I was born in rural Kenya, along the shores of Lake Victoria. As a child, I walked several miles to attend a dilapidated primary school which boasted nothing in terms of physical facilities [many times we had to endure the hot tropical sun to take classes under trees] but was bursting with hope and pride and joy. Our teachers worked tirelessly to ensure that we scored the best grades in national exams, often competing with students from better equipped and better staffed urban schools. It was at this stage that I became intensely interested in Education with the aim of providing equal educational opportunities to all children. Hence I started my journey in Education, graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of Nairobi majoring in African languages. Upon graduation I proceeded to teach Swahili at secondary school level and was actively involved in the promotion of African Languages through the use of Drama, music and dance.

I ventured into academia once again to undertake studies leading to a masters degree in Education with a concentration in Administration, Planning and curriculum Development. I also did a short stint working for The American Educational Advising Center in Nairobi as an Educational Advisor. Over the past year I have worked as a teacher in New Hampshire where I served as a resource person giving talks to staff and students on the education experience in Kenya.

I am mainly interested in improvement of the capacity of education institutions in Africa to address matters of access, quality and gender. I am also interested in transforming education policy to better address community challenges like HIV AIDS, poverty, conflict and environmental degradation. It is my belief that that the rich academic and cultural composition of CIE will enable me to gain more insight into these issues.

Email: martina.amoth@gmail.com