Editorial Note

Prof. Jennifer Wanjiku Khamasi, PhD, EBS

Chief Editor

In 2015, the United Nations adopted 17 goals which are commonly referred to as sustainable development goals; and called on governments to steer national development along the provided framework.  The goals address the need to end poverty, protect the planet as well as ensure that the populace enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.  The goals are interconnected and therefore activities in one goal will impact on another.  Goal 3 and 4 are relevant to this Volume 14. They address good health and wellbeing (Goal 3), and quality education (Goal 4).  This volume has four papers, two address issues of quality education and the other two speak to Covid-19 related issues.  In his paper, Peek Tek Ng (2015) reminds us that “Quality education is delivered by good teachers, enabled by good teaching and learning processes and facilitated by a conducive learning environment”.  The same measures of quality can be said of tertiary education sector; and conducive learning environment includes good health and wellbeing of the players. 

Chapter 1 and 2 touch on factors that impact on quality of education.  Chapter 1 is by Joab Namai Obuchere, and is entitled ‘Investigation of the Supervisory practices used by head teachers in managing teachers’ work performance’. The paper is based on a mixed method study that was informed by McGregor’s theory X and theory Y. Obuchere concluded that instructional supervision by head teachers enhanced teacher’s work performance, and he recommends supervisor-based training to enhance head teachers’ supervisory roles.  Chapter two addresses governance and leadership in higher education in Kenya.  The authors, Lelei Kiboiy and Mary G. Wosyanju argue that power struggles and national politics seep into the universities and negatively impact on the leadership. 

Globally, the impact of Covid-19 in the education sector exposed in unprecedented ways inequalities between learning institutions and inequalities in communities.  In Chapter 3, Zeddy Cheruiyot reports that Covid-19 containment measures had some positive impact on learners despite the unprecedented challenges observed at the household level; such as lack of conducive learning environment, lack of access to electricity and internet connectivity, and lack of internet enabled digital tools.  She highlights the fact that learners had adequate time with guardians, and a critical mass got access to technology learning platforms despite the reported challenges.  The last chapter is by Joyce Lugulu and Benard Oduor.  Using mixed method cross-sectional descriptive design, they explored medical students’ adherence to Covid-19 guidelines with a focus on social and cognitive determinants of non-compliance.  The findings point to the fact that knowledge is not sufficient to motivate behavior change and compliance with Covid-19 measures.  They argue that for one to adopt healthy behavior practices, he/she needs to adapt to a continuous process of learning, unlearning and relearning, and with a focus on non-knowledge factors that promote behavior change and compliance. 

In summary, this Volume comes at a time when the world is intensifying the focus on the sustainable development goals; and the four papers should serve as a reminder that quality education and good health and wellbeing are connected.  Thus lack of good leadership in a number of universities in Kenya as pointed out in Chapter 2 denies learners in the institutions in question quality education.  Conversely, the recommendations given in Chapter 2 are critical to provision of quality basic education in Kenya.  Lastly, as educators continue to mitigate against the challenges brought about by Covid-19 pandemic, it is important to sustain the gains made such as acceptance of virtual teaching and learning approaches; and demonstrated creativity in the usage of handheld digital tools by learners. 

 

References

 Available online: September -December 2022
Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information. http://www.kaeam.or.ke
©2022 Kenya Association of Educational Administration and Management.  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED