Blogs and Articles
Our collection of blogs
Reimagining Assessment: From measurement to meaning at the 3rd KNEC symposium
At the 3rd KNEC Annual Educational Assessment Symposium held in Nairobi, education leaders, policymakers, and practitioners from across Africa came together around a shared urgency, education systems must evolve to produce not just knowledgeable learners, but capable problem solvers.
Collins Orono
6 May 2026
From Projects to Systems: How Government-Led Values-Based Education Is Transforming Schools in Kenya and Shaping East Africa’s Future
In Kenya, the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), introduced in 2016, prioritises eight national values: Love, Responsibility, Respect, Unity, Peace, Patriotism, Integrity, and Social Justice. Yet a persistent gap remained. While these values were clearly articulated on paper, schools often lacked practical approaches to bring them to life. Unlike academic subjects, values cannot simply be taught, they must be experienced, modelled, and reinforced daily by teachers, parents, and the broader school community. Recognising this gap, a government-led initiative, supported technically by Mizizi Elimu Afrika, set out to transform how values are taught, understood, and practised in schools. Working in partnership with the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), the Ministry of Education, county governments, and school leadership teams, the initiative introduced and piloted a Whole-School Approach to Values-Based Education in 79 schools across 19 counties.
Collins Orono
30 Apr 2026
Closing the Inclusion Gap in Kenya’s Foundational Learning System
While access to schooling has improved, learning outcomes remain low. Nationally, only about 30 percent of Grade 3 learners can read and understand a Grade 2-level story. In numeracy, close to 40 percent struggle with basic division at the same level. By upper primary, gaps persist, with about 25 percent of learners unable to demonstrate foundational competencies expected at lower grades. In arid and semi-arid regions, performance levels are often 10 to 20 percentage points lower than the national average. For children with disabilities, the disparities are even more pronounced. They are up to twice as likely to be out of school compared to their peers. Among those enrolled, many do not receive the targeted support required to develop foundational skills. Household-level data further shows that learners from the poorest households are more than 15 percentage points less likely to achieve basic literacy benchmarks compared to those from more resourced households.
By Sabdio Roba and Walter Odondi
28 Apr 2026
The Illusion of Consensus: Why Stakeholder Priorities Don’t Always Lead to Action.
At the EE4A 2025 conference, eighty-four stakeholders were asked about their top priority. Nearly half said the same thing. This finding is not without value, it signals where attention is concentrated. However, it offers far less actionable clarity than it appears and reveals something important about how we ask questions. Imagine asking 84 education experts what they believe is the single most important priority for improving foundational learning in Kenya. Forty of them give you what appears to be the same answer. That is half the room pointing in one direction. By any reading of a consultation exercise, that is a strong signal — is it not?
Faith Tsuma and Seline Wanjiku
27 Apr 2026
What Kenya Can Learn from Sobral’s Education Transformation
In August 2025, a delegation of 43 education leaders from Kenya, South Africa, and India travelled to Sobral for a week of learning, exchange, and reflection. Representing 25 institutions, the participants engaged in school visits, discussions with current and former political leaders, engagements with the Department of Education, and structured coalition-building sessions. The purpose of the visit was not to copy Sobral’s model, but to understand the systems, leadership choices, and practices that made its transformation possible, and to reflect on what these lessons might mean for foundational literacy and numeracy in other contexts. Rather than accept this reality, local leaders made a deliberate and sustained commitment to foundational literacy. Over time, Sobral built a system anchored in clear learning goals, strong leadership, teacher support, accountability, and community engagement. By 2017, it ranked first in Brazil in both primary and secondary education. What makes Sobral remarkable is not only the scale of its improvement, but also the consistency and discipline behind it. Its story continues to attract global attention because it shows that significant education reform is possible when systems align around learning.
Collins Orono and Dr. Lydia Chege
24 Apr 2026
World Book Day, Kirinyaga, and the Quiet Magic of Reading
As we celebrate authors today, I find myself thinking about reading itself, and what happens when children are given the chance to read early, often, and with joy. There is reason for hope. The latest foundational learning assessments in Kenya show that literacy outcomes have improved, even if only marginally, between 2023 and 2025. In a time when so much feels uncertain, that progress matters. It reminds us that change is possible. In Kirinyaga County, that hope feels even more tangible. Recent learning assessments place Kirinyaga among the top-performing counties in English language activities, with 62% of learners achieving benchmark proficiency, well above the national average.
Dr. Wangui Lydia Chege
23 Apr 2026
Schooling Without Learning: Africa’s Hidden Education Crisis
While tens of millions more children are enrolled in school compared to a decade ago, learning outcomes have barely improved. In fact, the evidence suggests regression. Nearly 4 out of 5 children aged 10 in Africa cannot read and understand a simple text or solve a simple mathematical task. Data from UNICEF reveals that in many countries, only about 30% of Grade 3 learners can read at a basic level, and just 18% can perform basic numeracy tasks. In some parts of sub-Saharan Africa, fewer than 1 in 10 children achieve foundational skills on time.
Collins Orono
22 Apr 2026
Mizizi Elimu in the News
Media coverage, mentions, and news stories
Education stakeholders call for value based learning integration to nurture responsible citizens
KTN News
2 Apr 2026
Zizi Afrique Rebrands to Mizizi Elimu Afrika, Launches Vision 2040 Education Strategy
Education stakeholders convened in Nairobi on March 10, 2026, for the launch of Vision 2040: Strong Foundations for Lasting Change and the rebranding of Zizi Afrique Foundation to Mizizi Elimu Afrika.
23 Mar 2026
New education initiative aims to strengthen literacy and numeracy across Africa
Education stakeholders gathered in Nairobi on March 10, 2026, for the unveiling of Vision 2040: Strong Foundations for Lasting Change and the rebranding of Zizi Afrique Foundation to Mizizi Elimu Afrika.
23 Mar 2026
Educating the African child in the midst of polycrisis
The African continent has seen children’s education journeys disrupted by various challenges, including social, political, and economic conflicts, as well as the effects of climate change among other factors in the growing list of polycrises.
23 Mar 2026
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Season 1
Mizizi Elimu Afrika - brand reveal animation
Mizizi Elimu Afrika - brand reveal animation
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