Mombasa: Education stakeholders from the Gusii region have resolved to establish a permanent framework at Kisii University to guide and monitor efforts to improve education standards in the region. Speaking during a two-day Gusii Education Stakeholders Convention at Kisii University, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba said the initiative was informed by a baseline survey conducted by the university to identify challenges affecting the education sector.
According to Kenya News Agency, Ogamba said the research examined key areas including teacher capacity, infrastructure, information technology, drug abuse, mental health, financing of education, and opportunities for public-private partnerships. The convention has brought together teachers, parents, education unions, sponsors, faith-based and private institutions, government representatives, and development partners to deliberate on the findings and agree on interventions.
‘We wanted to look at where we have come from, where we are, and where we want to go so that education in this area can be improved,’ Ogamba said. He said the decision to anchor the initiative at Kisii University would help preserve research findings, resolutions, and other documentation while ensuring continuity beyond the individuals involved in the programme.
The cabinet secretary said the university would serve as a repository for short-, medium-, and long-term resolutions arising from the convention, with thematic teams expected to oversee implementation and measurable targets. He said the arrangement would also provide a mechanism for monitoring and evaluation, allowing stakeholders to assess progress and identify challenges when they reconvene in future.
‘This one is based on baseline research and is anchored in an institution. That removes personalities from it and makes it an institutional programme,’ he said. Ogamba contrasted the initiative with previous education conferences held in the region, saying the earlier meetings were largely temporary interventions whose resolutions were not preserved in an institutional framework.
He said anchoring the programme at the university would help prevent the cycle of starting and abandoning education initiatives whenever leadership changes. According to the cabinet secretary, the approach could eventually be replicated in other counties to promote evidence-based education planning and preserve institutional knowledge.
He said the initiative would also explore emerging issues, including the use of artificial intelligence and other technologies in education. On the proposed reforms to university funding, Ogamba said Parliament had scheduled public participation on the proposed legislation and urged members of the public to submit their views before the bills are considered further.
He said the proposed funding framework is intended to address challenges in financing students in universities and other tertiary institutions and ensure that students are not disadvantaged by their financial backgrounds. Ogamba also urged the media and members of the public to participate in the scheduled forums, saying public participation provides an opportunity to influence proposed education reforms before they become law.
‘Now is the opportunity to go and make your presentations, make your submissions, because that is how to change our country,’ he said. He added that the ongoing education reforms were intended to provide greater clarity in areas including the transition from Grade Nine to Grade 10 and the placement of junior secondary education.
Ogamba said the Gusii education initiative would focus on continuity, with stakeholders expected to develop short-term, medium-term, and long-term interventions that can be tracked over time. The convention is expected to conclude with resolutions and action plans addressing the challenges identified through the baseline survey.
