Author name: Davis Waithaka

    INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL Name of School   Name of Headteacher   Location/Physical Address   School Curriculum (Please provide details of secondary school qualification offered)   Email address & telephone number    Ministry of Education Registration Number   No. of pupils on roll   No. of Kenyan pupils   No. of African Diaspora Pupils   No. of pupils from other continents   No. of Kenyan employees   No. of Expatriate employees   No. of Kenyan teachers   No. of Expatriate teachers   No. of Kenyans in Management roles   No. of Expats in Management     Please provide a brief statement outlining why you wish to join KAIS     KEY STAFF NOMINATED FOR PURPOSES OF VETTING COMMITTEE VISIT NAME POSITION EMAIL                     Please attach or draw out a flowchart/organogram showing the organizational structure of your school.

   KAIS MEMBERSHIP IN BRIEF  Who is KAIS?  The Kenya Association of International Schools (KAIS) is a membership association  representing over 40 international schools in Kenya. KAIS has a significant footprint in the  country, currently providing education to over 20,000 students hailing from Kenya, Africa  diaspora, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas. KAIS is truly an international community  of schools.  KAIS exists primarily to provide an advocacy linkage between the sector and the government,  to promote best practice, to offer mutually agreed support services to members and to  coordinate the identification and resolution of issues of mutual concern and importance to  member schools.  Our goal is to promote and represent the best interests of international schools so as enable  them to win recognition for their value and contribution as outstanding educators of children,  as a thriving business sector and as an important component in the development of the country  and the region.  Throughout our existence, the most defining feature of the Association has been our  determination to focus all of our activities on best serving our Member Schools; whether this  be by advocacy and lobbying, providing continuous professional development for those in our  ecosystem, elevation of teacher training or elevating child protection.  As educators we also recognize the need for wholistic education. To that end we are extremely  supportive of sports and the performing arts.  It is our hope that the next ten years will see the association embed itself as a champion of  quality education and the conduit through which the international school sector in Kenya  takes its place as the leader on the continent.  Our Vision  To be the voice of advocacy for international schools making Kenya the international  education hub of Africa.  Our Mission   To promote and protect the interests of international schools through advocacy, enhancement of collegiality and promotion of best practice enabling them to win recognition  as outstanding educators of children, a thriving business sector and an important component  in the development of the country and the continent.  Our Core Values  We are an inclusive and involved community of international schools who embrace; i. Internationalism – We deliver internationally focused curriculum that encourages  open mindedness, tolerance and cross-cultural understanding.  Integrity – we require personal integrity, ethical behaviour and common purpose iii. Equity, Equality and Diversity – We promote an open and caring dialogue in  which each voice is heard Corporate Social Responsibility – we advocate social responsibility and community service  Respect – we respect our host country’s culture, traditions and environment vi. Mentoring – we offer enrichment programs to our community  vii. Creativity – We emphasize critical thinking and inquiry based learning  Becoming a Member  Membership of the Association is open to International Schools in Kenya meeting the criteria  set out in the Memorandum and Articles of Association of KAIS and the KAIS Constitution.  Affiliation membership is extended to associations and/or firms which have direct interest in  the expansion of the international school sector, either through the provision of services or  other inputs. This membership status is not open to schools  In addition to Affiliates, the Association may from time to time invite institutions that do not  qualify for either ordinary or affiliate membership in the Association to participate in any  way in its activities. Such invitations shall not constitute invitations to membership.  Application Process  Interested schools wishing to join KAIS will express their interest in joining the  association as a member. This may be via the KAIS website or in an email to the  secretariat administrator info@kais.or.ke.  Once this has been received, the Secretariat will write back to the school requesting  them to submit a “Letter of Intent”. The LOI is an official letter from the Head of School  providing some history of the school, current status and reasons as to why the school  would like to join KAIS. This will be submitted together with the completed forms in  the Membership Application Package.  Simultaneously, the Secretariat will forward to the School a Membership Application  Package which will consist of:-  An Invitation Letter to apply for membership;   An Application Form (F1);  A copy of the Code of conduct;   Once the LOI and completed forms as mentioned in Point 3 have been received, the  Secretariat will note the date the Application has been received and commence the  process of review as per the Vetting Guidelines.   Should there be any criteria that have not been met by the School, then the Secretariat  will write to the school stating the reason and how this can be addressed.  If the Applicant School is successful up to this stage, then a School visit by the  Secretariat will be arranged. The visit will include an assessment of compliance with  the Vetting Guidelines.   Membership Fees  Our schedule is attached below:    Benefits of Membership  Advocacy & Lobbying  KAIS offers Member Schools a forum for discussion geared towards advocacy, lobbying and  sharing best practice so as to create a conducive environment for the business of education.  KAIS then submits the policy resolutions developed and lobbies for outcomes that support the  growth of the sector.  Continuous Professional Development (CPD)  KAIS provides opportunities for its members to participate in continuing professional  development (CPD) hosted throughout the academic year for a range of professional  cadres.These take the form of peer-to-peer teacher insets, health practitioners insets, HR  practioners insets etc. Membership to KAIS also offers access to the KAIS Community Forum,  which is a vibrant professional online community developed exclusively for KAIS Members.  KAISSO Sports League  The Association runs a competitive sports league under the umbrella of the Kenya Association  of International Schools Sports Association (KAISSO). The friendlies, leagues, tournaments  and championships are held annually for various age groups. The games provide an  opportunity to bring students from across Kenya together to promote the development of  sports, teamwork skills as well as a greater understanding of and respect for peers from other  cultures and countries. We also run a “Beyond KAISSO” program that explores further  opportunities for students.  Student Enrichment Services  Other student enrichment events offered

Wairimu Njage Chairperson CHAIRPERSON ADDRESS The Kenya Association of International Schools (KAIS) is a membership association representing over 45 international schools in Kenya.  KAIS has a significant footprint in the country, currently providing education to over 20,000 students  hailing from Kenya, African diaspora, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas. KAIS is truly an international community of schools. KAIS exists primarily to provide an advocacy linkage between the sector and the government, to promote best practice, to offer mutually agreed support services to members and to coordinate the identification and resolution of issues of mutual concern and importance to member schools. Our goal is to promote and represent the best interests of international schools so as enable them to win recognition for their value and contribution as outstanding educators of children, as a thriving business sector and as an important component in the development of the country and the region. Throughout our existence, the most defining features of the Association has been our determination to focus all of our activities on best serving our Member Schools; whether this be by advocacy and lobbying, providing continuous professional development for those in our ecosystem, elevation of teacher training or elevating child protection. As educators we also recognize the need for wholistic education. To that end we are extremely supportive of sports and the performing arts. It is our hope that the next ten years will see the association embed itself as a champion of quality education and the conduit through which the international school sector in Kenya takes its place as the leader on the continent.

Kenya Association of International Schools (KAIS) has warned that the private education institutions may have to lay off over 25,000 people if the government goes ahead with its plan to pass the Finance Bill 2023. In a submission seen by Swala Nyeti , Jane Mwangi, the Head of Secretariat at KAIS stated that the plan to increase NSSF and NHIF rates in addition to the proposed Affordable Housing levy will exert inordinate financial pressure on employers, as payrolls will increase by over 6%. She echoed the sentiments of KEPSA and KAM who claim that job losses will cross the 100,000 mark if the proposals are adopted as is. She added, “As such, schools will be forced to outsource certain services to lower paid cadres of staff – These may include teaching assistants, drivers, cleaners, gardeners, cooks, mechanics, and security personnel. In the private school sector, this will lead to the loss of over 25,000 jobs.” KAIS also faulted proposed changes to the Income Tax Act to create a corporate tax on gross amounts received by associations outside member subscriptions, joining fees or welfare contributions. Mwangi indicated that, according to the proposals, taxable receipts would include, for example, sponsorships for events and any fees collected for facilitation of events. “The proposed amendment is erroneous, first because, it deems that associations ‘are carrying out businesses’, when they are, by their very nature, non-profit organizations. Secondly, the proposed tax is discriminatory. Businesses are taxed on net income. Most business associations in Kenya are unable to fund their activities from member subscriptions,” said Mwangi. She added, “At the very least, tax should be applied on net income- after deducting the cost of hosting the event. Applying a tax to the gross receipts is discriminatory and punitive to these organizations’ that are not created for any business interest.” KAIS is also opposing the proposal in the Finance Bill to reduce the lower threshold for turnover tax to apply to a business from Sh1 million to Sh500,000. The association also opposed the reduction of the upper threshold for business to opt into turnover tax, as opposed to corporate tax, at Sh15 million, down from current Sh50 million. She said the proposed turnover tax hike applied to these young businesses from 1 per cent to 3 per cent would strangle private schools recovering from adverse effects of Covid-19. “First, subjecting schools which are capital intensive businesses to higher tax rates- corporate taxes for businesses with a turnover of over KES 15m, but beneath KES 50m, is punitive. “Secondly, taxing very young startup schools with a turnover of less than KES 1m shillings is punitive. In addition, the third punitive measure under these proposals is the increase of turnover tax from one to three per cent.” The schools also opposed to the proposal to amend the deadline for remitting Withholding Tax from the 20th day of each month to 24 hours after collection terming it unworkable. KAIS further termed unlawful a proposal in the Finance Bill 2023 requiring an appeal from a holding of the tax appeals tribunal to be filed by deposit 20 per cent of the disputed tax.

Kenya Association of International Schools (KAIS) in partnership with Kodris Africa and Rusinga School held a symposium to sensitise stakeholders on the value of teaching computing skills in primary and secondary schools. Speaking at the symposium at a Nairobi hotel, KAIS Chairperson, Wairimu Njage stated that the education sector has experienced significant turbulent change and the engagement with digital skills will play a role in driving innovation in different economic sectors. “We as KAIS remain committed to making a contribution that makes education offered in Kenya remain dynamic and relevant in preparing global citizens,” said Mrs Njage. The event delved into the computing and coding curriculum and the importance of incorporating digital skills in primary and secondary schools. It is projected that by 2030, 50 – 55 per cent of all jobs in Kenya will require some level of digital skills with the demand being primarily driven by enterprises adopting digital technologies. It is against this backdrop that KAIS convened a digital skills symposium that brought together various stakeholders from the education and ICT sectors. Present also were tech giants Microsoft, Google Safaricom and Liquid Telcom among others. At the same time, Head of Google in Africa Jack Ngare said the only way Kenya and Africa are going to stay at par with developed nations is by introducing coding at the elementary level of schooling. “Coding is one of the fundamental building blocks in IT and empowering our people to be able to understand and build some of the technological products that we consume that is why we need to start teaching coding in this country at zero option,” emphasised Ngare. Managing Director, Microsoft Africa Development Centre Catherine Muraga while making her remarks said coding has become so central to all career paths. “The need to teach learners how to solve problems through coding, as it has become a lot more important that we have to pay attention and make sure our children are well equipped for efficiency and productivity,” she added. In addition, Kodris Africa CEO, Mugumo Munene emphasised the importance of teaching learners more than just how to use computer applications. Munene explained that coding involves translating instructions for a computer from human language to a language a machine/computer can understand and technologies that humans have come to rely on such as smartphones, ATM cards, mobile money, Internet banking, e-learning, and telemedicine all run on codes. “If you talk to experts, they will tell you that the younger you start learning how to code, the better it is in a world which is so connected and children need to learn digital skills such as coding from an early age,” stated Munene. He further stated that Kodris Africa is the only organisation offering a curriculum approved by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) to teach coding in schools. “The curriculum we have developed is not necessarily for one segment of schools, it is cross-cutting and can be deployed by public schools, private schools and international schools,” added Munene. Speaking on behalf of KICD, the Assistant Director of e-Learning, Charles Munene said that in the last two decades, curriculum reforms have been driven by rapid technological and social changes. “Coding is becoming the most in-demand job skill of the future, therefore, we must align our curriculum to this rising demand in the job market,” he said. He pointed out that countries like the US, China, England, Germany and France among many others in the developed world have already made coding compulsory for grade-one learners.