Plans underway to transform students’ creative talents into income streams
CHRIS MAHANDARA -KNA
The Government is seeking to turn talent nurtured in schools into viable economic oppor tunities by strengthening the identification, development and monetisation of creative abilities among learners.
Basic Education Principal Secretary, John Ololtuaa, said the Ministry of Education would continue strength ening co-curricular pro grammes to ensure learners gifted in music, dance, sports and other creative fields can develop their abilities into sustainable careers.
Speaking at Kibabii Uni versity in Bungoma County during the official opening of the 98th Kenya Music Festival, the PS said the ini tiative was aligned with the Bottom-Up Economic Trans formation Agenda (BETA), which identifies the creative economy as an important driver of employment and wealth creation.
“The Ministry will continue to strengthen co-curricular programmes so that talent identification, development and commercialization is promoted,” he said. He described the Kenya Music Festival as one of the country’s most successful educational programmes in nurturing talent, preserving culture and promoting national cohesion.
The PS said the festival had grown beyond a competition to become a platform for promoting cultural identity, patriotism and unity while giving young people an opportunity to discover their talents, build confidence and appreciate Kenya’s cultural diversity.
He described it as the largest music, dance and spoken-word festival in Africa, saying it had demonstrated the potential of co-curricular activities to complement classroom learning.
Ololtuaa said the festivals enable learners to develop creativity, communica tion, collaboration, critical thinking, digital literacy, citizenship and self-efficacy, which are key competencies under Competency-Based Education.
He said the Government was now keen to ensure exceptional performances do not end when the festival closes but can translate into opportunities in the creative economy.
The Ministry, he said, would work with relevant Government agencies and other stakeholders to advance digital transformation, talent development and commercialization of creative works produced by learners.
The 98th edition of the festival is being held under the theme ‘Enhancing the Creative Economy through Skills, Knowledge and Artis tic Production for Sustainable Development.’
Ololtuaa said the theme was timely given the growing contribution of the creative economy to employment and wealth creation globally and its alignment with the coun try’s economic priorities.
He called for greater involvement of the private sector, county govern ments and State agencies in supporting the festivals in developing talents among young Kenyans. “Kenya is a great country and it has many stakeholders who can participate.
It is possible to partner and make the road a little bit lighter,” he said. Ololtuaa also stressed the importance of integrity, accountability and profes sionalism in the education sector.