Kenya, on Tuesday, launched a booklet to help learning institutions manage the rising trend of violent extremism in schools.

The guide, launched by the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), says inducement and radicalisation are methods that are allowing recruiters to interfere with curriculum delivery, lower access to education and undermine teacher authority in instilling discipline.

The acting director of the NCTC, Joseph Opondo, who launched the booklet to guide basic education institutions in Nairobi, said that all stakeholders must work together in order to ensure the children are protected.

Mr. Opondo revealed that extremist groups were targeting the youth in schools, exploiting ‘push’ factors such as inequality, marginalisation, unemployment, weak family ties and extremist religious indoctrination.

Incidents like school fires, students stabbing colleagues or hacking teachers to death have taken place between 2020 to early 2021.

African Committee of Experts on Rights and Welfare of the Child 2016 showed that 20 percent of 394 children interviewed were aware of the recruitment of children into terrorist activities.

The recruitment has also been supported by other threats to student well-being such as gender-based violence, drug and substance abuse, poverty levels and gang membership. 

The report by the NCTC on Child Safety and Safety against Extremism has established an implementation matrix that will enable teachers to identify early warning and response strategies.

The guide explores the scope, rationale, legal and policy framework and highlights the likely behavioural characteristics displayed by the learner at various risk levels based on the threat of the affected learner.

“We will soon be distributing these books to institutions and they will truly help teachers to protect our children,” Mr. Opondo said.

The kit has been designed in a manner that enables teachers to recognise when a child is showing signs of radicalisation.