Ruth Mugambi

Bold Question: How might we support government teachers nationwide to actively participate in and benefit from professional communities of learning?

Path to Metis: Ruth’s journey in education started thirty years ago when she left Kenyatta University armed with a degree in education. She started out teaching Home Science in Nairobi. She joined Kenya Institute of Education, the current Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development as a curriculum specialist. At KICD Ruth has been involved in the review of the current 8 4 4 curriculum and seen it adaptation for learners with special needs.

She also helped to develop the teacher education curriculum for certificate and diploma teachers. This led her to write the course books for home science for Form1 to Form 4 and their corresponding teacher’s guides. As a Home Science teacher and curriculum specialist, Ruth was not happy about the deteriorating sanitation practices in Kenya and this led her to writing a curriculum on Water and Sanitation and also a book on Hygiene. The book targeted learners who do not take Home Science as a subject but needed some basic skills to live a healthy life.

At the Institute, she has attended intensive training on curriculum development and has visited several countries to expand her knowledge of training and bench-marking activities. This has sharpened her skills in curriculum design, development, and implementation. As the Deputy Director for Basic Education, she led the team which developed the curriculum for pre-primary and primary education. Ruth is now the Deputy Director for Secondary Education and spearheading the reforms at secondary level.