Debating Kenya’s citizenship education frameworks in nurturing young learners as engaged citizenry

• In Event: Protest, Pedagogy and Politics

Proposal

In the recent years, there have been increased cases of young learners getting caught in the crossfires of national and international conflicts. Cases have been reported internationally of attacks on school buildings resulting in maiming, loss of children’s lives, destruction of school property and school closures (Deutsche Welle, 2023; UNICEF, 2018). Nationally, learners get caught up directly or indirectly in demonstrations and run-ins with the local law-enforcement (Anna, 2023; Beckett, 2021). Schools are no longer safe havens for learners and neither is the external environment. The psychological impact of these volatile internal and external environments on young learners and their capacities to develop a sense of democratic citizenship in the present and future is a point of concern. The progress of any society or nation is dependent upon the level of engagement of its citizenry with the various public institutions. Citizens are instrumental in keeping their governments in check, pushing them to be transparent, accountable, effective and innovative (World Bank, 2023). An engaged citizenry does not begin in adulthood. Rather it should be a longitudinal process across the education continuum. Schools, in partnership with families and communities, therefore, play a critical role in nurturing young learners into an engaged citizenry. Citizenship education in schools is an approach to get young people engaged with their communities and with government. School systems have a broad view on how they define and implement citizenship education. Some infuse it either as part of civic education, social studies, history, geography or environmental studies in the curriculum; as part of school district policy; or as part of school leadership (Miller, 2004; Tawil, 2013). This broad view has culminated into a continuum of interpretations of what citizenship education entails. On one end is the conservative approach that views it as “civics” or “civic education” with the aim of imparting knowledge that speaks to the historical social order and functioning of national institutions (Tawil, 2013). The conservative approach is pro- status quo; emphasizing national and cultural values. On the other end is the critical approach that focuses on “citizenship education”. It has the learner in mind with regards to acquisition of knowledge, skills and attitudes that contribute to changing the social order and driven by ethical principles, with a focus on civil, social and political rights (Tawil, 2013).
Over the years, the main challenge has been developing a values framework that engages learners as well as motivating them for citizenship (Howe & Covell, 2009). Anchoring on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and Article 31 of the African Children’s Charter, this paper examines the characteristics of frameworks of prevailing citizenship education curricular used in Kenya’s schools and their potential to nurture young learners as engaged citizenry. This conceptual study is conducting a desk review to examine the structures of prevailing citizenship education curricula used in Kenya’s schools. The curricula being examined include: social studies, social education and ethics, and history and government. Findings from the Assessment of Life Skills and Values in East Africa (ALiVE) study have also being incorporated into this study to gauge possible correlation with findings of the structures of citizenship education curricula used in Kenya’s schools.
The two guiding research questions are:
1) How are the prevailing citizenship education curricular in Kenya’s schools structured?
2) What are the possible implications of how these curricula are structured in nurturing of young learners as engaged Kenyan citizenry?

The data analysis approach is content analysis. The preliminary findings indicate that topics covered in the three subject areas exhibit a mix of both the conservative and the critical approaches. In addition, as much as the aim of the social studies, social education and ethics and history and government curricula have been to develop citizens with the requisite societal values such as sense of moral ethics, patriotism, collective responsibility, wisdom from the older generations (KICD, 2019; Nasibi, 2015; Wambari, 1998), learners do not seem to be exhibiting these characteristics. In 2021, the Regional Education Learning Initiative (RELI) conducted as assessment of its VaLi initiative in East Africa: Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Findings from the assessment of VaLi, titled “Assessment of Life Skills and Values in East Africa (ALiVE)” (RELI, 2023) indicated that 51% of Kenyan adolescents surveyed were at the level of ‘emerging’ rather than ‘proficient’ with regards to problem-solving proficiencies 54% of Kenyan adolescents surveyed were at the level of ‘emerging’ rather than ‘consolidating’ with regards to self-awareness proficiencies. 52% of Kenyan adolescents surveyed were at the level of ‘consolidating’ rather than ‘proficient’ with regards to respect proficiencies. 38% of Kenyan adolescents surveyed were at the level of ‘consolidating’ rather than ‘proficient’ with regards to the collaboration proficiencies. These findings, in a small way help shed light on the seemingly disconnect between principles of citizenship learners should possess and the values they perceive themselves to hold.
According to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), children should be protected and given the supports their need in order for them to reach their full potential. According to Article 31 of the African Children’s Charter, children have responsibilities of taking care of their families and societies as well as preserving and strengthening the African cultural values. The citizenship education that Kenyan schools offer should fulfil the goals of these two agreements, since Kenya is a signatory to both. A starting point would be having a clear definition of what citizenship should achieve: maintain status quo or change the social order. Next would then be the development of a contextualized citizenship education frameworks that meets the needs of Kenya’s education system in nurturing engaged citizenry.

Author

• Lucy Awuor Wakiaga, African Population And Health Research Center