In the past few weeks, Kenya saw a movement like no other. Protests fueled by bad governance and mismanagement of public funds, led thousands of youths to go to the streets. The spark was a fire that raged across the country, and with uncertainty of what could result from this, schools were forced to shut down earlier than planned, for mid term break. This was a minor inconvenience, but it raises the question of how much education in an unstable country could be affected.
While education is key for every child, in certain circumstances, it might not appear to be paramount, especially when the safety of the students and the teachers is involved. The internet played a crucial role in the success of the movement in Kenya. However, we realize now, how easily it could also create the opposite effect.
In a lot of places across the world where there is political instability, schools are shut down completely. Unfortunately, the rest of the world moves forward, leaving these countries behind. Unrests affect the students and in the long run, the larger community. Illiteracy and poverty are just some of the effects of unrest on education. In communities in Kenya with long standing history of violence, the evidence of the consequences is in the conditions of those communities. Baringo and the larger northern Kenya for example, have seen great losses, which keep communities on survival mode with no regards for education.
Establishing boarding schools in places with unrest could help protect the children in times of danger. While in the long run, the government and the communities need to find a permanent and sustainable solution to their conflicts and peaceful means of conflict resolution, there should be established systems to keep the children safe. The constant disruption not only affects their education but their minds too, creating uncertainty and fear, that at any point, anything could go wrong.
Our communities should commit more, to the well-being and education of our children. The unfortunate incidents of school children being shot and killed, even in the recent protests is disheartening and heartbreaking. A lot of hopes and dreams, both individual and communal go with those children. Additionally, they have nothing to do with whatever chaos have erupted around them, and deserve to be protected by all parties involved. For children that have witnessed unrests, schools and communities should try to provide counselling to help them cope with any loss or trauma they might have endured.
In general however, all of our commitments should be to, as much as we can, protecting children and preserving them, both physically and mentally, from the traumas of societal evils, encouraging them not to give up on their dreams even when situations seem dire, and finding ways to keep the learning going.
Comments