The need to support schools in implementing Character Education has been growing gradually across the country as institutions of learning and education stakeholders strive to come up with strategies which can address emerging indiscipline issues among the learners. CCL through its school needs assessment survey has documented numerous issues which are affecting negatively the school learning environment. The indiscipline issues include low self-esteem among the students, poor reading culture, lack of healthy relationships across the board, drug and substance abuse, negative peer pressure and stealing among of vices. Even though Character Education is not a cure for all social issues that are affecting the learning institutions adversely; research and common sense indicates that when schools commit to implement effective practices of Character Education, the culture and climate of the school improves significantly. With this in mind, CCL has been partnering with like-minded schools to train the teachers on effective practices of implementing Character Education.

Gathanji Secondary is a mixed day public school located in Githunguri Sub-County, Kiambu County. The CCL in collaboration with the School administration engaged the teachers on full day Character Education training as part of the school internal capacity building for its teaching staff. In the real sense, “schools can be restructured in ways that increase the presence and
prioritization of Character Education” said Peter Kingori as he shared on a topic titled ‘Teaching in your PRIMED.’ The PRIMED includes six broad principles namely: Prioritizing Character Education as central part of the school life, nurturing healthy relationships across the board, helping learners to internalize positive values and virtues, engaging teachers and non-teaching staff as role models, empowering students’ voices, and developmental pedagogy.

Other effective practices that were shared during the training includes incorporating values during lessons, use of peer interactive strategies such cooperative learning, class meetings, peer tutoring and moral dilemma discussions. The sessions included both plenary and small group discussions.