President William Ruto has said the Government will offer scholarships to teachers who excel in training learners in performance arts.
He said the Ministry of Education will work with the Kenya Music Festival adjudicators to identify eligible ones.
The move, he explained, seeks to incentivize teachers who go beyond the call of duty to model the country’s young artists.
“We want to support them to go to places where their talents will be taken to the next level,” he said.
He observed that the Government will also promote teachers who win awards in the festival.
He made the remarks on Wednesday during the 95th Kenya Music Festival Winners’ State Concert at State House Nakuru, Nakuru County.
Present were First Lady Rachel Ruto, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, Cabinet Secretaries Ezekiel Machogu and Ababu Namwamba, Governor Susan Kihika and a host of MPs.
The President said the Government has reached agreements with global digital platforms on monetization of Kenyan content.
President Ruto said YouTube, X.com (formerly Twitter) and Facebook have agreed to monetize content created by the youth.
The President said he has engaged the leadership of the organizations with the aim of creating opportunities for talented youth in the creative and digital economy sector.
The establishment of a robust creative economy is at the core of the Government’s Plan. pic.twitter.com/kWphN0vnbN
— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) August 23, 2023
“The establishment of a robust creative economy is a key priority of the government,” he said.
President Ruto said tomorrow he will have talks with the global Chief Executive Officer of TikTok Shou Zi Chew on moderation of content and monetization.
“We want to agree on a mechanism to moderate content on TikTok so that we can reduce negative content and leverage on monetization that will benefit more people,” he said.
The President said Facebook will engage will engage 25 content creators on monetization on its platform
He noted that every month Kenyans earn between Sh300 Million to Sh500 Million a month from digital platforms.
“The highest content creator earns Shs7 million a month,” he said
He said the Permanent Presidential Music Commission will be rebranded to the Creative Commission of Kenya and revamped to boost the creative industry.
“The creative commission will have professional studios in every county in Kenya to give opportunities to every artist to explore opportunities available and professionalize their talent,” he said.
The President directed Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development to digitize all performances within a month and run a monetized YouTube channel.
“We believe it is possible to build a society where the artiste, the songwriter, the choreographer, the instrumentalist and the vocalist can make a decent living from their craft and talents,” he said.
The President asked teachers unions and the Teacher Service Commission to speed up talks on collective bargaining agreement.
President Ruto said the Government has addressed issues raised by stakeholders in the implementation of Competence Based Curriculum to improve delivery of education to learners.
He said the Government has reorganized the funding model for higher learning and increased resources available to our learners to boost access to higher education.
Mr Gachagua expressed satisfaction with the quality of performance exhibited at the festival.
“The productions were apt, the costume and decor was superb, and the projection was beyond my expectations,” he said.
Machogu said creative arts are a key pillar of the CBC curriculum aimed at expanding opportunities for learners.
Kihika lauded the festival’s role in identifying and nurturing talents among the youth.
Ababu said the Ministry of Education and that of sports are working together to unlock opportunities for talented youth in the country.
He said the Government hosted a National Talent Camp that offered training and also availed sports federations scouting for talents for progression.
By PCS
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