Advancing Life Skills Assessment in Kenya and Zanzibar
Zizi Afrique Foundation (ZAF) is strengthening national education systems in Kenya and Zanzibar by embedding life skills into formal assessment processes. In Zanzibar, ZAF supported the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training in integrating creative thinking into Grade 3 assessments, marking a shift toward learner-centered, skills-based education. A pilot and national framework are currently in development. In Kenya, ZAF partnered with the Directorate of Quality Assurance and Standards to initiate the creation of national tools and benchmarks for assessing life skills in Grades 3 and 6. These efforts lay the groundwork for standardized, competency-based tracking of non-academic skills across the basic education system.
Rolling Out a Research Agenda to Support Life Skills and Values in Schools
As part of its broader research agenda, the ALiVE program is working to define the life skills and values (LsV) most essential for children’s development, identify effective teaching and parenting practices, assess training needs, and develop strategies for the long-term integration of LsV into the education system. In Kenya, the focus is on retooling Junior School teachers, building the capacity of tutors in Teacher Training Colleges (TTCs), promoting Values-based Education (VbE) through a Whole School Approach at the primary level, and addressing gaps in teacher training models. To inform this work, members of the ALiVE National Advisory Committee, including representatives from the Ministry of Education (Quality Assurance), the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), and the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), carried out school immersion visits in June and July 2025. The first visit took place at Olare Owang Comprehensive School in Narok County, where the team engaged teachers in focused discussions and conducted classroom observations to assess how LsV are being taught and modeled
Advancing Digital Tools and Open Access Resources
ALiVE’s open-source platform continues to gain traction across the region and beyond. Since its launch, over 90 individuals have signed up, 89 tools and resources have been downloaded, and 33 organizations have expressed interest in using the platform. In parallel, ALiVE’s book on life skills and values, published by Springer, has achieved over 40,000 downloads, making it one of the most accessed publications in its field. A first draft of a monitoring framework has also been developed to guide how we track the use and impact of this open-source resource. These digital efforts are ensuring that evidence and tools from ALiVE are not only accessible but actively informing practice around the world.
Strengthening Teacher Training Institutions in the Incorporation of Life Skills and Values
Zizi Afrique Foundation supported the incorporation of life skills and values-based education ideals through pre-service and in-service systems by supporting institutional capacity enhancement in four teacher training colleges (Morogoro, Marangu, Machakos and Eregi TTCs) across East Africa
