Many research studies are showing that most students are not learning in school; some find it difficult to read and understand simple sentences even in their own local languages. This situation leads the authors to ask two related questions. What kinds of educational assistance programs can help improve the quality of learning for millions of learners in a way that honors and respects the dignity of their lives? How can educational leaders develop educational programs bearing in mind the differences within education systems and among students? This chapter attempts to answer these questions by highlighting two educational assistant models that seek to respond to the challenge. The two models tap into the differences between and within schools and use it to provide educational environments that are conducive for learning and self-reflection. The chapter argues that educators who take their time to study the differences within their school environment and take proactive steps to use those differences to teach students have a better chance of improving the quality of learning for all learners. The findings, also, lead the authors to suggest that there is a need for a new bottom-up theory of change that gives opportunities to locals to lead in almost all aspects of the problem-solving process.

Kenya’s 2017 competency-based curriculum, the Basic Education Curriculum Framework (BECF), seeks to address the skills gap in the education system and make the curriculum relevant to learners. Using Soka education as the philosophical framework, we provide a comprehensive review of BECF. The analysis in this essay covers the noteworthy provisions, double-edge policies, inconsistencies, issues of concern, and potential hurdles to implementation. It argues that the curriculum is not likely to produce the intended outcome due to inherent contradictions in the framework and the lack of an effective implementation plan. While BECF provides a broad and ambitious roadmap for the transformation of the Kenyan education system, actualizing the bold vision of BECF will require an extensive overhaul of the education system, a herculean task

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