‪#‎WALK‬ OF HOPE MANDERA CHAPTER

MENTORSHIP AND EDUCATION CRISIS IN NORTHERN KENYA.

Education in Northern Kenya has suffered a big blow in recent times. The impact is unimaginable as many schools were forced to close due to shortage of teachers. Parents, local leaders and students had sleepless nights as the futures of generations have been on the receiving ends. To add insults to an injury, national examination body KNEC indefinitely put off the exams exclusively for the region.

The most remarkable effort to lobby for the remedy to education crisis in the region is the Garissa protest by the residents. The locals presented memorandum to the government as grievances on the sector. Simultaneous, protests were held in Mandera and Wajir Counties.

It's acknowledged however that most teachers failed to report to their stations fearing their life owing to the escalating terror attacks. More than 1000 non - indigenous teachers have refused to return to work. In Mandera alone 699 teachers have fled from the area since November 2014 when 28 people, majority of them being teachers were killed, after they were pulled out of a bus which was heading to Nairobi.

Of the professionals fled the regions 400 of them were primary schools while 299 were secondary school, desperate times calls for desperate measures. Our children are entitled to compulsory basic education as enshrined in the constitution. All leaders and human right activists have raised issues with the government on the plight of thousands students and parents. So far it's pledge that, almost 800 untrained local teachers will be absorbed into the system to assuage the desperate situation.

One notable effort singled out as a professional input is the desire to see the literacy lobby effort. Sister Balqeisa Abdi is self styled, motivating and visionary lady who was born in Mandera County many years ago. As a Northerner she has immensely contributed to the universal access to education. She has visited schools and held discussions with relevant stakeholders in restoration efforts. Currently, I am working with her on doubling the effort to mobilize human resources and facilities that will facilitate learning to take effort as a recovery process. Balqeisa is dedicating her time to take a leading role in the upcoming Education conference, to attract over 3,000 participants from all walks of life.

All said and done, we need to collectively work together to be innovative and find long lasting solutions to the eminent crisis in totality. We must believe in generating resources, improvising and create a significant time to focus on the future of our children, because they deserve a better education system.
‪#‎educationcrisis‬