Foundational Literacy, Numeracy and Life Skills for Sustainable Development Education in Fragile Contexts with a Focus on Kenya’s Education System

Abstract

The realization of the goals of Vision 2030 for Kenya and Agenda 2063 for Africa’s Sustainable Development requires more than a policy commitment. This requires rethinking of how people learn from the earliest stages of life. This paper will examine the essential role of foundational learning, including literacy, numeracy, and life skills, as an entry point into meaningful Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). It has three critical aims: (1) to help identify literacy and numeracy as a direct catalyst for considering ways to improve SDG alignment, (2) to determine how sustainability is embedded in the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) for Kenya, and (3) to consider foundational education policies in the most marginalised areas. The paper will also support the conference sub-theme, 'Re-conceptualising Sustainable Development Goals for today's challenges and tomorrow's possibilities’, focusing on re-thinking the importance of foundational literacy, numeracy and life skills in reducing educational fragility and promoting sustainability both in Kenya and beyond. Foundational education is preparatory and supports the cognitive, socio-emotional, and normative capacities needed to learn and become a responsible global citizen. According to current reports from international learning assessments, there is a disturbing trend: globally, more than 70% of children under 10 in low- and middle-income countries cannot read or comprehend even a simple text. This is a challenge to personal and economic development and the realization of the broader goal of sustainable development. Foundational literacy and numeracy are critical to improving cognitive development, health and well-being, environmental awareness, civic engagement, and gender equality, which are critical to sustainable societies. Children need not only academic skills for further reasoning but also the attitudes and behaviours for a significantly changing world. Such can be achieved by embedding sustainability themes, based on climate and health, empathy, hygiene, and equity, into early learning. This paper argues that foundational learning is a key, particularly if specifically focused on basic education for all (EFA), education for sustainable lifestyles, global citizenship and the SDGs. Drawing on a collection of global case examples of curriculum innovations and implementation frameworks, this paper showcases that nurturing sustainability at the base of education systems is not only possible but inevitable.