ACCELERATING THE ATTAINMENT OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS THROUGH ICT AND DATA: STRATEGIES FOR NURTURING UNIVERSITY GRADUATES IN KENYA WITH SKILLS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY INDUSTRY

Harriet Wambui Njui

Abstract


This paper reviews literature on the skills required of graduates by the dynamic industry of the 21st Century with a view to making recommendations on the strategies and methods Kenyan universities should employ in education in order to equip learners with the skills and thus produce an effective workforce that is capable of confronting the economic and social challenges of an industrialized nation. The paper will mainly focus on the strategies and methods that universities employ in curriculum development and implementation including support services provided to learners outside formal classroom instruction (such as mentorship, academic advisory, guidance and counselling, internship, clubs and societies, sports and games and financial services such as bursary, loans and work-study). Employing the right strategies and methods to deliver education is crucial because solid holistic quality and relevant education is key to economic development of a country. It is on this premise that the Kenyan government mandated the education sector to develop learners with knowledge, skills and competences that make them productive citizens that will contribute to economic development of an industrialized nation envisioned by 2030. The sector is also expected to develop learners socially by ensuring that they are aware of fundamental human rights and obligations, national values and aspirations, and that they have the capacity to play a full part in the nation’s social and cultural development locally, nationally and internationally. Further, the education sector is required to develop learners who have the capacity to play a political role at local, national and international levels responsibly, upholding the rule of law and respect for others. It is also expected to expand democratic space and foster political participation. This mandate is well aligned with the current global trend in education that is packaged by the 21st Century skills which include communication, critical thinking, innovation, problem solving and citizenship among others. It is however paradoxical that learning institutions across the world have to-date continued offering education in the traditional knowledge based education model, despite its ineffectiveness. This paper recommends a shift to a skill and values-based model of education with ICT support, to ensure that education in Kenya produces relevant graduates for the modern dynamic industry. This could be one way of enhancing acceleration of sustainable development. 

 

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strategy; sustainable development; pedagogy; learner-centered education; skills-based education; education model

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v0i0.1010

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