Cabinet Secretary of Education, Hon. Fred Matiang’i, launched a book co-edited by Dr. Monica Kerretts-Makau, Senior Lecturer at Strathmore Business School on 16^th of March 2016. The book titled ‘Youth Unemployment: A Time Ticking Bomb’ was also co-edited by Dr. Helmut Danner (Germany) and Dr. Johannes Nebe (Germany) is a collective engagement of scholars, philanthropists and entrepreneurs who address the various facets of unemployment in Kenya.

 

During the ceremony, Dr. Kerretts-Makau called for an optimistic mindset, urging the attendees to align their contribution towards what could be improved in the education sector. Hon. Matiang’i commended the excellent work that Kenya’s entrepreneurial and IT based innovations have contributed in placing Kenya as a regional innovation hub. “We are an innovation hub by design and not by default. Our greatest resource in this county is our youth.” He further remarked on the milestones that the education curriculum in Kenya has made in aligning concepts taught in schools to talent pathways of students. “We are progressively reviewing our curriculum to orient our educational system to better prepare our children and youth for the 21^st century market needs. He also called for increased platforms which encourage vigorous engagement with the public stakeholders. He attributed the creation of developmental policies to regular conversations with various stakeholders.

 

Dr. George Njenga, Dean of Strathmore Business School called for a comprehensive reform of the education sector, asking leaders to look into the regular review of the training curriculum of teachers and educators. “We must cognitively take into account the welfare and the quality of training that our educators receive if we significantly endeavor to transform our educational system.” He referred to the strides that the University has undertaken in the formation of the Macheo Achievement program (MAP) which has been running for the past three years. The program educates and empowers underprivileged primary and secondary students, while simultaneously offering the opportunity for the students to access mentorship. He also referred to the university’s Training of Teachers Program (TOT) that aims to reform the education sector.

 

Professor Johannes Nebe, a co-editor congratulated the contributions made by the authors, commending the courage foreseen in confronting one of the biggest problems currently being faced by the country. Alluding to the late Wangari Maathai’s philosophy, he challenged the audience to take part in alleviating youth unemployment.