Uwezo Kenya played host to Malawi and Mauritania from May 25th to the 27th 2016, when they came in for an exposure visit on Citizen-Led Assessments (CLA). Zambia was again hosted by Uwezo Kenya in June. The three countries were in Kenya to learn more about the Citizen-Led Assessment (CLA) Movement. The PAL Network Secretariat plans exposure visits for interested individuals and organizations who are interested in finding out more about the CLA process. This approach gives a practical approach to understanding the process away from theory. Malawi, Mauritania and Zambia teams comprised, organizations interested in the CLA process and government representatives from Education Ministries. The Zambian team also consisted of school heads and representatives from UNICEF.
The Malawi and Mauritania Exposure visit also coincided with Uwezo Kenya’s launch of their 5th Annual Learning Assessment Report on the State of Education in Kenya in 2015 and Beyond. The full three-day filled programme agenda was to offer the visitors a comprehensive understanding of the process. The team later accompanied Uwezo Kenya Officials where they had gone to debrief the Kenyan Education Ministry on the report that was to be launched the next day.
Uwezo Kenya was able to take the visitors through Uwezo’s theory of change and gave a comprehensive view of achievements and challenges. Additionally, the visitors learned about the assessment process, survey tools and tests and the communication process. It was an interactive forum that involved the visiting countries team seeking clarifications on issues they did not understand.
The Malawi and Mauritania team traveled to Lari District for a simulation exercise on assessing children with Uwezo Kenya’s partner KENVO. Zambia’s simulation exercise was in Kikuyu District with Uwezo Kenya’s partner “Youth for Change Action Group”. The process also involved visits to local primary schools followed by visits to households to witness the assessment of children.
The PAL Network Secretariat are confident that the exposure visit helped Malawi, Mauritania and Zambia get a better understanding of the Citizen-Led Assessment Process. The Secretariat looks forward to welcoming Malawi, Mauritania and Zambia to the CLA family soon!