The challenge: The Government of Kenya has made commendable efforts to increase access to education and implement various reforms in the education sector. Through various policy initiatives and programs, the government has sought to make education more accessible and inclusive for its citizens.
While the government’s efforts have led to significant progress in improving access to education and lowering education fees, local private schools still face numerous challenges including a lack of quality teaching, poor classroom infrastructure and scant availability of teaching materials. All these factors affect the quality of education offered to the Kenyan lower and middle-income segment schools. This in turn results in societal problems including limited employment opportunities, decreased productivity and economic inefficiency, reduced innovation, limited social mobility and lack of global competitiveness.
Our response: Addressing the problems associated with poor-quality education requires concerted efforts to improve teacher training, curriculum design, access to educational resources, and infrastructural development. This is why Pharo Foundation is partnering with Tender Care Junior Academy, a private local curriculum school making quality education widely accessible. Tender Care Junior Academy and Pharo Foundation share a common vision of educating and developing a well-rounded student who can contribute to local and global social and economic change. Over the last 27 years, the school has achieved outstanding academic results in the Kenyan national examinations and we are looking to build on this.
Pharo Foundation seeks to further enhance the quality of education offered to these students by providing resources that would otherwise not be available to such schools. Tender Care Junior Academy will benefit from becoming part of the Pharo Schools network. It will strive for excellence in all 5 Pillars of success: (1) Quality Pedagogy, (2) Quality Curriculum, (3) Quality Teachers, (4) Quality School Environment and (5) Quality School Leadership.
Our goal is to take the school to even greater heights academically and socially by investing in the students. Our focus areas for the school include:
Technology integration – provide access to digital learning resources that enhance the learning experience of students, foster blended learning, and equip students with excellent IT skills.
Infrastructure development – invest in excellent school facilities to create a conducive learning environment.
Teacher support and capacity building – establish teacher training programs that focus on modern teaching techniques, classroom management, teacher retention and student-centred learning.
Curriculum enhancement – offer a wide range of extracurricular activities to complement the national curriculum and teach 21st century skills with a strong focus on STEM, English and IT.
Parent and community engagement – establish open lines of communication with parents and involve them in their child’s education to foster a supportive learning environment both at school and at home.
Partnerships and collaboration – collaborate with local organisations, schools, and educational experts to bring new perspectives, resources and opportunities to the school.