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Journal of Educational Change

, Volume 17, Issue 3, pp 319–336 | Cite as

Educational change following conflict: Challenges related to the implementation of a peace education programme in Kenya

  • Solvor Mjøberg Lauritzen
Article
First Online:

Abstract

Following the post-election violence in Kenya an attempt to bring about educational change through a peace education programme was launched by the MoE, UNICEF and UNHCR. The programme, which was aimed at building peace at the grassroots level, targeted the areas most affected by the post-election violence. Teaching plans were designed for all levels in primary school, and teachers and head teachers at schools in the Rift Valley were trained in the materials. Whereas the MoE assumed that the schools, having recently experienced the post-election violence, would have an innate motivation to implement the programme, this paper argues that the reality on the ground was more complicated. The formation and the implementation of the programme will be analysed from the perspective of policy makers and school populations. The paper argues that there are challenges related to additive and reactive peace education policies. Further, the paper argues that perceived relevance, school location, school leadership and perceived policy influenced the implementation processes on school level. In sum, the paper argues that the top-down approach taken when designing and implementing the programme led to less impact than the programme otherwise could have had, due to the lack of adjustment to local school contexts.

Keywords

Education in emergencies Education policy Kenya Peace education Programme implementation UNICEF 

Abbreviations

KIE

Kenya Institute of Education

MoE

Ministry of Education

PEP

Peace education programme

PEV

Post-election violence

UNESCO

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

UNHCR

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

UNICEF

United Nations Children’s Fund

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© Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2016

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.MF Norwegian School of TheologyOsloNorway

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