What is the initiative and where is it implemented (city or country, for example)?
Kenya Vision 2030 is a development programme implemented between 2008 and 2030. Its objective is to transform Kenya into a ‘newly industrializing, middle-income country providing a high quality of life to all its citizens by 2030 in a clean and secure environment’ (Kenya Vision 2030, 2021).
How was the initiative established? How was it implemented?
Kenya Vision 2030 was launched on 10 June 2008, by President Mwai Kibaki. The strategy was designed to be implemented in several five-year stages, with the first stage covering the period between 2008 and 2012. The vision for the first stage of the plan – the First Medium Term Plan – was to meet Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. The aim of the plan was to achieve sustainable growth of the economy through a more equitable environment and increased employment opportunities. This stage of the plan focused on agriculture and rural development.
The next stage of the plan (the Second Medium Term Plan) aimed to increase the scale and pace of economic transformation through infrastructure development. Key policy actions, reforms, programmes and projects were identified to be implemented in the second stage between 2013 and 2017, emphasizing agricultural development.
The Third Medium Plan is driven by the Big Four Agenda, focusing on food security, affordable housing, manufacturing, and affordable healthcare for all – issues with the most significant impact on the well-being of Kenya’s population.
Which stakeholders are involved in the design and/or implementation of the initiative? Which sectors do they represent?
Vision 2030 is a product of collaborative participation between the Kenyan government, various consultants and stakeholders, local and international experts and the local population. The planning process was carried out between October 2006 and May 2007. It resulted in a multi-stage developmental project aiming to create a globally competitive and prosperous nation with a high-quality standard of living in a clean and secure environment.
Vision 2030 rests on four pillars: economic, social, political and the Vision enablers and macros. The economic pillar aims to achieve an average economic growth rate of 10 per cent per year and sustain the same until 2030. The social pillar seeks to create equitable social development in a clean and secure environment. The political pillar aims to realize an issue-based, people-centred, result-oriented and accountable democratic system. The fourth pillar of the Vision rests upon collaboration between the various stakeholders, governmental sectors and conditions such as macroeconomic stability, infrastructural development, science, technology and innovation (STI), land reforms, human resources development and security and public sector reforms.
What are the impacts of the initiative in terms of facilitating lifelong learning? Whom does it benefit and how?
The Vision 2030 strategy focuses on reforms and development in ten key sectors:
- agriculture,
- BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) and ICT,
- education and training,
- financial services,
- infrastructure,
- manufacturing,
- public sector reforms,
- science, technology and innovation,
- tourism,
- trade.
The initiatives within sectors rest upon one of three pillars– political, economic, and social.
Political initiatives encompass developing and sustaining democratic practices through decentralization of local decision-making. Economic initiatives focus on agriculture and rural development through legislative reforms and small-scale local projects. Social initiatives aim to achieve equity and sustainability by providing education and training for under-represented and marginalized communities.
These programmes extend across all levels, and include formal, informal, non-formal and technical and vocational education and training.
Construction of new schools
A newly developed Geographical Information System helped to map out and identify regions requiring immediate intervention. Existing schools were rehabilitated and new schools were constructed during the first stage of the Vision plan, which resulted in improved access to education in affected areas. The initiative targeted primary and secondary schools and built and equipped numerous non-formal learning and development centres.
Mainstreaming of Early Childhood Development (ECDE)
Along with Vision 2030, the Early Childhood Development policy was reviewed, numerous ECDE resource centres were established, and ECDE teachers recruited to support access to early education. The programme also provides grants (with adjustment for children with special needs) to sustain the initiative. The government also aims to develop a framework for identifying children’s inherent abilities and talents to align those with early childhood education and professional training.
Gender-sensitive interventions and the establishment of voucher system
The government has increased financial assistance for vulnerable groups to ensure equitable access to education. Supplementing existing initiatives, the new voucher system targets learners from poor households and children rescued from early marriages and child abuse.
Curriculum review and reform
This initiative is carrying out a comprehensive review of the existing curriculum to address digitization at all levels in response to national values, talent nurturing and other emerging issues in education. The government also aims to establish competency assessment facilities in at least ten centres for every year of the plan period.
Further initiatives
These include recruiting more teachers and integrating ICT into teaching and learning at all levels of education. The Laptop Programme and the Computer Supply Programme have been initiated to support this initiative.
To address the needs of TVET education in Kenya, the government will establish technical training institutions in nine counties and provide training for artisans to meet the high demands of industry. To address the challenges in capacity in formal and non-formal education and training, the government aims to establish Centres of Specialization targeted at tourism, agriculture, trade, manufacturing, financial services and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO). By constructing and rehabilitating schools and learning centres in arid and semi-arid lands (ASAL areas) and developing a detailed strategy to address the needs of these areas, the government aims to address the lack of equity in low-income communities. Education Management Information System (EMIS) Centres will be established in all counties to enhance transparency and accountability.
References
Kenya Vision 2030, 2021. [Online] Available at: http://vision2030.go.ke/ [Accessed 5 April 2021].