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Early Childhood Education for Sustainable Development in Kenya

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International Research on Education for Sustainable Development in Early Childhood

Abstract

This chapter provides a review of the historical successes and the current challenges for education for sustainable development in early childhood in Kenya. Specific references are made to progress being made with regard to environmental education, gender education and intercultural education. The chapter also reports on the outcome of research trials carried out using the Environmental Rating Scale for Sustainable Development in Early Childhood (ERS-SDEC) instrument that was developed by the authors in collaboration with international colleagues in the World Organisation for Early Childhood Education (OMEP).

The research contribution of Kenya has been highly significant to the overall direction and perspective adopted in the overall international collaboration. The Kenyan experience showed most clearly the need to look beyond preschools to address the wider issues of sustainability in early childhood. It was important for the analysis of ESD in this context to address the wider issues of provision in early education, as well as the significant health and care issues relevant to sustainable development in early childhood. Kenya has substantial environmental resources which contribute towards ESD around the world, and many Kenyan children benefit from environmental education as well. Poverty is widely recognised as one of the most significant barriers to sustainable development, and cultural and ethnic diversity also provides significant challenges for ESD in Kenya.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    http://www.wageindicator.org/main/salary/minimum-wage/kenya

  2. 2.

    http://www.washinschoolsmapping.com/projects/Kenya.html

  3. 3.

    Arid and semi-arid lands

  4. 4.

    http://www.gallup.com/poll/113035/kenyans-put-national-identity-before-ethnicity.aspx

  5. 5.

    http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/article-112042/kenya-has-only-five-cent-women-house#sthash.By12DQoJ.dpuf

  6. 6.

    http://youtu.be/IGMW6YWjMxw

  7. 7.

    https://327sustainability.wordpress.com/2014/06/03/matarajio-project-gender-equality-in-kenya

  8. 8.

    http://www.kibera.org.uk/Facts.html

  9. 9.

    E.gs. https://vimeo.com/27865194 and http://youtu.be/Z76jcP-np60

  10. 10.

    See also UNESCO 2012.

  11. 11.

    See https://www.facebook.com/omep.kenya.page

  12. 12.

    IRC, UNICEF and WASH in Schools Partners, The Hague, Netherlands, 24–25 May 2011, Meeting Report: http://www.washinschools.info/page/1085

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Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the support of Rosslyne Kiragu and Jane Mwangi in OMEP Kenya and John Siraj-Blatchford in the UK. Special thanks are due to all the teachers involved in the partnership projects especially to those contributing at Kangoro, Everbest and Ng’ondu preschools in Kenya and at Grove, Lytchett Matravers and Cranborne preschools in the UK.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. OMEP Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya

    Mercy Macharia & Njeri Kimani

Authors
  1. Mercy Macharia
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  2. Njeri Kimani
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Correspondence to Mercy Macharia .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Education, University of Plymouth Institute of Education, Plymouth, United Kingdom

    John Siraj-Blatchford

  2. Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Southern Illinois University Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Carbondale, Illinois, USA

    Cathy Mogharreban

  3. Department of Early Childhood Education , Seoul, Korea (Republic of)

    Eunhye Park

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Macharia, M., Kimani, N. (2016). Early Childhood Education for Sustainable Development in Kenya. In: Siraj-Blatchford, J., Mogharreban, C., Park, E. (eds) International Research on Education for Sustainable Development in Early Childhood. International Perspectives on Early Childhood Education and Development, vol 14. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-42208-4_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-42208-4_5

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