At Madaraka Comprehensive School—aptly named after the Kiswahili word for prestige—a vibrant Grade 5 Mathematics class is in full swing. On this warm afternoon, Teacher Joy facilitates an engaging session on fractions. Learners take turns working through problems with confidence and collaboration. The class reflects Kenya’s social diversity, with students from nearby informal settlements learning alongside peers from different nationalities. Despite their varied origins, each learner is equally encouraged to participate, reflect, and demonstrate their understanding.
Beyond academic achievement, Madaraka offers a compelling lens into how values are nurtured and expressed in daily school life. Following the Math lesson, a small group of learners—boys and girls—engaged in a focused group discussion led by Nelly Machu of the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD). This was part of a three-day baseline study on Values-Based Education (VbE) aimed at assessing learners’ understanding, experiences, and practice of core competencies within the school setting.
The insights were both candid and instructive. “It’s hard to help classmates who fight a lot,” one girl shared, drawing from her experience as a prefect. “We try to show them that violence doesn’t solve anything—that dialogue is better. But sometimes, when someone is angry, it’s not easy for them to remember the values we’re taught.”
Such reflections offer critical evidence of how deeply learners are engaging with the values embedded in Kenya’s Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC). As the VbE baseline concluded, students not only articulated the values they strive to live by—such as peace, empathy, and responsibility—but also proposed ways to embed these more sustainably in their school culture.
These learner voices reaffirm the importance of system-wide efforts to integrate values into everyday teaching and learning. They serve as a powerful reminder that when children are trusted and guided, they not only absorb knowledge—they shape it, live it, and carry it forward.
@polo_raynor
