a. Gender
b. Community Involvement
c. Education Communities of Practice
Inclusive education means that all students attend and are welcomed by their neighborhood schools in age-appropriate, regular classes and are supported to learn, contribute and participate in all aspects of the life of the school[1].It involves bringing all students together in one classroom and community, regardless of their strengths or weaknesses in any area, and seeks to maximize the potential of all students by appreciating diversity, appropriating individual support and services as per needs and adopting classroom teaching styles that support learning for all children.[2] Inclusion is a global agenda especially encompassed in various international frameworks. Kenya advocates for inclusive education in the constitution[3] of and in the education act[4] among other legal provisions. The Aga Development Network (AKDN) through its agencies supports the government towards attaining access to quality education for all through the Strengthening Education Systems in East Africa (SESEA) project. The objective of SESEA is to improve learner outcomes Kwale, Kilifi and Mombasa counties. The key areas of interventions are school improvement, teacher professional development and learning and dialogue initiatives. This paper will link the role of AKDN as a key development partner in supporting inclusion both in policy and practice and specifically how the agencies support inclusion in education programming. The discussion will be guided by the education act of Kenya which gives a broad perspective of inclusive education to factor in such realities like, marginalization, vulnerable children, disability, arid and semi-arid areas, poverty, gender. Inclusion will be discussed beyond children’s access to education to encompass the provision of quality services within the education systems for improved learner outcomes. The aim of the paper will be to share the model that have been successful for replication and as well seek areas that require further collaboration.
Community Engagement The systemic approach towards the support of inclusive education is key in implementation of the AKDN interventions. Using the Whole school Approach as the overarching strategy in school development planning the organization as a recognition of the significance of parental involvement in school development process, enhancing ownership and support for the implementation of school development plans. The paper will discuss how collaborative approach ensures matters that affect inclusion are identified and prioritized. Inclusion in this regards will be discussed as an element to ensure effective participation of stakeholders during planning and implementation of development plans and the equality of opportunities provided for all leaners within the school community.
Communities of Practice Communities of practice involve people who engage in a collective learning in shared subject of interest. Education communities of practice (ECOP) is the model that is adopted by AKDN, is a group of educationists mostly teachers that engage in reflective practice at school and cluster level to enhance peer supported professional development to improve the quality of lessons delivery in their respective schools. The role of reflective practice in teacher professional development is a case that will be argued for ensuring effective and quality delivery of services at school and classroom levels for all children. By use of examples derived from reports and interview from key informants the paper will demonstrate how reflective practice promotes child friendly schools which are one of the major indicators of inclusion.
Gender mainstreaming Gender mainstreaming is a crosscutting theme within AKDN network. The paper will discuss how the project has used the various opportunities to integrate gender in the various levels of implementation; school management, and classroom practice. At the management level focus will how school communities allocate resources to ensure equal opportunity for both boys and girls. At professional level the discussion will be how gender responsive pedagogy has improved classroom practice to address individual learning needs in terms of content, material, assessment and feedback. Based on gender analysis reports and the project activity reports, the focus will be on the transformations that have been realized by schools in mainstreaming gender, putting forward the need for further collaboration in supporting gender responsive initiative and a mechanism for determining success.
Presentations
Stories of Our Own: An Impact Evaluation Report on the Reading for Children Program in the Kinango District of Kenya Prepared for the Aga Khan Foundation by Josh Cleveland
Mr. Francis Kalu
Ms. Aisha Abeid
Professional Learning Networks
Ms. Rose Iminza and Maina WaGĩokõ
Gender responsive pedagogies in the classroom: a case of Aga Khan Academy- professional development center program implementation.
Presenters: Ms. Rose Iminza and Abdi Adan
Stories of Our Own: An Impact Evaluation Report on the Reading for Children Program in the Kinango District of Kenya Prepared for the Aga Khan Foundation by Josh Cleveland
Mr. Francis Kalu
Ms. Aisha Abeid
Professional Learning Networks
Ms. Rose Iminza and Maina WaGĩokõ
Gender responsive pedagogies in the classroom: a case of Aga Khan Academy- professional development center program implementation.
Presenters: Ms. Rose Iminza and Abdi Adan