35,000 children in Mombasa do not go to school

Delegates during the 2014 Elimu Conference at Agha Khan Academy in Mombasa on December 17, 2014. County Education executive Tendai Mtana said about 35,000 children in Mombasa do not attend school. A new programme aims at offering these children alternative learning opportunities. PHOTO | KEVIN ODIT | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The county government with the help of investors is seeking to have these children schooled through an informal programme.
  • The first beneficiaries of the programme will be 800 students selected from 16 schools in the county.
  • Each school which has a nursery school, primary and secondary school will select a concept to adopt from six categories.
  • The programme will be tailored on the areas of maritime, performing arts, sports, entrepreneurship, urban design, hospitality and leisure.

At least 35,000 children in Mombasa do not attend school as result of poverty and only 55 per cent make it to secondary school, an education forum heard Wednesday.

It is for this reason that the county government with the help of investors is seeking to have these children schooled through an informal programme.

The programme will be tailored on the areas of maritime, performing arts, sports, entrepreneurship, urban design, hospitality and leisure, county executive officer for Education Tendai Mtana said.

"Mombasa is losing an average of between 40 to 45 per cent of children from the education system. Only 55 per cent make it to secondary school,” he said.

“We must know where every child. We cannot have children enrolled in schools and then lose 20 per cent at standard four, 40 per cent by the time they get to standard eight and to have only 12 per cent to get to university,” he noted.

The first beneficiaries of the programme will be 800 students selected from 16 schools in the county.

Each will be sponsored at a cost of Sh32, 000 per year for three years, Mr Mtana told education stakeholders during a conference at Aga Khan Academy.

THINKING CLASSROOM

Under the programme dubbed ‘Thinking classroom’, each school which has a nursery school, primary and secondary school will select a concept to adopt from six categories.

The schools are also required to integrate flexible methods of teaching through using simple concepts and examining students based on their skills and not ability to memorise theoretical concepts.

Mr Tendai said plans are still underway to identify the schools, classrooms and actual students who will be the initial beneficiaries of the programme.

He said the process of identifying them is being done in conjunction with the county education board, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and other education stakeholders.

He added that they are in the process of formulating a timetable for use in teaching and are planning to train 600 teachers for it.

BETTER CAREERS

He said the aim of the programme is to provide opportunity for many unschooled children as well as those who have dropped out of school to learn and have better careers.

“Our intention is not to interfere with primary and secondary school education that is currently going on but a non-formal curriculum will enable anyone in the community to teach these students,” the Education executive said.

He noted that they are already in contact with some of the investors to hasten the programme come 2015.

“Through the establishment of the Elimu Fund with a budget of Sh6 billion, the county government is engaging investors to embrace this system as their corporate social investment,” he added.

“We are currently in talks with M-PESA Foundation who will be involved in the pilot project, James school who have a centre for education foundation and the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) among others,” he said.

The Director of Quality Assurance and Standards in the Ministry of Education Science and Technology Mohammed Mwinyipembe praised the county for coming up with the idea stressing that many students drop out of school and are unable to attend the vocational training centres as a result of lack of resources.

The conference attracted about 20 social entrepreneurs who also interacted and contributed their ideas on the proposal by the county government.