•Other unique subjects include financial literacy, where students are taught how to navigate the money markets
Image: Douglas Okiddy
What does your child they learn during their school hours? Most parents want their children to turn out well, both academically and in life skills.
However, not as many school curricula include unique subjects such as leadership, or financial literacy, or incorporating new ideas in the market such as blockchain and cryptocurrency. At times a few individual schools may have to create content that can help train children with life skills, beyond the academic programme. Those are few.
But this is not the case with a number of international schools. One such institution was among exhibitors at a recently ended international schools fair held in Village Market between April 27 and 29.
“We are teaching children to be prepared for the 21st century. We want them to be people who are able to apply the skills they have learnt to the changing world,” said Jenny Coetzee, managing director of Crawford International School in an interview.
The students, who are learning in the British curriculum, are trained from lower primary in an extra course on leadership, United Nations values and national values. Mwangi Muchiri is the author of the leadership curriculum materials, and also facilitator of the teaching in the school. In the lower primary section, leadership is taught through role playing, reading, group discussion and games.
“We use a story line that develops the idea of choosing another king of the jungle, since the animals feel that king lion is too tough on them. They want a democratic leader,” says Mwangi, who also trains the teachers on how to use the books and games. In upper classes, the learning goes beyond role play to discussing issues such as patriotism, integrity, how to deal with anger among other values.
Other unique subjects include financial literacy, where students are taught how to navigate the money markets, having an entrepreneurial mindset, and blockchain.
Another school for the 21st century is Sabis International, which investor Centum CEO James Mworia said has capacity for more than 2,000 students. So far, it has over 100 students since opening last year. The children joining year one are expected to use tablets which are preloaded with ebooks for use in learning, and use the British curriculum where students go up to A levels.
The Bible curriculum is big at the School of Nations. Located along Peponi Road in Nairobi, the institution inculcates values that the holy book has espoused for millennia. Values such as honesty, kindness, prayer and worship along with academic curriculum work.
Agakhan High School, located along Waiyaki Way, is active on the national scene in various sports including swimming, music festivals and drama. The day high school offers both 8-4-4 curriculum and the international IGCSE curriculum.
“We are a co-educational school, and other than classroom instruction, we are big on drama, music and sports,” said Carol Nyaga, the deputy principal at the school.