Alive with Mission: Priority for Education
Srs. Dorice Sumbati Shisali, Judith Esther Onditi, Theckler Mwaka, Susan Libendi, Magdaline Mikwa and Maximilla Mutuba, SNDdeN plan together with joyful excitement at NDEC.
By Sister Judith Esther Onditi, SNDdeN, Deputy Head Teacher
In 2010, the Mission of the Gospel inspired Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur (SNDdeN) to open Notre Dame Educational Centre (NDEC) in Malava, Kenya. Six Sisters, assisted by our aspirants and postulants, serve about 300 pupils, from early childhood to class 8. NDEC’s motto, Educating for Life, promotes St. Julie Billiart’s educational ideals of a holistic education. The Centre attracts many students in a learner friendly approach to education, different from the exam-oriented system in Kenyan schools. We view learner-oriented education as creative and practical. Fully engaged, the student takes an active role and centre stage in his/her own learning process. This stretches the learner in every area and involves different activities, including technology or applied technical know-how. The student discovers new horizons and disentangles his/her own capabilities, while applying new skills to achieve the greatest potential.
We, SNDdeN, appreciate this Competency Based curriculum, now used in Kenyan schools, enabling full participation of students with creative discoveries in the learning process. Our learners, even outside the confines of formal education, become creative in manipulating positively their environment. As facilitators in the learning process, our Sisters realize that we are not only teaching for now but we are preparing future and responsible citizens, ready to apply knowledge and to find solutions to everyday problems.
Continue Reading this story online on our Good Works Blog (snddengw.org) [ https://snddengw.org/2021/05/07/alive-with-mission-priority-for-education/ ]
