The ALiVE Way: Collaborative Action in the assessment of life skills and values in East Africa

• In Event: The Power of Protest: Embedding 21st Century Competences in Education Systems in East Africa

Proposal

In the East African context, remnants of a colonial legacy in the education system are still evident, particularly in the emphasis placed on academics over other competencies. If nonacademic competencies are taught, the focus is usually rooted in a western value system that is not relevant to the context. A shift towards socio-emotional learning and a contextual values-based education is a shift away from this legacy. Over the past three decades, there have been global shifts in educational approaches moving away from views of literacy and education as end in and of themselves, instead emphasizing the need for practical contextual application and development of the whole child. As a result, global frameworks have been developed to identify and assess the competencies and skills necessary for success in the 21st century. While these frameworks exist globally, there is a critical need for context specific assessment frameworks for East Africa.

The Assessment of Life Skills and Values (ALIVE) initiative has developed localized measurements specifically designed to assess life skills and values among adolescents aged 13 to 17 years. The household assessment was able to generate evidence from over 45,000 adolescents to inform and influence policy and practice in East Africa.

Beyond these unprecedented achievements, the ALIVE initiative is an act of protest. Protest usually arises as a response to enduring an undesirable situation over a long period of time. It is lit by a spark of clarity and a belief in the possibility that change, a different reality, is possible. It is also usually taken up by a group of people driven and unified by a common cause. This paper will explore the ALIVE initiative’s collaborative journey and act of protest in the face of three challenging dynamics in the sector:

1- The domination of actors in the global north in the socio-emotional learning space. This is reflected not only in the proliferation of western based SEL assessment measurements, but also the dearth of local capacities in developing them along with very few academics producing contextually relevant SEL knowledge. Ultimately, the East African voice in this space is diminished. ALIVE’s response is to focus on producing and enhancing capacities of local experts, developing contextually relevant tools and harvesting local evidence to share in the global space.
2- The immense value placed on high stakes examination by both government, parents and the larger community and its consequence in the teaching and learning process particularly perpetuating rote memorization and the chalk and talk methodology. ALIVE’s efforts to advocate for changes in understanding and awareness about the importance of life skills amongst parents and communities aims to resist against the mindset that academic knowledge achieved through scores on high stakes exams produces competent, skilled and well-rounded individuals.
3- The divide and disconnect between government and civil society in solving complex societal challenges.
The ALIVE initiative embraced a collaborative approach involving government and civil society that illustrates how to build the bridge and breakdown the divide.

Author

• Khadija A Shariff, Zizi Afrique Foundation