Open letter to incoming Ministry of Education head
By PD columnist, August 19, 2022Dear the incoming Cabinet Secretary of Education,
Greetings from Shitsitswi village in the great constituency of Butere, Kakamega county.
I know the challenges you’ll face in taking up this new role are not only unique but opaque due to the nature in which the sector has evolved, developed and transformed in the last decade.
However, I want to share with you my insights as someone who has keenly followed, worked and offered expertise in the sector from the lowest point of service delivery in the slums to sitting on the policy table in the Jogoo House (B) boardroom for the last 19 years.
I hope my unsolicited advice will be useful to you.
In the first decade of the latest reform attempts that ran from 2003 to 2013, the sector saw immense growth through an evident increase in enrolment at all levels of education, quality improvement initiatives were piloted and actualised. Modernised monitoring support and assessment systems for curriculum delivery were put in place and general teacher management and welfare issues were given prominence.
The conditions within the sector were propitious out of the political goodwill with the new leadership under the first term of the NARC government and the Constitution 2010 in the second term of the government.
I request that you look at the available information, statistics, and research—both that which is pro-government and that which took a different tangent and or took off on a different trajectory to help you set realistic sector objectives and have a solid reference framework.
The second thing will be to develop a sector development strategy with a clear national philosophy of education, national goals of education, national objectives of education, sector priorities in the long and short term, financing/resourcing strategy and individual projects at every level and strata of education.
At this point, it is crucial to lay bare the implementation details (how they are going to be implemented and the attendant follow-up), the directorates in charge of delivery of each of the details the specific procedures, the moments of monitoring or review and the evaluation of the progress made.
Being an Education minister and sitting in Jogoo House (B) very close to the ultimate seat of power in Harambee House introduces many demands, many unplanned, unforeseen and arbitrary. Do not abandon your original plan to respond to political talk and promises. Anchor your actions in solid research data and plans. Remain faithful to the sector strategy and do not fear being sacked or moved.
The sector has lacked serious leadership that embodies the national dream and is willing to carry the dream to its logical fruition.
The demands will arise from different actors, arms of government, civil society organisations, donors and any other player of influence. Do not get lost in fire-fighting. If the sector strategy is designed effectively it will most definitely be tackling the major needs in education. But you can use the individual demands and requests to check if the implementation of the strategy is inclusive, responsive and on course.
Maintaining this focus is important for it establishes the “routineness” that is currently lacking in connecting data, practice and policy. In this case, you will be able to eliminate the desire for being bossy and the alacrity of issuing roadside declarations. There will be a general desire to obtain early achievements for the government.
For this to happen effectively, you have to have teachers on your side for they dictate both the frequency and quality of service delivery that is relatable to the learner, the parent, the guardian and the community in which the school is located. This will give you a good foundation for planning, and resourcing the long-term plans for the sector.
I sign off by wishing you well and promising to share more insights in my second letter if you give me an audience.
Yours Mwalimu Wesaya — a trained teacher and Education Policy Expert—wesayamaina@gmail.com