The pioneers of CBE are three months away from transitioning to senior secondary school. Currently, schools are confirming their individual capacities to accommodate different subject combinations based on the pathway strengths.
To enrich these choices, schools must underpin experiential learning in their programmes.
In July, 2,500 students drawn from schools in Kisumu County participated in a Drop and Dash challenge that was organised by Tech Interactive- Silicon Valley, California, US, in conjunction with the Ministry of Education. Six students from my school emerged as the best in a competition that called for developing an engineering prototype that drops from about 15 metres and is able to move horizontally to deliver an object to a designated point.
The peak of this achievement was an experiential tour of Zipline Logistics Systems, early this month, during which the learners were exposed to on-demand drone deliveries of essential medicines to pilot counties in western Kenya.
What stood out in the five-hour exposure was how targeted, beyond-classroom learning programmes can ignite passions and motivation among learners with a view to shaping and strengthening their career paths.
Our education system must develop critical thinkers who can offer solutions to society, and this can be achieved by exposing learners to processes that connect their classroom experiences to multiple careers that interconnect to overcome critical challenges of humanity.
Zipline Kisumu distribution centre serves Kisumu, Kericho, Homa Bay and Nyamira, enabling them to benefit from a centralised medical inventory, optimised storage and tech-driven delivery to reach the hardest to reach places and facilities.
There is a compelling case for strengthening collaboration between schools, colleges and industry. A 2023 Skills Needs Survey Report by the Federation of Kenya Employers recommended a framework for working together in bridging the existing gap between the skills demanded by employers and the training offered by learning institutions.
Senior school is about shaping up careers. By spending a day in a work environment, students connect to the real world and explore chosen career paths in a hands-on way.
It is our responsibility to redefine taking students out to go beyond a luxurious excursion to include an exposure to new technologies and real work environments that can trigger their imagination and push them to reflect on their unique societal issues.
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