Kenya sets up an objective
of complete industrialization by the year 2020 as a necessary path
to economic development. For this objective, human resources development
plays an important role. However, there is much room for improvement
in study programs in the subjects of mathematics and science in primary
and secondary schools.
In order to meet this demand, Japan has dispatched Japan
Youth Overseas Cooperation Volunteers and since 1998 has supported
the education in these subjects through the "Strengthening of
Mathematics and Science in Secondary Education (SMASSE) Project."
During the first five years, Japan set up training programs on central
and regional levels for incumbent mathematics and science teachers
in nine out of the seventy-one provinces in Kenya.
High quality education is key to the restoration of mathematics and
science teaching. Classes need to be interesting enough to stir students'
interest. Both Kenyan and Japanese educators together have introduced
a new type of approach to learning through various projects in order
for the students to learn with delight and effectively: "the
joy to teach, the joy to learn". The Kenyan teachers became aware
of the importance of understanding the premise of teaching through
participating in the training programs.
The achievements of the Japanese cooperation in education became highly
visible to the people related to the projects, and the Kenyan Government
decided to expand the training programs nationwide. The Japanese Government
has announced its intention to continue with support for this project
as the next phase of the SMASSE project starting in July 2003. During
the second phase, the project plans to train 15,000 teachers, which
will result in renewed learning experience for approximately 850,000
students.
|
|
Additionally, the project has
introduced a system of allotting part of the tuition paid by the students
to support the necessary operational expenses entailed by the training
program. Such plans help keep the expenses low and the operation sustainable
and, by now, roughly 40% of the total expenses are being paid by the
Kenyan Government.
Such projects and their outcome have drawn close attention from other
African countries, and people in the filed of education (including
government officials) in thirteen African countries started a new
network called SMASSE-WECSA in June 2002. This network gained the
attention of the participants at the World Summit on Sustainable Development
held in South Africa in August 2002, and has since been recognized
as an important part of Japanese educational aid programs for Africa
in mathematics and science. It is highly anticipated that this network,
a symbol of the Japan-Kenya partnership, becomes a working and shared
example for further aid programs needed for Africa.
|
