A tailored curriculum has been adopted by more than 170 schools that border major water towers in the country.
The water towers will be preserved by the move.
The pioneer syllabus is used in schools near Mau Eburu, South West Mau forest and Aberdares as well as Mt Kenya forests. It covers soil conservation and pollution, water and tourism, and goes beyond what the Competency-Based curriculum offers.
“When CBC came in place, we had already designed the curriculum and it was being piloted in schools. The conservation curriculum had exactly what was in some subjects under CBC,” said Alfred Orina, the chair of the teachers’ implementation committee.
The Conservation Education Curriculum, also known as the program, was launched in 2018 by Rhino Ark, Ministries of Environment, Education, Science and Technology. It was developed under a public/private partnership.
South West Mau has 46 schools participating in the program, while Eburu has 32 schools. 93 schools are enrolled in Aberdares, Mt Kenya.
However, the curriculum can be different across water towers.
Schools bordering the South West focus on the forest blocks in the area. This highlights the challenges and the wildlife, and what can be done about them.
Learners are taught about endangered wildlife in schools located around Eburu Forest. They learn about how to stop or reduce the effects of hunting, logging, charcoal burning, and logging.
Mt Kenya and Aberdare teach students about tourism and endangered species, as well as possible solutions.
“While undertaking their practical sessions, the learners tend their own tree nurseries and plant trees in part of the degraded areas in the forest,” Orinda said.
The curriculum begins in Grade Four in primary school, and continues through high school.
Water is taught to Grade Four students in a variety of ways. The topic covers a variety of topics, including water sources, the importance and conservation of wetlands.
Standard Five focuses on wildlife and the learners are discouraged to hunt. Standard Six teaches soil and topics that deal with degradation from poor farming practices and charcoal-burning.
Standard Seven teaches the pupils about the environment and Standard Eight teaches them about forestry.
Secondary schools have topics that are similar, but a little more extensive. It also includes practical sessions.
Orina said that while there are no examinations for the curriculum, learners are assessed through projects. The lessons can be taught in conjunction with other topics seamlessly.
“We integrate the lessons seamlessly because it is almost the same thing. We have environmental classes that are a replica of this. To assess students’ understanding, teachers use practical, oral lessons and demonstrations to gauge it. We have these projects on Wednesdays and Fridays after classes,” Orina explained.
He says that schools have been able to adopt the curriculum and come up with projects such as water harvesting, tree nurseries, and many have also adopted energy saving jikos.
Cynthia Chepng’eno, a Kures Primary School student, said that the curriculum not only provided them with knowledge about their ecosystem, but also allowed them to earn revenue through projects.
“We sell trees to state agencies and corporates who want to rehabilitate the forest. We make some money by selling trees to state agencies and corporates who want to rehabilitate the forest. This money can be used for projects. We raised Sh2,500 last time we sold seedlings which we used to buy storybooks. Previously, we got money which we channelled to our school lunch programme,” Chepngeno said.
Isaac Kiplang’at is a Standard Seven student who said that besides planting trees to restore the forests, they also learn about the South West Mau’s animals and why they should be protected.
“Initially, we thought it was normal and fun to go hunting as boys but we do not do that anymore because we want to protect our wildlife,” Kiplang’at said.
Alphonce Rotich, an official at Rhino Ark South West Mau, stated that the curriculum was reached among stakeholders and experts drawn from Kenya Wildlife Service and Kenya Forest Service, Nema and Nature Kenya, Wildlife Clubs of Kenya and Ministry of Education, teachers, and conservationists.
“We want the learners to be part of the rehabilitation and conservation process. We wanted them to be aware and understand why they are in such a unique environment.
Rotich stated that “as learners around these water towers they have the privilege of being involved in the conservation process.”
The curriculum also provided teachers training to help the learners. As part of the curriculum, 98 teachers were enrolled in South West Mau.
Rotich stated that schools bordering forests use an average of 75 tonnes per month of firewood. This situation was resolved by the introduction of charcoal making ovens to 15 schools.
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