Faces of Leadership

How do you, as a current or future leader, help to shape a better world?

"Looking at and knowing about the children's needs is key to policymaking in ECEC (early childhood education and care). Taking care of my own children made me aware of small children's needs from a hands-on perspective. I could reflect and improve policy initiatives of the state government on the basis of these experiences.”

"I have benefited a lot from Salzburg Global Seminar's Education Policymakers Network. It is a great privilege to have a network of peers from all over the world and to learn that my colleagues face similar challenges in their cultural contexts. To exchange, compare, and advise each other on what works and what should be coming next has opened new perspectives for me. I am sure that these will be of great guidance while carrying on with my work for good elementary education in Germany."

Who or what inspires you in your work?

"Kenyan children inspire my work. I have an obligation as a gatekeeper, one who determines the kind of content that learners should interact with. That is a serious responsibility, and I want to ensure that learners have an opportunity to acquire appropriate values, form positive attitudes, and develop skills, not just cognitive skills but also soft skills for life and work.”

What is the biggest challenge you've overcome in your professional life?

"The fact that I am highly involved in promoting the non-academic aspects of learning is a big challenge because many educationists globally focus so much on the child's cognitive development at the expense of other dimensions that affect the overall development of a child. Children need to learn social and emotional skills to help them experience psychosocial well-being.”

How do you, as a current or future leader, help to shape a better world?

I don't consider myself to be a leader. I am a facilitator. My role is to engage with people in education, hear their perspectives, understand what is required, and work in the policy setting to help create policies and frameworks of implementation. All in all, my role is working to drive the agenda of change in education, and I enjoy that role... The world would be a better place if we shared a common understanding of education and, in that common understanding of education, make every child not only capable but also compassionate and caring. If all these things are included in education policies and governments across the world strive to deliver them, the world would be a better place. All societies face similar challenges, and to overcome these challenges, education is a powerful tool.