In this video (3:03 minutes), Professor Mary Mendenhall briefly introduces the case study about school leadership in Kakuma refugee camp and Kalobeyei settlement.
Kakuma Refugee Camp & Kalobeyei Settlement
Kakuma Refugee Camp & Kalobeyei Settlement
Introduction
In this video (3:03 minutes), Professor Mary Mendenhall briefly introduces the case study about school leadership in Kakuma refugee camp and Kalobeyei settlement.
National Context
Kakuma Refugee Camp & Kalobeyei Settlement
Background: Kakuma refugee camp and Kalobeyei refugee settlement are located in arid northwest Kenya in Turkana county, just below the border with South Sudan. As of July 2021, 212,461 refugees from more than 20 countries resided in Kakuma and Kalobeyei, the largest populations hailing from Somalia and South Sudan, with Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, Uganda, and Rwanda also well-represented (UNHCR, 2021a). Kakuma refugee camp was first established by the Kenyan government (GoK) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) more than two decades ago in 1992 in response to Sudan’s Second Civil War when thousands of youth, known as the “Lost Boys of Sudan” (UNHCR, 2021b), crossed the border into Kenya in search of safe haven. Kakuma soon became a haven for Ethiopians fleeing the country after the fall of the government later that year (UNHCR, 2021b). Though the camp was initially established to be temporary, protracted crises in the region have sustained the perpetual growth of Kakuma, which now comprises four sprawling camps: Kakuma I, II, III, & IV.
In 2016, UNHCR and the GoK established Kalobeyei refugee settlement, 40 kilometers from Kakuma, as a new approach to hosting refugees with an emphasis on local integration and sustainability which also aimed to decongest the camp (UNHCR, 2021b). The original plan was to move 60,000 refugees from Kakuma to Kalobeyei, where they would live alongside 20,000 host-country nationals; however, delays in infrastructure development, high numbers of new South Sudanese refugees entering Kenya, and the GoK’s intermittent plans to close the other refugee camp in Kenya, Dadaab, have thwarted the initial plans of decongesting Kakuma as the settlement has welcomed new South Sudanese refugees and refugees who have been relocated from Dadaab.
Education: UNHCR collaborates with the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and Finn Church Aid (FCA) to implement primary education in Kakuma and Kalobeyei, respectively. UNHCR also partners with other NGOs and UN agencies to support teacher training, scholarships for learners, school construction, and a variety of other education-related activities. In Kakuma, there are eleven early childhood development (ECD) centers, 21 primary schools, five secondary schools, and one vocational training center. In Kalobeyei, there are six primary schools, some of which also have early childhood development (ECD) centers. More than half of the population in Kakuma and Kalobeyei is below the age of 18, with a total school-aged population (3-17) of nearly 80,000 children and youth (UNHCR 2017a). At the primary level, 35.7% of children are out-of-school (UNHCR 2017b). However, at the secondary level, the out-of-school rate in Kakuma is more severe, with 95% of youth out of school (UNHCR 2017b).
Refugee teachers constitute the majority of the teaching population in Kakuma, making up 85% of the primary teaching workforce (Mendenhall, 2017). Many are also school leaders and have the role of Deputy Head Teacher (similar to vice principal) in their schools. Refugee teachers, including Deputy Head Teachers, are prevented from formally joining the national teaching cadre due to restrictive labor and livelihood policies and are paid very low monthly stipends, known as an incentive, for their work from LWF or FCA. Head Teachers (similar to principals) in Kakuma and Kalobeyei are Kenyan national teachers, the majority of whom have been deployed from other parts of Kenya to work in the camp and settlement. Head Teachers receive a monthly salary commensurate with salaries provided to school leaders in public schools in Kenya.
Teachers and school leaders in Kakuma and Kalobeyei work in an extraordinarily challenging educational setting. Classrooms and schools are extremely overcrowded, leading to large teacher-to-student ratios that reach as high as 1 teacher to 180 learners (Mendenhall, 2017). Limited scholastic resources, teaching and learning materials, and school infrastructure exacerbate barriers to teaching and learning (Ibid). Challenges, such as the low “incentive” pay offered to refugee teachers, unmanageable workloads, and the multitude of needs present in their learners, have also led to a high rate of teacher turnover (Ibid). Though teachers need support to effectively deliver lessons in overcrowded classrooms with insufficient resources, manage the wealth of languages being spoken in the classroom, and provide learners with necessary psychosocial support, there are limited professional development opportunities that are relevant to the context or that culminate with recognized qualifications (Ibid). This is also true for school leaders, who lack sufficient opportunities to gain skills and knowledge on supportive leadership, positive communication, and administration skills.
Kakuma Refugee Camp & Kalobeyei Settlement
Background: Kakuma refugee camp and Kalobeyei refugee settlement are located in arid northwest Kenya in Turkana county, just below the border with South Sudan. As of July 2021, 212,461 refugees from more than 20 countries resided in Kakuma and Kalobeyei, the largest populations hailing from Somalia and South Sudan, with Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, Uganda, and Rwanda also well-represented (UNHCR, 2021a). Kakuma refugee camp was first established by the Kenyan government (GoK) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) more than two decades ago in 1992 in response to Sudan’s Second Civil War when thousands of youth, known as the “Lost Boys of Sudan” (UNHCR, 2021b), crossed the border into Kenya in search of safe haven. Kakuma soon became a haven for Ethiopians fleeing the country after the fall of the government later that year (UNHCR, 2021b). Though the camp was initially established to be temporary, protracted crises in the region have sustained the perpetual growth of Kakuma, which now comprises four sprawling camps: Kakuma I, II, III, & IV.
In 2016, UNHCR and the GoK established Kalobeyei refugee settlement, 40 kilometers from Kakuma, as a new approach to hosting refugees with an emphasis on local integration and sustainability which also aimed to decongest the camp (UNHCR, 2021b). The original plan was to move 60,000 refugees from Kakuma to Kalobeyei, where they would live alongside 20,000 host-country nationals; however, delays in infrastructure development, high numbers of new South Sudanese refugees entering Kenya, and the GoK’s intermittent plans to close the other refugee camp in Kenya, Dadaab, have thwarted the initial plans of decongesting Kakuma as the settlement has welcomed new South Sudanese refugees and refugees who have been relocated from Dadaab.
Education: UNHCR collaborates with the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and Finn Church Aid (FCA) to implement primary education in Kakuma and Kalobeyei, respectively. UNHCR also partners with other NGOs and UN agencies to support teacher training, scholarships for learners, school construction, and a variety of other education-related activities. In Kakuma, there are eleven early childhood development (ECD) centers, 21 primary schools, five secondary schools, and one vocational training center. In Kalobeyei, there are six primary schools, some of which also have early childhood development (ECD) centers. More than half of the population in Kakuma and Kalobeyei is below the age of 18, with a total school-aged population (3-17) of nearly 80,000 children and youth (UNHCR 2017a). At the primary level, 35.7% of children are out-of-school (UNHCR 2017b). However, at the secondary level, the out-of-school rate in Kakuma is more severe, with 95% of youth out of school (UNHCR 2017b).
Refugee teachers constitute the majority of the teaching population in Kakuma, making up 85% of the primary teaching workforce (Mendenhall, 2017). Many are also school leaders and have the role of Deputy Head Teacher (similar to vice principal) in their schools. Refugee teachers, including Deputy Head Teachers, are prevented from formally joining the national teaching cadre due to restrictive labor and livelihood policies and are paid very low monthly stipends, known as an incentive, for their work from LWF or FCA. Head Teachers (similar to principals) in Kakuma and Kalobeyei are Kenyan national teachers, the majority of whom have been deployed from other parts of Kenya to work in the camp and settlement. Head Teachers receive a monthly salary commensurate with salaries provided to school leaders in public schools in Kenya.
Teachers and school leaders in Kakuma and Kalobeyei work in an extraordinarily challenging educational setting. Classrooms and schools are extremely overcrowded, leading to large teacher-to-student ratios that reach as high as 1 teacher to 180 learners (Mendenhall, 2017). Limited scholastic resources, teaching and learning materials, and school infrastructure exacerbate barriers to teaching and learning (Ibid). Challenges, such as the low “incentive” pay offered to refugee teachers, unmanageable workloads, and the multitude of needs present in their learners, have also led to a high rate of teacher turnover (Ibid). Though teachers need support to effectively deliver lessons in overcrowded classrooms with insufficient resources, manage the wealth of languages being spoken in the classroom, and provide learners with necessary psychosocial support, there are limited professional development opportunities that are relevant to the context or that culminate with recognized qualifications (Ibid). This is also true for school leaders, who lack sufficient opportunities to gain skills and knowledge on supportive leadership, positive communication, and administration skills.
References
UNHCR. (2017a). Sub-office Kakuma operation, Kenya. Education. (PDF)
UNHCR. (2017b). Primary Monthly EMIS (October 2017). UNHCR Kakuma Sub-office.
UNHCR. (2021a). UNHCR KENYA Registered refugees and asylum-seekers.
UNHCR (2021b). UNHCR KENYA Kakuma Refugee Camp and Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement
References
UNHCR. (2017a). Sub-office Kakuma operation, Kenya. Education. (PDF)
UNHCR. (2017b). Primary Monthly EMIS (October 2017). UNHCR Kakuma Sub-office.
UNHCR. (2021a). UNHCR KENYA Registered refugees and asylum-seekers.
UNHCR (2021b). UNHCR KENYA Kakuma Refugee Camp and Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement
Case Study: Kakuma Refugee Camp & Kalobeyei Settlement