Ministry of Education Pushes for Drama Festival to Take a Learner Based Approach

The Ministry of Education has urged trainers and teachers at this year's drama festival to allow students to generate their own scripts and to make the activities learner-based, moving beyond merely having them perform scripts written by professionals.

Speaking on behalf of Education CS, Julius Ogamba, Nairobi Regional Director of Education, Reuben Kipturgor, stated that this approach aims to identify and nurture individual talents, contributing to the government's plan to leverage arts as a career under the Competency-Based Education (CBE).

“There is a specific role or benefit that we derive from participating in music and dance. One of them is the identification of talent and development, nurturing of the same. Most of the scripts are written by professionals. Where are we identifying talent from our learners? 

"Why should we reduce our learners to just come and perform our scripts? That is my challenge. Can we make these activities learner-based? Can we go back and allow our learners to generate their own script, and then we just help them to fine-tune it to the levels that we can reach? That is the only way we can develop their talents.”

In partnership with Equity Bank, this year’s Kenya National Drama and Film Festival is anchored on the theme: “Bold Storytellers, Digital Stages: Driving Kenya’s Development Through Theatre and Film.”

In line with the theme, Nairobi Regional Director of Education Reuben Kipturgor challenged sponsors to recognise and reward student-authored work. “Can we recognize scripts that are developed by learners? If a learner comes with a very good script, you can sponsor them. Award them a prize, for example… or give them something, some token,” he said.

Framing the push within the Competency-Based Education, he added: “CBE is about talent. Now, if learners can write a composition, a very good composition, why can’t they also develop scripts? They can. So, can we assist them so that we can truly, truly say we are developing their talents?”

He noted the government’s backing of career pathways under the new education system and affirmed continuity of support:

In response to his request, the Kenya National Drama and Film Festival Nairobi region chairperson, Vincent Akuka, said the directive would be embraced, adding that the region will positively encourage and motivate learners to develop their own scripts.

Peter Ndoro, Equity Bank’s Head of Education, added that through this partnership, they are demonstrating their commitment to empowering Kenya’s youth by providing a platform to nurture talent while promoting innovation and digital transformation. As part of the collaboration, students will perform a sub-theme: “Leveraging Technology to Make Banking a Lifestyle — From a Place You Go to Something You Do.”

Performances will highlight how digital banking integrates into daily life, from paying school fees to driving business growth and facilitating cross-border trade, focusing on transforming financial services into an integrated part of everyday life, highlighting how technology has revolutionised banking and enabled financial inclusion for individuals, schools, and businesses across the country.

“We believe in supporting talent and transforming the lives of our people. We thrive when we see individuals excelling. We are committed to supporting this activity all the way to the nationals.”

The festival, currently at the regional stage across Kenya, will culminate in the national event in Nyeri in April.