Is citizen engagement a game changer for development? Project design.

1. ELITES FOR ANTI-ILLITERACY CAMPAIGN IN LOWER
YATTA DISTRICT; A CATALYST FOR RURAL
DEVELOPMENT
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Poor education is a positive power towards underdevelopment. Illiteracy is a great
impediment towards creativity and innovation which are the pillars for any positive change
in life; both in quality and quantity. Many efforts have been made over the last decade to
improve education performance in lower yatta district but poor performance has persisted.
What could be the cause for this problem? Can there be a solution to it? Are some of the
questions which have emerged from among the locals.
To deal with this challenge, a newly local development team branding itself as ‘Elites
steering local development in lower yatta district’ seeks to go down to the root causes;
directly partnering with the concerned and interested parties includinglocal
administration, teachers, parents, students, pupils as well as well-wishers (public or
private institutions)in a bid to design a 10-year developmental initiative leading to
improved academic merit among the local learning institutions in the district and steer its
implementation. The team is coming up with a performance agreement based on
performance-reward approach seeking to influence attitude, quality of the education
approaches applied in schools as well as discipline among the parties involved
KEY PLAYERS
Key player is mainly the ‘local community’. A newly local development group branding itself
as ‘Elites steering local development in lower yatta district’ are the pioneers of the whole
subject and will set the theme for the rest of the stakeholders. This group( ‘Elites’) are far
better positioned to steer this issue as the group members consists of the local academicians
who have made it academically and far in life thus best to facilitate such a concern. Other
parties to be directly involved including local administration(County and district education
officers), teachers, parents, students, pupils as well as well-wishers (public or private
institutions) will be a great asset as the whole matter is community-based and actually
without them nothing can be done since they will be like the modeling clay in the hands of a
potter.
TOOLS/ RESOURCES TO BE EMPLOYED
The pioneer team has presumed to use both traditional committees as well as modern
technology toolsincluding: a website to be designed for the purpose, mobile phones, sms,
and cameras. Committees will seek to drive the main idea by bringing together these
different participantsin face to face meetings where pertinent matters on the approach to

2. employ to achieve result will be discussed. Website is of great importance as different issues
raised by stakeholders as well as the solution agreed upon will be posted for access by all
interested parties. All minutes of meetings held by committee, all complaints posted by
stakeholders will be posted on the website. This will make all information purely related to
the problem available to parties involved in time for querying or for action as per each
party’s role in providing solution. Mobile phones will make giving opinions, raising concern,
posing complaints very possible for all stakeholders regardless of the distance. Sms are
cheap and will make contribution possible by even the poorest in the district given many
locals are living in abject poverty, at one meal a day. Cameras are for collecting video
information during gatherings to deal with the subject matter for record keeping and future
referencing .
ANTICIPATED RISKS AND OPPORTUNITIES
The main risk anticipated about achieving a positive result is whether the local community,
the heart of the activity will cooperate with the pioneers (Elites) to achieve the purpose.
This is mainly because many locals are illiterate and may turn down the call for a positive
change. As cited earlier, the moves to fight illiteracy have been launched before fruitlessly.
Lack of commitment by the locals to give views and commit to share relevant information
on the website and sms for the wider group to access may be a greater challenge. Another
risk relates to limited finances as well as time.
The greater opportunity is that, short route to accountability will be used thus direct
informational exchange between the beneficiaries and the service providers. Coordination
with local administration in calling for education gatherings. Involvement of school
heads/principalsin making clear issues about performance and the ability for improvement
will be a great boost. Involving Local countygovernment will too be a great resource in
calling the rest of the stakeholders into action. Organizing for seminars, ralliesand
workshops for learnerswill still influence the learners to work extra mile to achieve their
objectives.
EVALUATION
To determine success, the developmental initiative will be designed in such a manner that
effectivenessand efficiency of the strategies will be measured on tactical basis
incrementally. Each tactic pursued shall be monitored to assess the level of success
achieved as regards positive change in performance. The average marks, number of
learners performing above average on the final exam, will be used as metrics for
determiningsuccess; taking the base year to be the preceding year before the initiation of
anti-illiteracy campaign, over a period of the 10-year plan. Then adjustment on the tactics
employed will be done as per prevailing outcome for a better outcome in the next
evaluation.