Turkana, Kenya picked for Rotary Global Partnership for Education.
Rotary International and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) are working together to ensure that children everywhere have equal access to quality education. This strategic alliance will launch its efforts in the Turkana region of Kenya.
Turkana was selected based on its rural location, lack of resources, and need for greater engagement by all key participants in the education system. By strengthening Turkana’s ability to provide this quality education to all its children, the partnership aims to encourage the country’s progress toward economic and social development, as well as the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality Education. GPE has supported Kenya’s impressive progress toward getting all children into school and learning. That progress, in turn, has advanced the country’s overall economic and social development.
Between 2005 and 2008, GPE helped Kenya’s efforts to plan and implement measures that increased primary school enrollment from 72 percent in 2003, when Kenya made primary education free, to 88 percent in 2012. Over that period, girls and boys reached near parity in education. GPE’s ongoing support also engages international donors and domestic stakeholders. As a result, Kenya’s education sector plan is broadly owned, and interventions are more successful. Over the past 15 years, GPE has provided grants totaling close to $220 million to Kenya’s Ministry of Education in support of its education strategy. 51%of children living in rural areas are less likely than children living in urban areas to complete lower secondary education. 72% of high-need children are less likely to complete lower secondary education.
UNDERSTANDING THE CHALLENGE: Improving the overall quality of education and the success of schools in Turkana
TAKING ACTION: Mobilizing Kenyan Rotary clubs and participants to make a sustainable impact
Despite the progress made so far, GPE’s evaluations indicate that children from Kenya’s remote regions and disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to go to or complete primary school than others. Kenya’s capacity to maintain and improve the quality of education has also not kept up with the growing numbers of children going to school, contributing to low student performance in early grade mathematics and reading. Remote areas like Turkana struggle to provide children with a high- quality education. Some of the factors that have led to this disparity include poverty, lack of resources, geographic location, barriers to girl’s education, and the low ratio of trained teachers to students.
Kenya is the first country where Rotary and GPE will work together to make a difference. Kenyan Rotary clubs and participants can get involved by:
• Working closely with the Ministry of Education and other GPE partners to support their work to improve education
• Identifying schools in which your club can invest time, energy, and resources to create sustainable results and build students’ success
• Developing innovative ways to use technology to improve planning and accountability
• Providing high-quality textbooks to more children
• Identifying ways to attract and retain qualified teachers
GETTING STARTED NOW
Making an impact today for a stronger Kenya tomorrow. Take action and help improve the quality of education for children in Kenya’s remote regions and those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
To get started, contact Isaac Gitoho at isaac.gitoho@ecoenergy.co.ke.
Reproduced from Rotary International.
