Dear Friends,
Every year around this time in Kenya, eKitabu launches the Digital Essay Competition (DEC). This year marks the 12th edition since its beginning in 2013 and for the first time, we are introducing two questions in response to feedback we have received from teachers and judges. This experiment aims to improve the quality of writing by refining one of the main tools we have in DEC: the prompts we give. In addition to putting into action the valuable perspectives of wise and committed colleagues, this move also reflects learning with our friends in Rwanda’s Kigali Public Library, whose KPL Writing Competition we have grown and improved since its inception in 2021, making it more inclusive and widening its scale together..
The DEC 2024 questions are:
Primary and Junior Secondary school question:
English: How can we take care of our environment at home and in school?
Kiswahili: Ni vipi tunaweza kuyatunza mazingira nyumbani na shuleni?
French: Comment pouvons-nous prendre soin de notre environnement à la maison et à l'école?
German: Wie können wir zu Hause und in der Schule für unsere Umwelt sorgen?
Arabic: كيف يمكننا أن نعتنى ببيئتنا فى المنزل وفى المدرسة؟
Secondary school question:
English: How can students contribute to addressing climate change in their communities and globally?
Kiswahili: Ni vipi wanafunzi wanaweza kuchangia katika kukabili mabadiliko ya tabianchi katika jamii na ulimwenguni?
French: Comment les étudiants peuvent-ils contribuer à la lutte contre le changement climatique dans leurs communautés et dans le à l’échelle mondiale?
German: Wie können Studierende zur Bekämpfung des Klimawandels beitragen in ihren Gemeinden und weltweit?
Arabic: كيف يمكن للطلاب المساهمة في معالجة تغير المناخ في مجتمعاتهم وعلى مستوى العالم ؟
eKitabu invites all Upper Primary and Junior Secondary, and all Senior Secondary school learners from mainstream and special schools, both public and private, to participate in DEC 2024 by submitting their entries online at essay.eKitabu.com. Participants can submit essays in the following categories: English, Kiswahili, Art, Kenyan Sign Language, braille, French, German, and Arabic. The submission window opens in April and runs until the end of July.
DEC is approved by Kenya’s Ministry of Education (MOE). DEC rewards students and the teachers who support them for their work developing essays and art that embody students’ original ideas and voices. DEC has awarded over Ksh 8,000,000 in prizes since 2013, and many DEC alumni have gone on to achieve success in learning and life. Prizes include scholarship money, computing devices, certificates, gift hampers, and national recognition from Kenya MOE. If you have any questions or feedback about DEC, feel free to reach out to us at essaycontent@ekitabu.com.
Warmest regards,
Will