The beginning of this month 5th Nov, the national examination of Kenya has begun; in the Dadaab refugee camps have 7 registered secondary schools who are also setting this exams; the exams are final exams and the mode of the doing is just the same us the other exams but the pressure students are exerted on is unexceptional; some of the students i met told me that ” the exams looks militarized, we have police officers, new invigilaters, supervisor and center manager, beside that we have a team that come to oversee the progress of the test and sometimes go to class to check if in case there are irregularities.
According to a refugee candidate that I saw on the way he told me this is tough exam; the test is easy but the supervision, and the rules set to avoid any irregularity are scaring, he told number of his friends sometimes forget to write what they know in the fear they are told that they are copying from their friends.
the exams is the longest exams that is done for high School in Kenya; it goes for 17 days minus the weekends. the ministry concerning the exams is also observant as she told the center managers to ensure the schools gates are maintained opened to avoid the external officers been delayed outsides, according to my idea this may cause fears as outsides may disrupts the progress of the exams.
Technology to Improve Education in Emergencies-BHER Project
The Borderless Higher Education for Refugees (BHER) Project is an international collaboration between Canadian/Kenyan universities and NGOs working together to make educational programs available where refugees need them. The refugee encampments of Dadaab, Kenya remain one of the largest and long-standing camps in the world today, hosting three generations of refugees from Eastern and Central Africa. Only one per cent of refugees have access to higher education and attending university or accessing other tertiary degree has been almost impossible. Young women face additional barriers to pursuing an education.
To redress this situation, BHER aims to provide gender equitable tertiary programs to working, untrained teachers who can then contribute back to the community, increasing and improving education in the camps overall . These same students continue beyond their teacher training certificates and diplomas, applying their “portable” earned credit towards full undergraduate and graduate degree programs. In doing so, BHER students can increase their opportunities for employment in the camps, local areas and upon resettlement or repatriation to their home country, where fruits of the project’s aims were realized and ongoing.
BHER Project Videos Page Added
Just added a set of videos on the BHER project in Dadaab. Our own videos are coming soon!
Working on Video Projects
Things are busy with two courses, but we are collecting video documents and interviewing friends, students, and community members now as part of a storytelling project!
Refugees Can Learn
The provision of a suitable environment for everyone on this planet would enable to learn and be productive in society. Refugee condition is not a limit but a situation that cultivates more opportunities for the refugees, by utilising resources and opportunities available to reshape their lives. It is possible for the refugees to excel in life and contribute to society, creating aspirations for the disparate groups of the community, in order to raise their achievements. This is possible with determination, that would result in performance and competence, and finally emerging as a resourceful person that impact the lives of many people, being an agent of change.