Across campuses and TVET institutes, many students quietly admit they chose programmes because they were “available,” “sponsored,” or “marketable,” not because they felt deeply called to that path. This disconnect between study choices and inner conviction often leads to disengagement, mental health struggles, and a sense that education is something to “survive” rather than a tool to build a meaningful life.
True education invites learners to wrestle with questions of purpose early and often: Who am I? What problems move me? Where my strengths and community needs intersect? Kenya’s curriculum framework already emphasises personal development and self-fulfilment, but guidance and career services are still weak in many schools and universities. Strengthening mentorship, coaching, and reflective practices through portfolio assessments, journaling, school-community dialogues, and alumni networks would turn CBC’s competencies into lived purpose rather than paperwork.
Purpose-driven education also acknowledges multiple pathways to success: entrepreneurship, creative industries, agriculture, community leadership, religious and ethical service, and digital innovation. When learners see that their gifts are valid even if they do not fit narrow academic rankings, they become more willing to take initiative, fail forward, and stay curious beyond exams.
Kenya’s Vision 2030 and education strategic plans frame learning as a driver of sustainable development. Yet a “skills mismatch” persists, with over 60% of graduates reported as underprepared for the labour market and for civic engagement. True education should tilt every stage of learning from pre-primary to postgraduate towards visible contribution.
This means designing learning experiences where:
- Primary and junior secondary learners undertake simple service projects (tree planting, waste management, peer reading clubs) that count towards assessment, not just as “extracurricular”.
- TVET and university students regularly solve real problems for SMEs, county governments, and community organisations through structured internships, innovation challenges, and action research.
- Assessment systems, including those of KNEC and universities, reward collaboration, ethical decision-making, and innovation not only individual recall of content.
- When contribution becomes normal, learners stop asking “Will this be in the exam?” and start asking “Who does this help?” That question alone can transform how knowledge is sought and used.
Towards an identity-rich Kenyan learning ecosystem
Across my own journey in education, some of the most transformative people I have met were not necessarily top of the class; they were those who dared to choose a human path teachers in under-resourced schools who turned classrooms into communities, youth who left safer careers to build social enterprises, or graduates who returned to rural counties to pioneer new ideas. Their stories remind us that education is not only about employability; it is about becoming the kind of person who can serve with competence, courage, and compassion.
Kenya now stands at a critical point: CBC, digital transformation, and youth demographic realities have opened a window to redefine what it means to be “educated.” If schools, universities, religious institutions, families, and employers choose to work together, the country can move from a system obsessed with selection and ranking to an ecosystem that cultivates identity, purpose, and contribution in every learner.
When education finally embraces humanity as boldly as it has embraced reform documents, learning will cease to be a destination reached at graduation. It will become a lifelong companion, enabling Kenyans of all ages to know who they are, to pursue what matters, and to leave their communities better than they found them.
Dr. Yusuf Muchelule is a Senior Lecturer & a Consultant
