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Education in Kenya is provided by various private and public entities, and encompasses all levels from kindergarten to university education. Education is governed by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.

Prior to the colonisation of Kenya, the existent societies had an informal system of education whereby children would be instructed in the cultural practices of the community, and was heavily focused on gender roles, with male adults instructing male children and female adults doing the same for female children. In addition, apprenticeship was used to pass on skills required by the society, such as in the training of blacksmiths, herbalists and rain makers.[1] Christian missionaries were largely responsible for the introduction of formal education, coinciding with the establishment of colonial activity in Kenya, such as the formation of the Imperial British East Africa Company.[2]

Public education is run on an 8-4-4 system, with eight years of primary education, four years of secondary education and four years of tertiary education. Primary education has been free and compulsory for those between the age of six and 13 since 2003.[3] At the end of eight years of primary schooling, pupils typically take the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examination (KCPE), and their performance in this examination determines high school placement. Secondary schools are ranked from national schools, that admit students from all over the country and are usually the most prestigious and well-funded, to sub-county schools, which are usually day schools and draw students from their respective sub-counties.[4] After students complete their high school course, they take the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education, which similarly determines university placement.

In addition to public schooling, there are many private institutions that offer education in Kenya. Majority of these follow the 8-4-4 system, although a few offer a British-style education system whereby students take O and A levels, the GCSE or IGCSE.

History

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Before the entry of Europeans into the region, most ethnic groups had a system of informal education, where parents and the society as a whole educated children into the cultural practices of the community. Some aspects, such as the moral values and religious practices of the community were taught through story-telling. This learning was mostly gender-based. For example, among the Maasai people, boys were trained to herd cattle, while girls were taught by their mothers to do chores such as milking and cooking which typically occurred within the home.[5][6] Traditional arts were also taught, for example basket-weaving among the Kikuyu and ornament-making among the Rendille, and the intensive learning of musical instruments among the talented children.[7] Other specialised skills, such as medicine and the leading of religious ceremony, were not taught to all but to children whose parents practised these skills.[8][9]

Beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, missionaries, particularly those from the Church Missionary Society, arrived at the East African coast. Their primary concern was in spreading Christianity, but they did not have much success in the beginning. However, with the suppression of the slave trade by the British Navy, the missionaries decided to introduce western-style education to the freed slaves, as well as continuing to spread Christianity. To this end, the first Christian mission in Kenya was established at Rabai in 1846.[10]: 38 

In 1911, the government of the protectorate established an Education Department to oversee the work of the missionaries, who had since commenced educational activities in the Kenyan interior. The colonial government, seeing the benefits of having a skilled native population, began to fund the schools on condition that they would be geared towards practical education in addition to teaching Christian religion.[10]: 40–41  However, the government stipulated racial segregation between schools for European, Asian and African children,[11][12] stating that schools for European and Asian children should focus on academics, while those of African children should be geared primarily towards the acquisition of industrial and technical skills.[13] The arrival of missionary education was met with mixed reactions from the various ethnic groups in the interior. Some groups saw the education system introduced by the missionaries as necessary to improve their lives under the new reality of colonisation, while others, such as the Maasai, saw permanent educational centres as an erosion of their economic tradition of nomadic pastoralism.[8][14] Some communities formed their own independent schools, either due to tensions with the missionaries' policies or the fact that demand for education had outstripped available resources.[14]

After Kenya gained its independence in 1963, the government prioritised education and enrolment rates for both primary and secondary schools, as well as the number of schools themselves, rose. Within the first decade of independence, the primary school enrolment rate was at 80%.[15] The expansion of schools and enrolment rates was credited to a combination of government sponsoring and Harambee initiatives. However, the Harambee-funded schools were considered to be of lower quality than those from the government.[15] Initially, the education system followed a 7-4-2-3 scheme modelled on the British education system, comprising of 7 years of primary education, 4 years of lower secondary education, 2 years of upper secondary education and 3–5 years of university education.[16] However, in an effort to increase the number of skilled workers, emphasise acquisition of vocational and practical skills, and provide for Kenya's burgeoning number of students, the system was changed to an 8-4-4 system in 1985, comprising 8 years of primary education, 4 years of secondary education and 4 years of tertiary education.[15][17]

In 2015, then Cabinet Secretary for Education Fred Matiang'i announced a curriculum reform towards competency-based learning modelled on a 2-6-3-3-3 system, the first major overhaul of the 8-4-4 system since 1985.[18][19]

Structure

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Preschool

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Although pre-primary education is not compulsory, the government supports it and funds early childhood development centres throughout the country. However, because the government prioritises primary education, most public preschools are underfunded, with parents required to contribute some money as well.[20] As a result, most children attend either private preschools or those funded by non-governmental organisations. According to a 2006 estimate by UNESCO, 35% of Kenyan children have access to preschool education.[20] The aim of preschool education is to prepare the children for primary school by teaching them basic reading, writing, motor and communication skills.[21]

Primary education

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The Constitution of Kenya stipulates that every child is entitled to free and compulsory basic education.[22] In line with this, children are required to attend primary school. In 2003, then President Mwai Kibaki launched an initiative for full free primary education. Although previous attempts to introduce free primary education had been made in 1974 and 1979, they only covered the first four grades and ran on a cost-sharing scheme, with parents being required to contribute to non-tuition costs. After 2003, levying charges on parents without the permission of the government was prohibited.[11]

Primary education is expected to last for eight years, culminating in a nationwide examination for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education. Mathematics, English, Swahili, science, social studies and religious education are compulsory subjects.[23] However, religious education is offered in three varieties: Christian, Hindu and Islamic, with pupils taking one depending on their religion and the school attended.


References

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  1. ^ Wakahiu, Jane (2013). "Mentoring: A Model for Cultivating Leadership Competencies in Kenyan Women Religious". Advancing Women in Leadership. 33 – via HighBeam Research.
  2. ^ "Kenya -- Education". East Africa Living Encyclopedia. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  3. ^ Gill, Miller; Ellman, Elizabeth (2013). "Improving the Quality of Education: Kenya's Next Challenge". Geography – via HighBeam Research.
  4. ^ Oduor, Augustine (30 December 2015). "How selection to public secondary schools is done". The Standard. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  5. ^ Hodgson, Dorothy (1999). "Pastoralism, Patriarchy and History: Changing Gender Relations among Maasai in Tanganyika, 1890-1940". The Journal of African History. 40 (1): 46–47. doi:10.1017/S0021853798007397. JSTOR 183394. PMID 21977554.
  6. ^ The Last of the Maasai. Mohamed Amin, Duncan Willetts, John Eames. 1987. Pages 55, 94. Camerapix Publishers International. ISBN 1-874041-32-6
  7. ^ Andang'o, Elizabeth & Mugo, John (2007). "Early childhood music education in kenya: Between broad national policies and local realities". Arts Education Policy Review. 109 (2): 43–52. doi:10.3200/AEPR.109.2.45-53 – via ProQuest Dissertations and Theses.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ a b Phillips, Jacqueline & Bhavnagri, Navaz (2002). "The Maasai's Education and Empowerment Challenges of a Migrant Lifestyle". Childhood Education. 78 (3): 141. doi:10.1080/00094056.2002.10522723 – via Taylor & Francis.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ Kafu, Patrick & Simwelo, Genevieve (2015). "Forest Conservation in Kenya: Lessons from the African Traditional/Indigenous Education". Developing Country Studies. 5 (8): 141.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ a b Eisemon, Thomas (2014). Benefiting from Basic Education, School Quality and Functional Literacy in Kenya. Elsevier. ISBN 9781483294438.
  11. ^ a b Somerset, Anthony (2009). "Universalising primary education in Kenya: the elusive goal". Comparative Education. 45 (2): 233–250. doi:10.1080/03050060902920807.
  12. ^ Mbugua, Tata (2004). "Early Childhood Care and Education in Kenya". Childhood Education. 80 (4): 192–193. doi:10.1080/00094056.2004.10522230.
  13. ^ Sifuna, Daniel (2006). An Introductory History of Education. Nairobi University Press. p. 193. ISBN 9789966846303.
  14. ^ a b Anderson, John (1971). "Self Help and Independency: The Political Implications of a Continuing Tradition in African Education in Kenya". African Affairs. 70 (278): 9–22. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.afraf.a096095. JSTOR 720153.
  15. ^ a b c Buchmann, Claudia (1999). "The State and Schooling in Kenya: Historical Developments and Current Challenges". Africa Today. 46 (1): 95–117. doi:10.1353/at.2003.0072. JSTOR 4187254.
  16. ^ Kinuthia, Wanjira (2009). "Educational Development in Kenya and the Role of Information and Communication Technology". International Journal of Education and Development Using ICT. 5 (2).
  17. ^ Sifuna, Daniel (1992). "Prevocational subjects in primary schools in the 8-4-4- education system in Kenya". International Journal of Educational Development. 12 (2): 134–135. doi:10.1016/0738-0593(92)90035-K.
  18. ^ "National Curriculum Policy" (PDF). Ministry of Science, Education and Technology. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 October 2016. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  19. ^ Abuya, Benta (3 April 2017). "Why the new education curriculum is a triumph for Kenya's children". The Conversation. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  20. ^ a b Nganga, Lydiah (2009). "Early childhood education programs in Kenya: challenges and solutions". Early Years. 29 (3): 227–236. doi:10.1080/09575140902984400.
  21. ^ "Early Childhood Development Service Standard Guidelines" (PDF). Ministry of Education. 2006. p. 2. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  22. ^ "The Constitution of Kenya" (PDF). Retrieved 22 February 2019. Archived December 21, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  23. ^ Kimosop, Peter (2015). "Spatial and gender inequality in the Kenya certificate of primary education examination results". Applied Geography. 62: 44–61. doi:10.1016/j.apgeog.2015.04.006.
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