This archive report was first published on 11 May 2020.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt traditional modes of education, a professor of entrepreneurship at University of Nairobi's School of Business believes that the crisis presents an opportunity for Kenya to adopt a more personalized and technology-driven approach to education.
Speaking during a webinar on COVID-19 and the right to education, organized by the International Commission of Jurists, the professor argued that the current model of education has failed to address the needs of at least one-third of school-going children.
He cited research that shows even students who excel in the current system often act like robots, with their natural creativity and problem-solving abilities never explored.
The professor suggested that the pandemic could be an opportunity to test emerging concepts like mass customization of education, which involves personalizing education for every child and doing it in scale.
He noted that the current crop of educated people are often unable to voluntarily change their industrial model of educating children, with their primary focus being on passing exams.
However, the professor emphasized that taking responsibility for ensuring children's education is key, and that individuals should not pass the buck to the government.
He cited Article 53 of the Constitution, which emphasizes the right to free and compulsory basic education, and sub-section (e), which highlights the responsibility of parents to provide for their children.
The professor argued that a paradigm shift in thinking is necessary to discuss how to deliver mass customized education at current costs, and that unions and other stakeholders should not oppose online learning due to selfish interests.
He noted that the Competence-Based Curriculum, which was introduced in Kenya, requires a more personalized approach to education, and that the pandemic has thrust the country into a new normal.
According to the professor, the future of learning will demand effort from both parents and teachers to encourage and grow a child who can apply their creativity to learn independently.
He emphasized the need for discipline in the new normal, and for aggregating local content into available digital tools, investing in capacity building, and developing policies that support the use of digital learning tools.
The professor concluded that humanity has faced many transformational moments in history and has survived by adapting, and that Kenya has another chance to adapt to the new normal.
