Tucheze Kujifunza (TUKU) Whole School Approach Project

The Education Project was funded by the Aga Khan Foundation aiming at imparting young children with the essential knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values by incorporating play pedagogies in formal, non-formal, and informal learning. We employed a whole-school approach that brought together all stakeholders in education collectively to identify and solve problems facing learners. Through this approach, the project sought to increase confidence in the competency-based curriculum (CBC) as an education process that promotes positive relationships and interactions between learners and communities of diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and cultures. It also aimed at fostering curiosity, imagination, resilience, and capacity of learners to care for their well-being, their families, friends, communities, and the global village.

The envisioned competencies and qualities included promoting critical thinking, problem solving, curiosity, and resilience, as well as instilling a sense of respect and care for their communities and personal well-being. This vision is in line with the LEGO Foundation's strategy of prioritizing play-based principles to empower learners to become the builders of tomorrow. The project leveraged on Kenya's new competency-based curriculum (CBC) as the current enabling environment.

By involving education professionals, DAYO reached 858 participants (M-407, F-451 PWDs - 19) who opportunities to ask questions through community forums thus gaining deeper knowledge about the competency-based curriculum. 170 participants from 7 schools (BOM, PTA, Teachers and Parents) were orientated on the whole school approach and supported in coming up with action plans with own solutions to the challenges earlier faced while implementing CBC.

Through the project, the community members identified the successes achievable through community participation by comparing scenarios where grants involved the community in building toilets remained durable and functioning to date as opposed to others built without involving the community that collapsed during heavy rains. Secondly, each of the 7 schools represented carried out a SWOT analysis of their own institutions and developed action plans for improvement. The project also secured commitments, leadership, ownership and buy-in from the stakeholders for the improvement plans. The forums also enabled the education professionals to identify the challenges and concerns of the community members about the competency-based curriculum including inadequate resources, need for additional training for teachers, and the need to increase classrooms for Junior Secondary School (JSS).

In addition, through the forums, the community members got an opportunity to contribute to the government tribunal on education at the time of the project. Through the project activities, the participating parents stated their commitment to taking part in and monitoring the kind of play their children are participating in both at home and at school