify a possible solution but are unable to identify multiple approaches to solving a problem.
The findings further indicate that only 9 percent of adolescents are proficient in self-awareness. While most adolescents can regulate their emotions (70 percent), they remain unaware of the multiple ways in which others might perceive and react to situations.
Only 6 percent of adolescents express high respect for others, and most (52 percent) interpret bad behavior as a lack of respect for others and may take conciliatory steps to resolve situations.
However, they may be unable to act respectfully in defense of others and themselves.
only 10% of adolescents are proficient in collaboration, with 47% of adolescents collaborating through speaking, being attentive in discussions, and engaging actively in performance tasks, but unable to take a position, contribute ideas, and prompt others.
Additionally, half (50%) of adolescents can get on the internet with ease, while 27% of adolescents cannot use the technology at all, and 23% can only do so with difficulty.
These findings were discussed by the Uasin Gishu County Executive Committee Member for Education, Technical Training, Gender, Social Protection, and Culture, Dr. Janet Kosgei.
Dr. Kosgei emphasized that these findings are crucial for educators and policymakers in identifying what needs to be improved in terms of life skills and values among learners.
She noted that learners need to be sensitized and retrained in upskilling to acquire the necessary competencies to improve the socio-economic development of the country.
Moreover, the link between the skills learned and produced among graduates will be a game changer in cutting down unemployment.
Professor Masibo Lumala, Director of the Institute of Open & Distance e-Learning at Moi University, emphasized the need for evidence-based solutions and policy formulation to ensure that various competencies underscored by learners are being achieved.
Furthermore, Lumala highlighted the critical role of parents in the development of their children’s skills and values, as schools, churches, and mosques may not be enough to teach values.
The findings highlight the need for the national curriculum to incorporate life skills and values from pre-primary to university level to produce well-rounded graduates who are equipped with the necessary skills and values to succeed in the job market.
Zizi Afrique Want Life Skills and Values Incorporated in Curriculum
