The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is rooting for the empowerment of learners with knowledge, values, attitudes, and skills that will transform them into agents of peace within their communities.
According to UNESCO, the surge in violent conflicts, coupled with increasing discrimination and hate speech, transcends geographical, gender, race, religion, and political boundaries, both offline and online.
In its fifth year since the United Nations declared January 24 as the International Day of Education in 2018, UNESCO is emphasizing the immediate necessity for a dedicated commitment to peace.
“Recognizing the urgency of fostering peace, UNESCO emphasizes the crucial role of education, aligning with the UNESCO Recommendation on Education for Peace, Human Rights, and Sustainable Development.’” The UN specialized agency says in its report.
Kenya has taken broad steps in ensuring that its education sector has been transformed to meet the needs of the future. In 2017, the government unveiled a new system dubbed the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) system, bringing an end to the 8-4-4 education system that existed for 32 years since 1985.
According to UNESCO, education remains a human right, a public good, and a public responsibility protected by the constitution and international law with the Kenyan laws including the 2010 Constitution, The Basic Education Act, 2013, and the Children’s Act.
The international laws include the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, 1966, Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989, African Charters on the Welfare and Rights of the Child, and International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination.
Gene Gituku
