Kenya
On 28th March 2023, participants of the ‘Policy Dialogue on Evidence for Learning in Africa’, hosted in Nairobi by PAL Network, embarked on a one-day trip to Machakos, a county in Kenya. During the trip, global, regional, and international stakeholders had the opportunity to understand how PAL Network’s assessment tool-International Common Assessment of Numeracy (ICAN)works in practice.
The trip from Nairobi to Machakos took approximately two hours and then the group arrived at Tumaini Community Centre where the assistant chief, village elders, volunteers and local administration agents welcomed the visitors. In the community center, the visitors received a brief explanation and were assigned groups. Each group visited separate villages, i.e., Masimbani, Kitooni, Ithanga, Utithini and Kaithani, guided by a volunteer and a village elder.
The goal of each group visit was to assess two children between the ages of 7 – 16 years from each village using the ICAN tool. The hands-on experience that followed allowed visitors to experience the effectiveness of the tool while assessing the literacy/numeracy skills of the children in the visited villages.
I had the chance to be in the group which visited Masimbani. Within that village, the members of my group split into two sub-groups, with each sub-group assessing one child. In each household, the process began with the village elder speaking to the parent/guardian of the child to explain the purpose of the visit. The volunteer then used a guide of questions to collect information about the parent and child. Next, he let the participants introduce themselves to the child and parent to establish a good rapport and to make the child comfortable with our presence.
We then used the ICAN tool which is made of a series of questions on literacy and numeracy skills, that are grouped into three parts; simple, average, and advanced questions. In the first set of questions, the child was able to read and count as well as do simple calculations. He was able to read sounds from the alphabet, but we could not advance to the second series of questions because the first level was difficult for the child, who was quite young.
After completing our field visits, we assembled at the Tumaini Center with the other participants where we discussed our field visit reflections during the journey back to Nairobi. As a group, we reflected on the assessment process and acknowledged the significant role played by volunteers during assessments. We learned interesting issues like the fact that the tone of voice used by the volunteer can affect the assessment process. In the case that I witnessed, volunteers expressed compassion and a friendly yet respectful attitude which made the child comfortable. Additionally, we discussed how the presence of parents or guardians may either boost the child’s confidence or make them more nervous, potentially impacting their performance. During the assessment, we encountered the challenge of parental interference. In some instances, parents offered assistance or made comments, which affected the effectiveness of the assessment.
The field trip to Machakos provided an invaluable opportunity for participants to witness the application of the ICAN tool and foster a deeper understanding of the assessment processes.
