There is no wealth like knowledge, no poverty like ignorance - Ali ibn Abi Tali
For many families in Uganda, secondary education is a luxury. Not only do parents need to pay for uniforms and supplies - but also for tuition. Universal Secondary Education was recently introduced, but it is vastly under-funded and class sizes can often exceed 100 students. For a majority of secondary schools, equipment and supplies are, at best, in short supply. Often, there are no supplies, no equipment, and students simply learn what a teacher has written on the chalkboard from out-dated texts.
Even if a family can afford to send a child to secondary school, there is a severe shortage of space for students. In 2008 over 300,000 students passed their Primary Leaving Exam, yet there were only 180,000 spaces for students in secondary schools, disproportionately in urban centres.
Overwhelmingly schools focus on academics, with little, if any, attention paid to vocational or life-skills training. Unfortunately, the future for an academic student is bleak. Less than 2% of sub-Saharan youth get into university, and less than 2% of university graduates get employment in their field of study within 6 months.
An unfortunate consequence of the focus on academics is the lack of skilled trades workers in Uganda. Major projects are overwhelming undertaken by international contractors, with Ugandans often only getting positions as labourers. The monies spent on these projects ends up leaving Uganda.
The Foundation believes that simply building more schools is not the answer. It's a start, yes, but what needs to happen is a re-think of how secondary education is approached. The Foundations goal is to construct quality secondary schools which offer academic, vocational and life-skills training.
The KEF Academies will take a 3-pronged approach to secondary education. Academically, our goal is to have properly equipped labs, libraries, and effective equipment, to offer an education that exceeds the academic standards, and produces youth with the education to thrive in a university setting.
Our goal with vocational training is to develop curriculum based upon industry standards. By forming an advisory committee consisting of industry leaders, we can then tailor a vocational program to the needs of industry. Through this, graduates will have the potential of trades jobs that exceed 'basic labour'.
Through the inclusion of life skills training, our students will not only have the ability to excel at university or work, but also the skills to excel at life.
Establishing the KEF Academies is a long term goal. While we have already secured the donation of land needed for a campus, we must secure the construction funding. While we fundraise for construction, we will continue to provide bursaries for students to attend secondary schools.
Site design by 