LEARNING GAPS AND LEVELS IN KENYA

There is not doubt that,
I often find myself criticizing governments worldwide for failing to create opportunities for poor people, especially in the education sector. We certainly should be critical, but must also realize that, as a responsible society, we cannot and should not leave everything to the government and NGOs. The education sector is not exclusively the obligation of the government. If the governments and NGOs cannot cope with the responsibility, then why shouldn’t the private sector do something to balance the lack of good education?

In many developing countries, public education leaves a lot to be desired. Teachers are not as motivated to show up regularly, perhaps because they do not feel accountable to the students, but instead to distant government officials. Public school teachers and their unions are sometimes politically divisive; the problems in, On the other hand, the infrastructure of classrooms could be seriously improved; often the infrastructure is below the average standards of a respectful educative environment.
Studies by the World Bank and The World Economic Forum have shown that entrepreneurs are realizing that there is a demand for private education services in the BOP. People in the BOP are also starting to "invest" in private education for their children. There is no doubt that there are new private schools in poor areas that charge $1 or $2 USD a month and provide better education than most of the Government schools, however much they may call it free elementary education.

Research done by Prof. James Tooley (winner of the FT Gold Prize Essay) shows that there are many people in the BOP who are willing to invest their money in private education. In the research of his award-winning essay, he found that "…a large majority of schoolchildren in selected poor urban and per urban areas of India and Sub-Saharan Africa using private schools, while in rural India, half of the schoolchildren are privately enrolled. Even in impoverished rural China large numbers of private schools exist off the official radar. The research showed that private schools for the poor are superior to government schoolteachers are more committed, the provision of important inputs are better, and education outcomes better even after controlling for background variables. All this is accomplished for a fraction of the per-pupil teacher cost of government schools."

In the paper, "De facto’ Privatization of Education and the Poor: Implications of a Study from Sub-Saharan Africa and India," James Tooley and Pauline Dixon make a case study in India on the extraordinary growth of private education. People living in the BOP are aware of the value of education as a long-term investment. Entrepreneurs that would want to invest in education should take this as an opportunity and not just leave the weight of education on the government or NGOs.

To private school standards, these schools are not necessarily top-tier schools, but in many cases give a better education than the public schools. I find these private education initiatives to be innovative ways of solving the problems of mediocre public education. These new initiatives give parents in developing countries an option to be able to assure better educational opportunities for their children.
There is a need for a Kenya Government to encourage more private schools in order to push shine in education.
Courtesy of DNA

COMPETENCIES OF SELF MNAGEMENT

• Becoming great is the aspiration of any individual Greatness does no fall in the net as if one goes to the nearby shop, buying a sweet and chewing. It is the fruit of the hard one puts in. We see and read about great people in our lives. They were born like you and me. They did not different things, but they did the things differently. Self management is one of the very important concepts for becoming great in life.
• This section provides detailed definitions of competencies of self-management. In addition, suggested development activities, books to read, and movies to watch have been provided to aid you in your personal competency development plan; self management, self-awareness social awareness and relationship management. Self management tools can be categorized as: -
• Subordinate: Tools such as video monitoring or home surveillance sensor systems, provide limited patient discretion beyond agreement to use the tools.
• Structured: These are tools that provide more active self- management, but in highly defined ways. Examples range from sound and text reminders from a table-top appliance or perhaps a personal digital assistant or telephone, along with the patient’s ability to transmit data, for example, blood pressure reading.
• Collaborative: This category covers those tools that have been the most thoroughly examined and embraced by disease management theorists. These include decision support ids, online interventions, chronic disease management aid, and patient education materials.
• Autonomous: As the name suggests, tools for autonomous roles do not require regular participation or input from professionals. Internet sites such as e-Diets and home heart defibrillators are examples of this category of tools.
• 01 Emotional Self Control; this is the ability to keep your impulsive feelings and emotions under control. It is being able to restrain negative action when proved, when faced with opposition or hostility from others, or when working under pressure.
• Developmental Tips: Make a list of all the things that cause you to “lose it” (your triggers). Create a strategy to prevent these triggers from causing you to lose your composure and your self-control. Reduce your stress through physical activity or other types of conscious relaxation techniques (yoga, exercise, gardening, taking a bath etc.), attend a stress management workshop.
• 02 Trustworthiness: This competency can best be described as taking action that is consistent with what you say and value. It includes communicating intentions, ideas, and feelings openly and directly and welcoming openness and honestly in others. You show integrity and take responsibility for your own behavior and performance. You build trust through reliability and authenticity.
• Development Tips: Spend some time exploring the values and principles that you feel most strongly about. Write down the most important ones. Next to each one, examine whether your behavior is consistent with these values. Ask yourself what you would need to do differently in order to live more genuinely and be true to your beliefs; consider the issues on which you are willing to act against all opposition. Clarify for yourself what is and is not worth fighting for. If an opportunity comes up to act on a principle, take it but be sure your are certain of your ground.
• 03 Conscientiousness: This competency is about taking responsibility for your personal performance. It reflects an underlying drive for being reliable and delivering quality work. You work in a careful and organized manner, paying attention to detail, following through on commitments and promises, and building trust through reliability.
• Developmental Tips: Keep a detailed filing system for all monthly bills: telephone, rent, heat, credit cards, etc; Build routine checks into your calendar to ensure adherence to deadlines, policies, and standards. In the event that your find something that does not reach the desired standard or that will take much longer than the time frame given, work through your plan to give the task at hand more time, effort.
• 04 Adaptability: This is the ability to be flexible and work effectively within a variety of changing situations and with various individuals and groups. People with this competency are willing to change their own ideas or perceptions on the basis of new information or evidence. They are able to alter standard procedures when necessary, and juggle multiple demands as required.
• Developmental Tips: Periodically review the process you or your department has in place. What are the strengths and weaknesses of each? Is there a better, more efficient way of approaching things? Hen current strategies are not working, stop what your are doing, acknowledge that it is not working and make the necessary adjustment to your plans, activities, objectives, or behavior. Be willing to make some midcourse adjustments when things are not going well or when change is needed.

ALL IT TAKES IS TO HAVE THE INFORMATNION TECHNOLOGY ACT

STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVE’S AND REASONS.

New communication systems and digital technology have made dramatic changes in the way we live. A revolution is occurring in the way people transact business. Business and customers are increasingly using computer to create, transmit and store information in the electronic form instead of traditional paper document. Information stored in electronic form has many advantages. It is cheaper, easier to store, retire and speedier to communicate, Although people are aware of this advantages they are reluctant to conduct business or conclude any transaction in the electronic form due to lack of appropriate legal frame work.


The two principal hurdles which stand in the way of facilitating electronic commerce and electronic governance are the requirements as to writing and signature for legal recognition. At present much legal provision assume the existence of paper based records and documents and records which should bear signatures. The law of evidence is traditionally based upon paper based records and oral testimony, since electronic commerce eliminates the need for paper based transactions hence to facilitate e-commerce, the need for legal changes have become urgently necessary.


International trade through the medium of e-commerce is growing rapidly in the past few years and many countries have switched over from traditional paper based commerce to e-commerce.


The United Nations commission on international trade law (UNCITRAL) adopted three model laws on electronic commerce in 1996. The general Assembly of United Nations by its resolution number 51/162 dated 30th January, 1997 recommended that all states should give favorable considerations to the said model law when they enact or revise their laws. Model law provides for equal legal treatment of users of electronic communications and paper based communication. Pursuant to a recent declaration by member countries, the world trade organization is likely to form a work programme to handle. Its work in this area including the possible creation of multilateral trade deals through the medium of electronic commerce.



There is a need for bringing in suitable amendments in the existing laws in our country to facilitate e-commerce. It is therefore, proposed to provide for legal recognition of electronic records and digital signatures. This will enable the conclusion of contracts and the creation of rights and obligations through the electronic medium. It is also proposed to provide for a regulatory regime to supervise the certifying authorities issuing Digital signature certificates.



To prevent the possible misuse arising out of transactions and other dealings concluded over the electronic medium. It is also proposed to create a civic and criminal liabilities for contravention of the provisions of the proposed legal legislation with a view to facilitate electronic governance. It is proposed to provide for the use and acceptance of electronic

records and digital signature in the government offices and its agencies.



This will make the citizens interaction with government offices hassles free. It is also proposed to make consequential amendments in the Kenyan penal code and the Kenyan Evidence Act to provide for necessary changes in the various provisions which deals with offense relating to document and paper based transactions. It is also proposed to amend the Central Bank of Kenya Act, to facilitate electronic fund transfers between the financial institution and banks and the Banker’s Book of evidence Act. to give legal sanctity for books of account maintained in the electronic form by the banks.


The government of Kenya must work towards improving the policy climate in the country. However, more de-regulation needs to take place in core infrastructure area such as telecom. In the absence of complete policy reforms in the telecom sector the Kenya’s ICT growth vision could get severely hampered.


Some tremendous gains have been made by the computerization of the government functioning, not only in strengthening the delivery of existing services but also by improving policy planning and implementation though more effective provision of information to policy makers. The direct and immediate benefits of the use of IT in government are improvements in service quality, efficiency and government people relationships by providing quick, easy and transparent access to information.


There is an urgent need to target basic needs such as primary education basic health service, water sanitation requirement particularly in rural areas. The New ICT applications and content relevant to the demand in rural areas, can drastically improve the delivery of information related services to people in general and agriculture extension services and provision of health and social services in rural areas in particular.


The policy makers must take into consideration the broader picture when designing IT policy and treat it as a part of an overall economic strategy in which sound economic polices will benefit the IT sector and diffusion of IT will have positive effects on economic development and social between, local bodies, the local administration and NGO’s appear to hold the Key. Development of applications such as online system for community baking, will contribute to the economic sustainability of the operations. It will also go a long way to humanize and sensitize the Kenyan information revolution.

UNSHACKLE EDUCATION, MAKE IT INDUSTRY

Future of HR depends upon the present and the way we would go about shaping the human resource not after we have acquired these in our companies and institutions but while they are on the way of being made into a “resource” from being raw source. It is obvious that this means education and the societal outlook that shapes and streamlines our human resource for use in our industry. Kenya is on a fast clip of five percent plus growth adding millions of jobs.

These are not clerical or basic technical jobs mind your which could be picked up and handled by a mindless bunch of youth trained in a lackluster educational environment that teaches them rudiments of education but keeps them in their pens until they grow up adequately to be let out in the open. These range from high pressure front office to highly sophisticated exchange floor, from plumbing and sewage to highly evolved project management, from cab driver to captains of our fast going airline industry, from street corner grocery store to mega malls …. The byword is sophistication and quality.

It is not just desperate demand for human resource but poor HR supplies that is to blame, which itself is the result of insensitive and fragmented education system lacking leadership desperately for decades. Those who set shop earlier thanks to the largesse of the government and vision of some of its right thinking leaders continued in their glass houses of excellence not wanting to venture out to foster and groom capacities and talent in their sphere. The focused higher educational institutions remains islands of excellence while only the Universities that mass produce talent, by their mandate went ahead expanding capacities by setting up colleges resulting in mindless of mass of degree holders with no hope of landing any job.

Even the regulator (KNEC) exacerbated the situation by grossly misusing its role in permitting capacity without quality and in fits and starts wielding the axe, unfortunately to prune potential high quality schools set up by individuals who chose to rather bend the retrograde rules to expand capacities to make some economic sense to stay in business. Even the leadership among the higher educational institutions represented by a host of chambers and associations remained mute observers for decades by pontificating on things to do without getting down to the brass tacks of actually doing it. American Management Association, Singapore Management Institution are a case in point those that do rather than speak about it. The law of the land also treats education still as a charitable activity which would be fine while the government handles the bulk of the educational expenses leaving the rest to a few enlightened individuals.

So what is to be done? Education should be made an industry with unrestricted entry to corporate and professionals as a not for profit commercial enterprise that could continuously reinvest its resources in expanding capacities and qualities capacities and qualities with the shareholders. Capacity expansion and quality should be left to the market forces to decide which can happen by more vigilant industry watch through its associations and self regulation through independent accreditation programmes. The regulator can play a greater and more proactive role in mentoring the industry and guiding it through rules based on more thorough study of the ground realities through constant research and support rather than dictate terms.

WHAT IF YOU ARE BEING OVERED A CUP OF COFFEE!!!

In an interview, candidates are often offered a cup of coffee. The candidates get confused and become apprehensive whether they should accept the offer or refuse it. The condition even worsens when the coffee is accompanied with cookies. What should a candidate do?
Well the season for interview is on. So much have been said and read about interviews and yet when a fresher appears for an interview he becomes unarmed. All his knowledge and training suddenly becomes insufficient and he has to take his own stance.
A part from the usual problems reported, a student narrated experience of his interview in MNC in Nairobi where he made a complete mess of the offered coffee and job on offer. It happens many times a candidate gets confused when offered a cup of coffee during an interview. The candidate becomes little apprehensive and gets into dilemma whether he should accept the offer or refuse it. This seems to be too simple but may have its various repercussions which need to be analyzed appropriately. It becomes little difficult for an individual to handle the complicated situation as it remains geared up with punch of heavy questions on head. An individual in his own cerebral pop corning starts weighing pros and cons of the situation. Let us analyze.
If interviewer is himself taking coffee as he is tired with long row of candidates waiting outside the interview room or it’s the routine coffee time, a candidate can understand the genuine need of coffee by an interviewer. He should understand that an interviewer is apprehensive in having it alone so is apprehensive in having it alone so is offering you the same. If otherwise the coffee is offered during the interview ideally candidate can politely reply, “Thanks for the offer, I just had it.’ An interviewer may force to accept the same however, care needs to be taken by an interviewee that his sip should not be before the sip taken by an interviewer says Experts, Soft Skill Trainer, INC, Nairobi. The agenda may comprise of noticing how you pick the cup and saucer, are there any shaky hands creating clinking noise. An individual is advised to handle cup carefully without shaky hand. The idea is to check your confidence.
A candidate is advised to deny initially, however could accept when insisted. However could accept when insisted. However, it is not important that he should finish coffee. This can be your strategy to satisfy an interviewer’s urge. Candidate needs to be little careful with the scum that may remain on the top of the slightly cold coffee. He should smartly remove or engulf the scum depending on his willingness taking care that it should not get attached to lips, says Kimani, soft Skill Trainer.
An interviewee is expected to be more confident with smiling face and should not convey any nervousness. He should hold the cup from its holder and not from another side. Saucer should not be picked. An individual can deny biscuits and if offered later can take one.
An interviewer is likely to be interested to know whether the candidate may get well with the operation of the organization. One of the HR , says that employer of different nation may view the offered coffee differently. For instance an American may not mind denial while an Kenyan employer or for that sake an European employer may mind your denial. Having accepted the offer to have a cup of coffee, a candidate should take care that there should not be any distraction in communicating with the interviewer. The culture in the business organization has changed and I do not find any reason that an offered cup of coffee could be viewed otherwise.
Well a cup of coffee may be offered to the candidate to make him more comfortable in the interview room. There are no hidden agenda. However, it is her experience that fresher generally denies even though he is offered twice or thrice. A smart candidate rather will grab the opportunity half way and will take chance of making coffee asking how many sugar cubes for your Sir/Madam?
Conclusion: The situation is surrounded by various factors like position for which an individual has applied, psyche of an interviewer, confidence level of an interviewer, knowledge and preparation of an individual including his attitude.

Do You Know That Preparation is the only key to a successful interview!

Does the idea of going to a job interview make you feel a little queasy? Many people find that it is the hardest part of the hiring process. But it doesn’t have to be. The more you prepare and practice, the more comfortable you will feel. Increase your odds of landing the job you want by brushing up on your interview skills.

Prepare before you go. Find out all you can about the company before you go to the interview. Understand the products that they produce and/or the services that they provide. It’s also good to know who the customers are and who the major competitors are.

Practice makes perfect. It will also make you feel more confident and relaxed. So, practice your answers to common questions. Make a list of questions to ask, too. Almost all interviewers will ask if you have questions. This is a great opportunity for you to show that you have done your homework and have put some thought into your questions.

Make a great impression.The interview is your chance to show that you are the best person for the job. Your application or resume has already exhibited that you are qualified. Now it ’s up to you to show how your skills and experience match this position and this company.

The employer will be looking and listening to determine if you are a good fit. He/she will be looking for a number of different qualities, in addition to the skills that you possess. To make the best impression, dress appropriately; sell your strengths; arrive early, by about 10-15 minutes; be enthusiastic; shake hands firmly; be an active listener; sit up straight and maintain eye contact; ask questions.

Say "thank you".After the interview, follow up with a thank-you note. This is a chance for you to restate your interest and how you can benefit the company. Your best bet is to try to time it so that the note gets there before the hiring decision is made. You should also follow up with a phone call if you don’t hear back from the employer within the specified time.

How to Preparing for a Job Interview

Preparing for a job interview begins with conducting good background research on the company, the position and even the people you will be meeting. Find out how to do this company research and which resources to use.



When preparing for a job interview, many people are unfamiliar with how to start the research process. Which traditional and electronic resources are the best to use?



Go through these basic rules before beginning your research


It is easier to find out information about a publicly held company than privately owned organizations because public companies are legally required to make certain information available.



When researching a subsidiary of a company start with the parent company or holding corporation. You can then drill down into the subsidiary information.


Nationally known companies are easier to research than local firms. Check whether the company is part of a bigger, national organization and start your research there.


Internet information is generally more up to date than print sources (directories). News in journals and newspapers is obviously more current but a company has to have been news-worthy to get into these publications.


Use a variety of sources, when preparing for a job interview, to get the most valid information. Remember to consider the source of the information. A web search will give you data from a variety of sources, it is up to you to recognize reputable and valid information. Information from the company website is usually the most reliable but if you have gone to other sites or sources try and validate the information you get by cross referencing with another source.



What can I do if I cannot find any information on the company on the internet?


Before conducting your interview preparation, make sure you have the full and proper company name. Sometimes a company is commonly referred to by a different name to the registered name. Check whether it is a subsidiary of a larger corporation and if so focus on the parent company.