UNESCO. General Conference; 30th; Records ... - unesdoc - Unesco

38.3 Mr President, let me also congratulate in advance the nominee for the post of Director-General,
Ambassador Matsuura, and assure him of my country’s total support and commitment to the upholding and
promotion of the ideals of UNESCO. Our expectation is that he will usher UNESCO into the next millennium
with rekindled hope for mankind in pursuit of UNESCO’s mandate.
38.4 Since its inception UNESCO has organized and participated in many crucial international conferences
which have positively impacted on our global and national perceptions in education, science, culture,
communication and technical and vocational training.
38.5 Kenya would in particular like to mention the report of the International Commission on Education for
the Twenty-first Century, the Delors report, which clearly spelt out the four pillars of education: learning to be,
learning to know, learning to do, and learning to live together, which have greatly enriched our national
educational policies.
38.6 Mr President, the International Consultative Forum on Education for All has helped Kenya to assess her
progress in providing basic education for all our citizens. The Government of Kenya has been able to mobilize
other stakeholders in pooling resources and efforts and in creating participation and access to education,
particularly for girls and for children in especially difficult circumstances. In spite of our current budgetary
constraints, we have in the last two years provided bursaries to needy children at the secondary school level in
addition to what citizens contribute towards the development of education. The education sector in Kenya
currently consumes about 40% of the budget. The level of funding is causing very serious budgetary constraints
and our partners have been urging us to make cuts. However, Kenya has resisted this temptation and has in the
last two years expanded the provision of bursaries to needy children in secondary schools to supplement the
contributions of our citizens in the development of education through what we in Kenya call Harambees, which
is Kenya’s unique method of pulling together.
38.7 Furthermore, in 1998 the Kenyan Government established a Commission of Inquiry into the Education
System of Kenya to review our education system. The Commission was mandated to examine among other issues
the role of education in enhancing national unity, mutual social responsibility and ways of dealing with the AIDS
pandemic. The role of the private sector in the provision of education, alternative delivery methods and technical
and vocational education were also considered. The members of the Commission solicited views from a crosssection
of Kenyans to ensure that the new education system conforms to the wishes of the people, thereby
reflecting national reality. The report has now been presented to H.E. President Daniel T. Arap Moi in his
capacity as the appointing authority. The recommendations of this Commission will no doubt usher us well into
the twenty-first century.
38.8 It is also our hope that the final report on Education for All – the EFA 2000 Assessment – will provide
UNESCO with the relevant information and insight to enable the new concepts on education to be harmonized in
a globalized and culturally diverse world.
38.9 Mr President, the Declaration of the World Conference on Higher Education emphasized that higher
education and research should act as essential components of the cultural, socio-economic and environmentally
sustainable development of individuals, communities and nations. Kenya concurs with the UNESCO Declaration
that higher education should be open to all, with merit as the only criterion for access.
38.10 Mr President, in Kenya, and I believe this applies to all other Member States of UNESCO, it is
necessary for our youth to meet the challenge of information technology. Kenya has drawn up a curriculum for
computer studies for all secondary school children and has encouraged the establishment of private colleges
which offer studies in information technology.
38.11 In addition to scientific progress which has occurred over the years, there is a major revolution under
way in the area of genomics. The genomics revolution embraces developments in molecular and cell biology,
which have spawned new paradigms for the application of areas of science, especially biology, which have
potential for enabling African countries to exploit our gene-rich continent for the socio-economic development of
our people. The Government of Kenya is committed to the establishment of the Institute of Molecular and Cell
Biology as a centre of excellence to serve the African region, and the government has already committed initial
seed money towards this initiative.
38.12 Mr President, other innovative projects initiated by UNESCO or supported through UNESCO have also
been of great benefit to Kenya. The Man and the Biosphere (MAB) programme and the Biosphere Reserve for
Sustainable Resource Development and Conservation in Anglophone Africa (BRAAF) project are examples in
place. The BRAAF project has tremendously reduced conflict between the interests of the local communities and
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