Various stakeholders in the education sector are rooting for the integration of Life Skills Education(LSE) at all levels of the education system to equip students with vital skills for both personal and societal well-being.
The stakeholders drawn from both the public and private sector including the Ministry of Education, National Parents Association(NPA), Teachers Service Commission (TSC), Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC), Kenya Primary School Heads Association (KEPSHA), Kenya Institute of Special Education (KISE), Centre for Research and Innovation in East Africa and German NGO DSW among others said life skills play a crucial role in shaping the holistic development of students equipping them with essential skills to navigate the challenges of everyday life.
Speaking on Thursday after a two-day stakeholder engagement forum in Machakos, DSW Country Director Everlyn Samba hailed the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) for emphasising practical skills alongside academic knowledge and embedding it throughout the curriculum to ensure a holistic approach to education.
Samba however noted that although government initiatives and ongoing efforts by educators contribute to the overall development of individuals, challenges in the implementation of LSE persist and she underscored the need for State agencies, educators and the community to collaborate for successful integration and improvement of life skills education in Kenya.
She disclosed that DSW is currently, involved in life skills initiatives across 94 schools in Kilifi, Narok, Samburu, West Pokot and Nairobi counties.
“We have supported 31,156 young adolescents in making better decisions and improved learning outcomes. We have also trained 186 teachers including 38 head teachers in integrating life skills in learning,” Samba said.
Johnson Nzioka, the National Chairman of KEPSHA stressed the urgent need to have life skills slotted as a lesson in the timetable so that it can be given the prominence it deserves.
Nzioka noted that teachers, students and parents prioritise academic education and integrate life skills into the curriculum instead of allocating it specific time in the timetable which he said may not give the desired results.
He highlighted issues like drug abuse and poor communication skills among students, emphasizing the importance of including life skills in teaching and having it examinable as well.
“Life skills should be given significance as a learning area with a subject,” added the KEPSHA chair.
He also called for the provision of learning materials and training of teachers in LSE to equip them with the necessary skills for teaching.
National Parents Association Chairperson Silas Obuhasta noted that life skills should be taught at home and in school to prepare students to be well-adjusted individuals.
“Life skills should be a subject right from early learning to the university level to equip students with necessary skills that will help them navigate life,” Obuhasta said.
The NPA chairperson highlighted th role played by parents in imparting life skills and called for the training of parents on LSE.
“Parents are very key at the foundational level and they should be trained on positive parenting because for any child to succeed they must be parented well,” he added.
His sentiments were echoed by the NPA Chief Executive Officer George Sikulu who noted that life skills should be tied to the educational national goals.
Sikulu noted that although parents are the first educators, they are ill-equipped on LSE and called for parental empowerment and engagement in improving the student’s holistic development including academic performance.
He disclosed that NPA through Parents Teacher Associations(PTA) is instilling life skills through character formation, discipline, harmonious relationships and counseling through the class representative system.
The parents’ CEO however noted that PTAs were not playing their roles optimally as far as LSE is required and called for strengthening of stakeholders collaboration.
Dr Hawa Omar, Head of the Partnerships Department at KISE noted that life skills help students with disabilities to be independent because they can make informed decisions, solve problems, think critically, communicate effectively, build healthy relationships, empathise with others, cope with and manage their lives in a healthy and productive manner.
She however noted that LSE had been reinforced in the current curriculum through core competencies and other initiatives like the Pastoral Programme for Institutions(PPI).
By Roselyne Kavoo
