ID Artigo: 916
Titulo: The Ignored Half: Can Expanded Education Participation in Kenya's Arid Lands Stimulate Growth and Development?
Resumo: Arid lands constitute more than a half of Kenya's total land mass. The economic mainstay is this area has been nomadic pastoralism. Traditionally Arid Kenya has featured in the periphery of national development. As a result the area has high rates of marginalization in most sectors including education, health care, infrastructural development. This paper will focus on the salient shift that has occurred in the education planning and provision in Arid lands. From a previous "unofficial policy" that inherently viewed pastoralists as resisting change and being unduly attached to an old fashioned economic endeavour, the discourse today acknowledges mobile pastoralism as a productive livelihood system best suited to drylands. In this spirit, mobile school provisions that are more attuned to pastoralism have been adopted. The electronic media, specifically, Radio is being exploited to reach unreached children. More funds are allocated to arid lands by government. A specific ministry has been constituted to coordinate and spearhead development in arid lands. While these positive actions are commended, the paper argues that holistic affirmative action is needed to redress decades of exclusion. A curriculum perspective that moves beyond recognizing pastoralism to expanding knowledge on drylands is critical. If this succeeds, formal education will have succeeded in equipping citizens to secure their own future.
Palavras Chave: