The Kenya High Commission London has made a ground-breaking visit to the University of Cambridge to strengthen partnership with the famous institution and meet Kenyan students there. Kenya's High Commissioner to the Court of St James's Manoah Esipisu led a senior delegation that also included Education Attaché Dorothy Kamwilu for meetings with leaders of Education Partnership and the Cambridge University Press.
Our goals were threefold: strengthen partnership, seek more opportunities for Kenyan graduate students, and encourage the university to make a deliberate campaign to tap more undergraduate students from our country, said Amb. Esipisu.
"In addition, the Mission delegation met with Kenyan students. Indeed, we found a very vibrant Kenyan student community there."Managing Director, Cambridge Partnership for Education Jane Mann, Head of Education Partnerships Andrew Mackenzie and Cambridge University Press Head of International Development Annie Michailidou attended the meeting at King&'s, one of Cambridges 31 colleges.
Cambridge University Press, one of the globe's best known publishers, is supporting the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development in monitoring and evaluation of the new Competency-Based Curriculum.
That work is projected to expand further. Cambridge is known for producing a high number of Nobel laureates and nurturing world leaders. Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Amb. Dr Monica Juma, is one of Cambridge's most accomplished alumni in Kenya. At the meeting with students, Amb. Esipisu also spoke about the generational gap on leadership shaping up as a challenge to governments. He asked the students to make a conscious decision to serve in government and support each other for elective office in order to make impact. Education Attaché Kamwilu urged the university to encourage post-graduate students to return to Kenya after they are done with their courses so they can use their newly acquired skills to develop the country. In the meantime, graduates with a first degree should take advantage of reforms in the UK immigration policy, to remain for at least two years to gather experience at the workplace.
Mrs. Kamwilu also spoke on the mounting challenge around mental health. She encouraged students "to be their brother's keeper", taking care of one another and keeping touch with other Kenyan students in the UK to share experiences and support each other. She asked students to be particularly wary during a traditionally gloomy winter period when long hours of darkness are of concern to especially new Kenyan students to the UK.
