Educational Heritage Project

Kenya

Page history last edited by Allison Runchey 1 yr ago

National Overview: Kenya
School Structure
Culture of Classroom
Access to Education
Sources

National Overview: Kenya

Capital -- Nairobi

Population -- 33,829,590

Major Languages -- English (official), Kiswahili (official), and numerous indigenous languages. English is the formal language of the government and education but both Swahili and English are spoken and written throughout Kenya.

Major Religions -- Protestant 45%, Roman Catholic 33%, Indigenous Beliefs 10%, Muslim 10%, other 2%

Type of Government -- Republic

Main Exports -- coffee and tea

Life Expectancy -- 48 years

Definition of Literacy --age 15 and over can read and write

Literacy rate -- total population: 85.1% male: 90.6% female: 79.7% (2003 est.)

Overview of Education -- "To provide, promote and co-ordinate lifelong education, training and research for Kenya's sustainable development. To focus on priority areas within overall education goals, notably towards attaining 'universal primary education' by 2005, within the context of the wider objective of 'Education for All (EFA)' by 2015."

Total expenditure on education -- 80,000 Ksh (in millions) also % of GNP (see example).

Script/Alphabet used -- Swahili looks similar to English, is read Left to right, and does not include Q or X. For example: Umbari means family in Swahili.

Occupational distribution -- Many Kenyans are farmers earning money for their families and food for themselves.

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School Structure

Primary School:

Length: 8 years

Age level: 6 -14 years old

General Secondary School:

Length: 4 years

Age level: 14 -18 years old

Preparatory Secondary School:

Length: 0 years

Age level:

Technical School and Junior College:

Length: 2 years

Age level: After secondary school completion

Public or private schools and compulsory or optional -- Primary school, the first 8 years of education, is labeled compulsory but some Kenyans cannot afford supplies and schools are overcrowded so many miss out on this opportunity.

School Attendance -- In 2003, 6,906,355 students attended primary school, but only 862,000 students attended secondary school.

Percent Education level achieved -- In 2003, Approximately 57% of students completed the standard 8 years of primary education.

Post-Secondary Opportunities -- Kenya has 6 public and 13 private universities with an enrollment of about 68,000 students. Kenya also has middle-level colleges. The middle-level colleges cater to a variety of post-secondary career courses leading to certificate, diploma, and higher diploma awards. More than 60,000 people enroll in these middle-level colleges.

Pupil to teacher ratio -- Pupil to teacher ratio varies by region with the majority being between 30:1-40:1.

Teacher Qualifications --In 2003 176,222 teachers were considered trained with only 2,358 categorized as untrained. Training levels vary but the Teachers Service Commission of Kenya uses a rating scale to determine who is qualified. Most teachers considered qualified hold a four year degree. All qualified teachers must be registered by the Teachers Service Commission of Kenya.

Languages in School -- English is the official language of education

Method of instruction and Subjects/Curriculum -- Lecture style instruction; English, social sciences, math, geography, and history are main subjects taught.

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Culture of Classroom

Physical Environment -- Classrooms are often overcrowded and access to water depends on the region of Kenya you are in, the amount of rainfall and river access you have. Textbooks are limited and many families can’t afford supplies and uniforms needed to send their children to school. Most children walk to school as public transportation is limited.

Culture of classroom including discipline -- Corporal punishment is still administered in schools as a form of discipline.

Gender roles in classroom -- gender disparity or gender hierarchy.

Parent involvement/Parent Role in Education -- Parents play a minimal role in their child’s education and some children even live with friends or other family members so they have access to a school.

Accommodations -- There has been no systematic survey done to identify and determine the exact numbers of children with disability, age, gender and type and degree of disability. The current regular curriculum and examination is insensitive to the needs of the handicapped. There is an acute shortage of specially trained teachers in all special education programs/schools and especially at primary school level, and an acute shortage of technical and support staff to accommodate special education needs.

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Access to Education

Educational barriers -- Some barriers to attending public institutions include the limited opportunities available in public universities, the constant closures of state-funded universities, the need to complement government-managed higher institutions of learning. Also cost of education is an issue. The average Kenyan student pays between $3,600-6,800 for public instruction with private institutions costing approximately $3,800. This fee represents total cost of degree as well as transportation, fees, and living expenses.

Gender access -- Female students make up about 30 percent of total enrollments in the public universities and about 54.5% of total enrollment in private universities. More females attend private universities because they can not secure enrollment in public universities and course offerings in these institutions are in the social sciences, education, arts, business administration, accounting, and computer science. Female students' under-representation is higher in engineering and technical-based professional programs.

Socio-political influences -- When the Government of Kenya implemented free education to all in the primary grades more students became eligible to attend but cost and overcrowded schools have prevented some from attending. Also students must pass an assessment at the end of the first 8 years of primary school in order to attend secondary school. If they don’t pass they have limited chances of attending any form of continuing education.

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