Recognized as a Student
From the nominator:
The top reason this nomination deserves to be recognized with a 2025 Open Education Award for Excellence is her remarkable initiative—from project proposal to promotion—in creating Utamaduni Bora, a groundbreaking student-led OER that celebrates African heritage and champions culturally sustaining pedagogy through inclusive, community-based storytelling.
What an outstanding student leader! This is among the best examples of student-created OER and student-led open education projects I have encountered.
Award Reviewer
Leticia Kanywuiro exemplifies the priorities of Open Education through her visionary, student-led creation of Utamaduni Bora, an OER that centres Kikuyu cultural knowledge and advances equity, inclusion, and decolonisation in early childhood education. She demonstrates participatory, transparent, and culturally sustaining open pedagogy in action by engaging community voices and co-creating resources with families, educators, and collaborators. Her work preserves and amplifies African Indigenous Knowledge and provides adaptable, practical tools for educators to foster cross-cultural understanding. Leticia’s leadership shows how open education can be socially just, collaborative, and deeply impactful, positioning knowledge as a public good that honours underrepresented voices and strengthens inclusive learning ecosystems.
Award Reviewer
Learn More
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- Utamaduni Bora (TRU Open Press)
