School leadership in refugee settings in Kenya

• In Event: Exploring the potential of the Comparative Educational Leadership Lab for inequity-reducing school leadership preparation and practice and comparative reflection

Proposal

Kakuma refugee camp and Kalobeyei refugee settlement are located in arid northwest Kenya in Turkana county, just below the border with South Sudan. As of July 2021, 212,461 refugees from more than 20 countries resided in Kakuma and Kalobeyei, with the largest populations hailing from Somalia and South Sudan. UNHCR collaborates with the Lutheran World Federation and Finn Church Aid to implement primary education in Kakuma and Kalobeyei, respectively. In Kakuma and Kalobeyei combined, there are 27 primary schools, five secondary schools and one vocational training centers, along with several early childhood development centers. More than half of the population is below the age of 18, with a total school-aged population of nearly 80,000. Nearly 36% of primary school children are out of school and at the secondary level 95% of Kakuma youth are out of school. Most teachers are refugees and many are also Deputy Head Teachers. Refugee teachers are prevented from formally joining the national teaching cadre due to restrictive labor and livelihood policies and are paid very low monthly stipends. Head Teachers in Kakuma and Kalobeyei are Kenyan national teachers, the majority of whom have been deployed from other parts of Kenya to work in the camp and settlement. Head Teachers receive a monthly salary commensurate with salaries provided to school leaders in public schools in Kenya.
Teachers and school leaders in Kakuma and Kalobeyei work in an extraordinarily challenging educational setting. Teacher-to-student ratios reach as high as 1:180 and low pay, unmanageable workloads and the multitude of learner needs have led to high teacher turnover. Neither teachers nor school leaders receive adequate professional development on supportive leadership, positive communication or administrative skills. The case study offers first-hand accounts from head teachers and deputy head teachers who explain, in videos and interviews, the range of issues and decisions they might need to make on any given day at work. They reflect on the roles of the Parent-Teacher Association, the school Board of Management, and other aspects of their contexts and positions.

Author

• Mary Mendenhall, Teachers College, Columbia University