Many cultures and colors: one goal

Traveling over long distances can be exhausting, but sometimes it can be also rewarding depending on the comfort of the flight and the route. As I returned home from the Global Media Forum, I had over four hours to wait for my flight from Germany to Nairobi. I took advantage of those long hours to read some newspapers.

Even though I was not looking for articles on education, all the newspapers I read touched on this topic, reminding me that it is an issue that affects all areas of our life. Articles in a German publication and in a publication from the Gulf region that I read took up the same questions of culture and education.

The German publication stressed the importance of German institutions becoming more international so that Germany can produce excellent students and scientists able to compete on a global platform. My father would agree. He encouraged us to attend schools beyond our home area. His thought was that by living in these cultures, we would learn some soft skills beyond the subjects taught in class, such as intercultural communication and tolerance of people different from us. He, therefore, was happy to let me study in Germany with others from more than 10 other cultures. I described this before as a ‘global classroom.’ The article proposed that more universities in Germany should have a strategy to internationalize themselves. I think Germany has already started this, taking an example of the master’s program I did, which was not only composed of international students and teachers but was also taught partly in English and in German.

Globalization at our finger tips

The other article from a publication in Dubai posed the question: Who are internationally educated children? The publication asserted that children benefit from stepping outside of their own culture. Globalization and its effects on education and on life in general demand from us that we extend our knowledge beyond our horizons. The so-called ‘international students/learners’ are more tolerant of different cultures, races, religions, opinions, and, as such, may be less prejudiced. Even later when they start working, they are more marketable on the job market, as multi-cultural skills are one of the strengths that international companies look for.

In Kenya, there are just a few international students, either on exchange or learning English from China and Turkey. I think the low number is mostly the result of doubt about the quality of education here. Kenya also needs a strategy to internationalize its education system – especially at the universities – to make it attractive for international students and professors.

All aboard for the GMF cruise...

I have spent three days now at the Global Media Forum. I have met the other bloggers, I have made new friends and met old friends from all over the world. I have eaten and even danced during the famous GMF boat ride on the Rhine River. So besides the serious side of the conference, there is also a fun part to it.

One of my areas of interest as a trained journalist and as a trainer of people in media is the influence of the advancing digital world on journalism. That’s why I attended a workshop organized by the DW Akademie with the title: New Trainers for New Media? Challenges for Human Resources Development in Media Support in a Fast-Changing Media Landscape.

The media environment has changed rapidly and continues to change because of great technological strides being made all over the world. For example, with the growing importance of social media, how do institutions training media professionals adapt to the new challenges it presents? Or should we think of this as a completely new area of media? This, of course, has a great impact on the environment for publishers, journalists, etc. The workshop focused on questions such as: What do trainers need to provide in training to make their students fit for the future? What are the benchmarks for human resources development in media outlets?

One of the questions that came up was the relationship between media trainers that come from abroad and sustainability. In my experience, it is very common to see trainers come in from the West to developing countries with best practice methodology and high-end equipment, who conduct highly professional seminars and workshops on location. After they leave, the project that they start is either not carried through or dies off after some time. This issue set off a round of discussion during this workshop. The conclusion was that the investment in knowledge is never lost, but, nevertheless, there needs to be a greater sense of ownership from the locals when it comes to such programs and projects.

Media trainers need to keep the sustainability of their projects in mind

From my experience in offering media training to people living in slums, I find that even for me as a Kenyan from a different community, I also face this challenge. For example, I can have what I think will be a great idea for a film for my students in the slums. However, the students – as people who actually live there – may disagree with my points of view simply because I cannot relate to their situation as well as they can. The best method should perhaps be to support local filmmakers and storytellers. It is important to have understanding for the culture of the place where you are shooting  films and have a passion for storytelling.

Listening to the discussion, another thing that struck me was the question of new media and how journalistic training institutions can balance and/or adapt curricula to a changing media environment. Striking a balance between meeting the commercial needs of the media market while training journalists versus focusing on traditional journalistic skills is something that media academies need to consider. People were in agreement at the conference: Digital skills should not replace journalistic skills. Even if the curriculum changes to keep up with the pace of industry, training institutes should be careful not to lose sight of the essentials.

I particularly liked this workshop as it touched the very topics I am passionate about. Namely: storytelling, media, journalism and training. I have really enjoyed learning and discussing at the conference.

Many Kenyans depend on light from a fire to study in the evening

Last weekend and the beginning of this week have been fascinating. If you had asked me a few weeks ago, before I started to write these blogs if the work I do had anything to do with education, I would have answered with a strong no. I would have mentioned that I train youth in media skills and that I also work with an educational foundation that helps develop solar light capacity in schools. Of course, these activities have everything to do with education. Writing for this blog has highlighted this rather obvious fact to me.

This past weekend, the young people I work with at Filamujuani along with my partner and I finally launched TV Mtaani – community TV in the Kibera slums in Nairobi. This idea was born in early 2009. The community TV is a platform for youth to tell their own stories to the community and about the community they live in. Content will generally be edutainment or infotainment, consisting of local news, local features, adverts and drama among others. It was exhilarating to see the community congregate at the school grounds and watch the show projected on a wall.

Both girls and boys face educational hurdles in Masailand

No sooner had I wrapped up the show in Kibera, than I was on my way to Narok County with Givewatts. This time we were distributing solar lanterns to schools in the heart of Masailand. These communities live among the wild animals, very close to the Masai Mara Reserve Park and many other nature conservation areas. These nomadic communities definitely struggle to achieve education for all – boys and girls alike. Samuel Pere is a teacher at Tumaini Academy, one of the schools we visited. He told me that most parents do not really appreciate the value of education. Boys were expected to accompany the livestock in search of greener pastures and water, a scene we witnessed along the road. Lanky but jovial boys tending to large herds of cattle or sheep, a long stick in hand. This means they miss school a lot especially during the dry seasons when usable pasture is scarce.

Girls faced more challenges with education as they are expected to get married around the age of 14. In all of the schools we visited, the low number of girls in class was discouraging. Mr Pere mentioned that his school has 85 pupils with only 38 girls. He was quick to mention, though, that this was starting to change. The solar lanterns, he added, would make a whole lot of difference as parents who found it a burden to purchase kerosene on a daily basis would now be motivated by the use of ‘modern,’ cleaner sources of light. This would, in turn, have a ripple effect as parents copy each other when they see their neighbors’ children learning by using such lights. The Manyattas (traditional Masai houses) are pitch black with the fireplace as the only source of light, which some students use to study.

As I travel to Germany this weekend for the Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum (GMF) on Education and Culture, I cannot help but reflect on how many things I have taken for granted as I went through my education. I look forward to hearing from participants at the conference about their own experiences and finally meeting the other bloggers.

Participants in Filamujuani

I had a busy weekend recently. The organization that I coordinate – Filamujuani – was shooting the second episode of a TV show called Zuki. It was amazing, though, to see the students of Filamjuani finally coming of age, taking the reins and running the show completely.

The TV series is about a schoolgirl born in Kibera whose passion is music, but unfortunately, she has no avenues to learn it.  She has a talent that even she doesn’t understand. Whenever there’s music, Zuki cannot only hear it, she can see it.  But living in the slums of Kibera, there isn’t much she can do about it. One is grateful to get even a basic education in Kibera. Getting any kind of extra-curricular experience in things like music, sports, art, film or theater is a pure luxury. Unfortunately these may just be the subjects that lead to a career for many of these students. Zuki’s story is the story of many. She, however, finds her means and pursues music behind her mothers’ back.

The story of Zuki is not just familiar to learners from poor backgrounds. The majority of pupils in Kenya do not have the time and opportunity to pursue extra-curricular activities. I believe that a good education, irrespective of the subject one has studied, should result in an empowered individual: someone able to use skills acquired to find their way around the next journey of their life. Every stage of education should hand one the tools to navigate successfully to the next stage of education, or life. What happens, though, is somehow the opposite. Education here kills creativity. One is overwhelmed with theories, and at the end of it all, one walks away desolate and none the wiser.

The young people getting media training can go on to become trainers themselves

Our system of education prepares us for office jobs. Only recently a few other courses such as entrepreneurship were introduced. Since we cannot all work in the corner office with glass windows, what should the rest of us do? Besides the education system, our parents also have a hand in deciding what we study, as they are the ones who pay the fees. Most of them are keen to invest in subjects such as science and math – subjects that are considered lucrative.  After secondary school, anyone should be able to apply skills learned. This is not the case, though, particularly for students in disadvantaged societies. A post-secondary education is not very common. Parents argue that educating a child until the secondary level is enough, especially when they have other younger children. The parents feel that instead of one child using the few resources that they have, the other kids should have a chance, too.

Most of the students at Filamujuani have finished formal secondary school education after which neither they nor their parents know what they should do. Filamujuani offers those interested in media and film the chance to acquire skills in these areas, earn money and, with time, impart the same knowledge to others. Watching the students call the shots recently was fulfilling. I feel it is time they imparted the same knowledge to others.

Free education has led to more girls visiting schools

At the beginning of 2003, school fees were abolished in Kenya’s public primary and, later, secondary schools. This was implemented under the Free Primary Education (FPE) programs. Parents and Kenyans in general were thrilled. Finally a government that actually works in the interest of its public, they thought. More importantly: this meant access to education for many more who could not afford to pay the school fees. All they had to do was buy a school uniform.
I think this was a good idea. A load had been taken off the parents. A very big plus for FPE is that there was now a higher female enrollment in schools because finally the parents could not say school fees were too high to send their daughters. The government also made an effort to mobilize parents to take advantage of FPE to take their girls to school. Enrollment increased, and people were content.

But as a consequence, there was an influx of students in the public schools. Classrooms were bursting with students. The government seemed to have implemented a very good idea without really thinking it through in detail. Or maybe they did not expect the euphoric Kenyans to send their children to school in such droves.

The numbers grew, but the classrooms did not, and neither did the number of teachers. Imagine a teacher to student ratio of 1:40! The quality of education was absolutely compromised. The teachers were also ill prepared to handle the new mixture of students. Suddenly there were students who had never been to school, sitting in the same class with students who were much more advanced than they were. A case in point is the phenomenal story of the oldest pupil in the world. Upon hearing that primary education was now free, Mr. Kimani Maruge at the age of 84 enrolled himself in primary school, learning together with children as young as 5 years old. Such determination! Mr. Maruge made headlines and was crowned the world’s oldest pupil. A movie was made based on his story. You can watch the trailer here: http://www.thefirstgrader-themovie.com/trailer/

Reforms led to more students for each teacher

Another twist to the FPE program, though, was that more private schools began to mushroom in the country as parents who were concerned about the quality and education their children were receiving – and who had enough money – moved their children to private schools. As a result of the rising demand, these schools became very expensive, almost unaffordable.

There’s another problem: There were many hidden costs that were not classified as school fees but which, in total, cost a hefty amount of money, hampering the efforts made by the government. Was it back to the starting point for the parents, students and teachers?

This led to discussions that the government likely did not anticipate. It raised questions about gaps in Kenyan social classes. When people talked about equal chances at education, they were not referring to the gender issue only, rather also to the issue of social class. And the issues have now shifted away from just access to education to access to quality education.

Despite the discussion, the problems continue. A great idea but poorly implemented!