The purpose of Advantage Africa's School Leavers’ Transition project in Kenya, is to improve the vocational learning, employment outcomes and life chances of students with special educational needs when they leave school. The project design originated with our long-term experience of practical support for two Special Units (Thinu and Mitaboni) in Kenya. Since then we have developed and tested an innovative model of school leavers' transition which is now being rolled out nationally through our partnership with Kenya Institute of Special Education in Nairobi. We have written a handbook for teachers and families, and developed a teacher-training course. By 2025 we had trained 60 special school teachers from institutions across Kenya - see the map of schools.Our Handbook teachers and families
School-leavers' outcomes video
The project incorporates:
• The training of teachers in a wider more relevant curriculum focused on practice vocational skills.
• Access to better practical teaching resources and facilities.
• Working in close partnership with parents and guardians to ensure agreed expectations for a structured and supported return to the home community for the school leavers.
• Provision of resources for individual school leavers to start-up purposeful activities when they return to their home communities. Commonly livestock such as cows, sheep or goats which also help boost the family income.
The problem we identified was that older students with special educational needs of 16+ years, and some reaching as old as 36 years, were not progressing beyond school to the adult world. They became ‘stuck’ in school with neither guardians nor teachers knowing how to facilitate their transition into employment or a meaningful livelihood at home. In turn, this blocked the progression of younger pupils through the school years and failed to provide good role models to encourage other students with disabilities and their families. In 2019 Advantage Africa began work on an innovative model of transition which was rigorously piloted with our project partners Kenya Institute of Special Education (KISE) - the National body for special education teacher training in Kenya. Our 60 trained teachers are actively supporting school-leavers to start adult life with a meaningful occupation, enhanced independence, higher self-esteem and improved incomes which helps the whole family.
National Impact, Transition Training Now in Kenya’s Curriculum
One of our core goals has always been to see transition training embedded in Kenya’s national teacher training curriculum for Special Needs Education. In 2025, this goal was realised. Following sustained awareness-raising, advocacy, and strategic collaboration by our team, the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development confirmed that transition training modules have been included in the revised Diploma curriculum for all Special Needs Education teachers. In addition, the transition process will now feature prominently in the new Special Education Vocational Training Curriculum, reaching all special schools and special units across the country. This is a major step forward for inclusive education in Kenya—and a lasting legacy of our project.
We very much thank COSARAF Charitable Foundation and Educational Opportunities Foundation for their generous support of our work in this area.
