In a recent study conducted by the Assessment of Life Skills and Values in East Africa (ALiVE), it was discovered that only 2% of Ugandan adolescents are proficient in problem-solving. Shocking, isn’t it? Proficiency in this context means that the adolescents are able to recognise existence of a problem from different perspectives, understand that there may be multiple solutions, be able to evaluate the alternatives and then select what they think could be the best solution. Read full blog
The Uasin Gishu Youth Initiative with Zizi Afrique Foundation, a local non-governmental organisation organised a successful dissemination of a report on the assessment of life skills and values (ALiVE) among teenagers in Eldoret. The initiative seeks to enhance Kenyan education systems among school-going children within the age of 13-17 years by equipping them with the skills and values for learning, living and for working. Speaking during the report launch, ZiZi Afrique Uasin Gishu County Coordinator Joshua Kemboi, said the skills include problem-solving, collaboration, self-awareness, and respect, with literacy and digital literacy as additional areas. The coordinator said that in order to promote early childhood development, the national curriculum should emphasize the development of life skills and values as there has been less emphasis on life skills and values. “We need to incorporate life skills and values in the curriculum from pre-primary to university level to churn out a graduate ready for the job market,” he said. Read full blog
ALiVE has developed a valid and reliable tool for assessing problem solving, collaboration, self-awareness, and respect proficiencies of in and out-of-school adolescents in Uganda. This report draws attention to several issues which have implications for assessing life skills and values as well as developing life skills and nurturing values in East Africa. This is a call to action for all of us – how do we move from having a tool and evidence to ensuring that all our children in Uganda have the needed life skills and values to navigate the 21st century world? A total of 11,074 adolescents aged 13-17 years, from 7,815 households across 400 enumeration areas in 20 districts participated in the assessment. The assessment was conducted by 734 volunteers, 66 teacher trainees, 20 district coordinators, and 40 village coordinators, with support from the local leaders, and ALiVE team. Read the full report
“We are assessing three skills, and one value. We are assessing the skill of problem solving, collaboration and self-awareness, plus the value of respect. In every household, we are assessing one to two adolescents, and that gives us a minimum of 8,000 learners or adolescents that we assess. It is really critically important because this is the first time in East Africa that life skills and values are being assessed at a large scale,” she said. Read full blog
