Ethics-Education Positions Kenya as World Leader
Kenya will attain development status by embracing values and ethics which provide a solid foundation on which to build a better future and a great nation. Director General for education Dr Elyas Abdi made these remarks in his speech while officially opening the Ethics Education (EE) workshop in Thika, Kiambu County Thursday.
DG Dr. Abdi observed there’s evident erosion of values in the society with reports of child molestation, murders, child trafficking, corruption and general loss of respect for one another. On a global scale the DG worried of wars, radicalization, xenophobia as threat to the core of humanity with technology, health, climate change all coming with their own challenges.
‘‘Advancement of values and ethics will ensure Kenya responds appropriately to a rapidly changing and demanding global environment.’’ The Director General said
In a speech read on his behalf by Director Dr. Sam Ngaruiya, Director Abdi affirmed that Kenya vision 2030 provides that in the pursuit of economic, social and political aspirations, Kenya shall formulate and adopt a core set of national values, goals and a forward looking political ideology.
The training of fellows to implement Ethics Education is underway in Kenya after the first one was held in October, 2022 in Indonesia comprising six countries namely Kenya, Bangladesh, Mauritius, Nepal Seychelles and the host Indonesia.
Ethics Education (EE) provides the space for learners to foster the qualities, capacities and competencies which enable them to relate ethically with themselves, others and the world.
This second phase of Ethics Education Fellowship Programme taking place in Thika town Kiambu County will aid to cascade and sustain the programme beyond the school level.
Dr. Elyas Abdi, the Director General Basic Education in his opening speech said the Fellowship Program aims to strengthen capacity on ethics education in formal education as a key contribution to developing national programs that foster learning to live together.
The Director General emphasized that the fellowship program will build a network of formal education institutions and create a platform for sharing and building capacity. He noted the program also aims to promote a sustainable continuation and expansion of ethics education activities in the participating countries.
In Kenya, the fellows were drawn from Ministry of Education, Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, Kenyatta University and Thogoto Teachers Training College. The team is expected to cascade the program in their countries by training ToTs who would implement it in their learning institutions.
Ethics Education focusses on the social, emotional, ethical, cognitive and even spiritual dimensions of a learner’s holistic development.’’ Said Dr. Abdi
By cultivating children’s sense of responsibility and interconnectedness, Ethics Education empowers children as active and caring agents of change in their communities and the world beyond.
Ethics Education places the learner and their agency at the centre of their learning, simultaneously encouraging transformative action while learning through it.
Such educational initiatives characterised by an ethical core will be crucial in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), particularly Target 4.7, which aims to promote a culture of peace and non-violence, global and democratic citizenship, and appreciation of cultural diversity.
Ethics Education Legal Framework in Kenya is founded on the Legal Framework capsuled in the Constitution of Kenya 2010 that Stipulates national values and principles that should guide Kenyans. The Kenya Vision 2030 also talks about building a cohesive and just society in a clean and secure environment.
Ethics Education is based on reflection, relations & Dialogue and Collective Action. These are in line with the Competency Based Curriculum currently being implemented in Kenyan Learning Institutions. CBC is premised on Learner- Centered Transformative Pedagogy which is similar to the Ethics Education whose key elements include Participatory and Collaborative Learning, Safe Learning Environment, Supportive Learning-Led Action, Role-Modelling, Whole-school Approach, and Context Sensitivity.
Arigatou International in collaboration with UNESCO, the International Dialogue Center (KAICIID) and other partners organized the training of fellows for the implementation of Ethics Education in Selected Learning Institutions in Kenya.
The Director General called for continued corporation since promotion of national values and ethics cannot be a one-man initiative recognizing representations from the National Cohesion and Integration Commission, Inter Religious Council of Kenya, the National Commission for Human Rights, KICD, Universities, Technical Colleges, KNATCOM, UNESCO among others.
He believed that the representatives will form part of the Technical Working Group that will ensure sustainability in the implementation of Ethics Education in its various forms.
Captions
Representative of Director General Dr. Elyas Abdi, Director Dr. Sam Ngaruiya during the official opening of Ethics training of trainers engage in an activity during training in Thika, Kiambu County Thursday. Photo by Joseph Kamolo Mutua