Wavumbuzi Entrepreneurship Challenge recognizes top aspiring young secondary/high school problem solvers, value creators
Three learners from Sosiot and St. Barnabas girls’ secondary schools have been recognized as the Wavumbuzi Entrepreneurship Challenge Fourth Edition Overall Top Learners. The Junior Secondary School Category was taken by learners from St Barnabas Girls Secondary School, Aga Khan Academy Senior School and Lions Junior Secondary School. Two learners from Aga Khan High School and St. Angela Vocational School for Deaf Girls took the Differently Abled Category. This was revealed at an award announcement held at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) on Friday. Others feted include learners from Sega Girls Secondary School, Mpesa Foundation Academy, Lukenya British Curriculum School, Acacia Crest Senior School, St. Clare Girls, and Bunyore Girls who took different positions in the Quests Completion. The top three counties in this challenge were Nakuru, Nyandarua, and Kiambu.
“More than 20,300 learners registered for the Challenge and the Challenge submission increased to 531,000 from 113,000 in the previous edition.”
Speaking while congratulating the winners Dr. Roselyn Marandu-Kareithi, Wavumbuzi’s Kenya Country Lead said that through the Wavumbuzi Entrepreneurship Challenge, learners have developed the ability to look at the world and instead of seeing problems, they identify problem-solving opportunities. They become curious, take risks and think deeper. “We have seen tremendous improvement through this challenge because what learners study in school comes alive as they apply their knowledge and 21st century skills to solve life challenges, thereby improving their basic education core competencies,” she said. “The learners further have the opportunity to develop various entrepreneurial competencies such as resilience, need to achieve, taking action and initiative, and most importantly – being value driven.” This approach aims to foster entrepreneurship as a viable and desirable alternative to traditional employment, ultimately cultivating a new generation of entrepreneurial young people in Kenya.
“Wavumbuzi is good for the learners, especially because it creates the linkages between schooling and industry. It is important that our children are prepared early enough to embrace opportunities in the industry,” a senior officer from the Ministry of Education said.
According to Dr. Roselyn, the partnership between Wavumbuzi and the Ministry of Education resulted in the number of schools participating in the latest edition of the Challenge increasing from 254 to 973 with learners getting more actively engaged. More than 20,300 learners registered for the Challenge and the Challenge submission increased to 531,000 from 113,000 in the previous edition. For the very first time, learners from grade seven in Junior Secondary School (JSS) also participated with more differently-abled learners also participating.
“The idea behind this is to enhance competencies like communication and collaboration, critical thinking and problem-solving, creativity and imagination, citizenship, digital literacy, and learning to learn,” Dr. Roselyn said while giving an analogy of Whitney Martha Waitherero, a former learner of Graceland Girls in Laikipia County who emerged as the overall top achiever in the inaugural Wavumbuzi Entrepreneurship Challenge. “Despite limited resources, including just two computers for 30 learners, Waitherero excelled at school, county, and national levels, buoyed by the strong support of her educators,” Dr. Roselyn further explained demonstrating a landmark achievement that exemplifies the power of early entrepreneurship education. “Now in her second year of university, Waitherero aspires to continue her entrepreneurial journey by applying to the Jasiri Program, further emphasizing the vital role such programs play in aligning with Kenya’s Vision 2030, the African Union Goals, and other global initiatives.”
Wavumbuzi, which aims to build the entrepreneurial aspirations of 1,000,000 young people in Eastern Africa by 2030, is a pipeline-building program of the Jasiri High-Impact Entrepreneurship Program. According to Njoki Riguga, the Wavumbuzi Program Manager, Wavumbuzi seeks to recognize and celebrate the outstanding performance of secondary/high school learners, teachers, schools, and counties. It is a free annual six-week online Entrepreneurship Challenge that focuses on developing the entrepreneurial mindsets and aspirations of secondary/high school learners across Kenya. “Next year we are looking at two things; In the first term, we will have learners engaging in a service learning activity whereby they will collaborate and practically solve a problem in their society, while in the second term, the next edition of the six weeks online Challenge will run. This is open to all secondary/high schools in the country,” she has said.
