I am straying a bit from our normal topics....but it is important!
As we are swathed in pink this month (which is a great thing) I cannot help but think of all the women, young and old, we work with in Kenya and the complete lack of access to treatment for breast cancer in Kenya.
I had the opportunity to meet with a physician at Kijabi Hospital in 2013. We discussed what happens to women, in Kenya, who are diagnosed with breast cancer. For those who have the means to travel to the US or Europe their future is the same as for those living in either of those locales. However, for most women this is not an option. By the time they arrive at the hospital the cancer is to far advanced since most women are not aware of what may be happening.
When we started working in Kenya one of the things we addressed with the women in the village was how to do self-examinations. Women must be made aware of how to take care of their own bodies. Women are the backbone of Kenyan families and are the ones who push to keep their children in school.
If you work in developing nations, please think about how you might be able to make a difference when it comes to breast cancer.
In this case, what you do not know will hurt you.
Think pink!
Debra
Former assistant minister for Higher Education Kilemi Mwiria who heads a taskforce on secondary school fees. Dr Mwiria said that the forum will examine the proposed guidelines and give suggestions on how they can be implemented. PHOTO/FILE.
In Summary
- Some national schools charge as much as Sh120,000, locking out children from poor backgrounds.
A conference to review the proposed secondary school fees opens in Nairobi this morning.
In a statement, the chairman of the Task force on Secondary Schools Fees, Dr Kilemi Mwiria, said that the forum will examine the proposed guidelines and give suggestions on how they can be implemented.
The proposed guidelines are to be introduced in schools in January if everything goes according to plan.
The conference at the Centre for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education in Africa in Karen will bring together teachers’ unions, heads of secondary schools, representatives of parents’ associations, county education teams, religious groups, civil society organisations and Ministry of Education officials.
“Our objective is to come up with new guidelines through an inclusive and consultative process and ultimately make education affordable and accessible to all,” Dr Mwiria said.
The team was created in April and tasked with seeking views on ways and means to reduce fees. Although current guidelines stipulate that day schools should charge about Sh13,000 and a maximum for Sh26,000 by national schools annually, most charge three times the recommended fees.
Some national schools charge as much as Sh120,000, locking out children from poor backgrounds.
Schools are also known to insist on parents buying textbooks, stationery and non-essential items like hockey sticks.
Figure not enough
The government provides grants of about Sh10,265 per student every year to subsidise tuition fees in secondary schools, a figure that is likely to go up.
However, school principals have been insisting that the figure is not enough.
In this year’s Budget Statement read by Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich, the government promised to increase the allocation by about 33 per cent.
In a statement, the chairman of the Task force on Secondary Schools Fees, Dr Kilemi Mwiria, said that the forum will examine the proposed guidelines and give suggestions on how they can be implemented.
The proposed guidelines are to be introduced in schools in January if everything goes according to plan.
The conference at the Centre for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education in Africa in Karen will bring together teachers’ unions, heads of secondary schools, representatives of parents’ associations, county education teams, religious groups, civil society organisations and Ministry of Education officials.
“Our objective is to come up with new guidelines through an inclusive and consultative process and ultimately make education affordable and accessible to all,” Dr Mwiria said.
The team was created in April and tasked with seeking views on ways and means to reduce fees. Although current guidelines stipulate that day schools should charge about Sh13,000 and a maximum for Sh26,000 by national schools annually, most charge three times the recommended fees.
Some national schools charge as much as Sh120,000, locking out children from poor backgrounds.
Schools are also known to insist on parents buying textbooks, stationery and non-essential items like hockey sticks.
Figure not enough
The government provides grants of about Sh10,265 per student every year to subsidise tuition fees in secondary schools, a figure that is likely to go up.
However, school principals have been insisting that the figure is not enough.
In this year’s Budget Statement read by Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich, the government promised to increase the allocation by about 33 per cent.