What matters more — the journey or the destination?
At first glance, the answer might seem obvious. After all, education reform has a clear goal: ensuring every child has access to quality, inclusive learning opportunities, as stipulated in Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4). It is a noble and necessary destination, one that we cannot afford to lose sight of.
At WERK, we have come to learn that the path taken toward that goal, the decisions made, the values upheld, the partnerships forged, and the groundwork laid are just as vital, if not more. Because how we move determines whether we truly arrive, and more importantly, it determines who arrives with us.
Education reform in Kenya, as in many parts of the world, is not a sprint. It is not a single project, policy paper, or political term. It is a long, evolving process that unfolds over years and across governments, ministries, classrooms, and communities.
Over the past three decades Kenya has made significant strides in education. From Free Primary Education to the introduction of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), from teacher management reforms to renewed focus on equity and inclusion, each of these shifts reflects a national effort to improve access, relevance, and quality of learning.
Yet, reform is not linear. For every breakthrough, there are setbacks. For every policy passed, there are questions of implementation. For every learner enrolled, there is the task of ensuring that they learn meaningfully, equitably, and with dignity. That is why the journey matters. Because the process of reform is where change is negotiated, piloted, tested, resisted, improved, and eventually owned.
As an organization deeply embedded in the landscape of educational research and policy engagement, WERK has always been guided by a belief in the power of preparation, participation, and persistence. Our work over the years, from national learning assessments and gender equity initiatives to community school support and capacity building, has taught us that lasting transformation only comes when we invest in the invisible layers: the groundwork.
Groundwork means listening to the lived realities of teachers, parents, and learners, especially those at the margins. It means building data systems that help stakeholders understand where we are and what is needed. It means supporting school leaders and educators, not just through one-off trainings but through continuous engagement and mentorship. It means engaging policy actors with research-driven evidence and not just opinions. It means creating platforms for youth, women, and communities to co-create solutions, not merely receive them.
In all of this, we are guided by the understanding that reform must be owned, not imposed. Ownership is only possible when people have walked the journey with you.
Perhaps what makes the journey most meaningful and sustainable is who walks it with you. At WERK, we consider our partners in government, civil society, academia, donor organisations, schools, and communities not as external collaborators but as allies in the journey. Each plays a critical role in ensuring that the vision of SDG 4 is not just a policy goal but a lived reality.
For instance, in our Complementary Schools Project, we do not just train school heads and leave. We stay, we learn alongside them, we adapt, and we document together. In our assessment work, we collaborate with Ministries and local education groups to ensure findings are relevant, usable, and linked to system-wide action. In our advocacy and convening, we create space for multi-stakeholder dialogue, recognising that real change only happens when diverse voices are at the table.
It is not always easy. Partnerships take time, trust, and shared learning. But they are the threads that hold reform together, especially in times of transition or uncertainty.
Let us be clear: the destination does matter. We must aim for a Kenya where every child, regardless of geography, gender, disability, or socio-economic background, has access to inclusive, quality education and lifelong learning opportunities. But we must resist the temptation of shortcuts. Because in our rush to arrive, we may trample the very people we claim to serve. We may roll out reforms too fast for systems to absorb. We may prioritize numbers over nuance. We may design policy from boardrooms rather than classrooms.
And so, we say: let us honour the journey. Let us make space for learning, for pausing, for reflection. Let us centre equity not only in outcomes but in processes. Let us remember that how we engage teachers, students, communities, and institutions with respect, inclusion, and accountability matters just as much as the end result.
This year, WERK marks 30 years since our founding. Thirty years of research, advocacy, collaboration, and movement-building in the education sector. As we reflect on this milestone, we do so with gratitude for the destination glimpses we have seen. Policies influenced, schools strengthened, data translated into action, and young lives changed for the better.
More than anything, we celebrate the walk: the long, sometimes uphill, but always purpose-driven journey with our partners.
To our members, funders, friends, and communities, thank you for walking with us. For believing in the slow, essential work of systems change. For knowing that real reform is not a sprint to a finish line but a walk of many steps, taken together.
So, we pose the question again: what matters more — the journey or the destination?
We believe the two are inseparable. But if we had to choose, we would choose the walk, because it is the only way to arrive meaningfully.
