Education in Kenya - an Uphill Climb

Kenya is undergoing a number of education reforms in both curriculum design and the new 2-6-3-3-3 school operational system.?Since 1984, the 8-4-4 (Primary/Secondary/Tertiary) model has been the norm. It was a teacher-based system where the teacher was the centre of learning. It was all about passing exams with a lot of content memorization. The last national exams will take place in 2027. After that, the 8-4-4 system is over.

Over the past five years there has been much debate about a new format of Pre-Primary/Primary/Junior Secondary/Senior Secondary/Vocation College or University. The focus is on a skill-based training and a greater recognition that students learn at different rates and in different ways.?

With the new Competency Based Curriculum and despite the challenges and inconsistencies associated with implementation, Kenya continues to produce outstanding students who shine and excel in academics.?Among these are CES Canada/Kenya graduates who now are in higher learning institutions studying in universities and colleges throughout Kenya.?

On the other side, there are children and youth that never have had a chance to attend and achieve learning benchmarks. There are a number of factors that prevent students from completing even the basic primary level of education. Only 40% of students achieving the KCPE (Kenya Certificate of Primary Education) will go on to and complete the standardized KCSE exams that lead to a high school diploma.? This “socio-economic tragedy” is compounded as 1.2 million orphans in Kenya struggle each day to survive. Education is not a priority when the basic needs of life are not met.

Three key factors hinder the equality of educational opportunities for Kenyan youth:

Poverty:

Despite free education in primary schools and a government subsidy for secondary education, acute poverty keeps children home.? University education is expensive and is reserved for the few who can afford it. Orphaned youth and others whose parents cannot afford to pay school fees become marginalized.? Students from poverty stricken areas are faced with environmental calamities and diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/Aids. Those who attend school have few reading and learning resources and classes often take place in overcrowded classrooms.?

Gender Inequality:

The issue of gender creates an imbalance of opportunity.? A boy will be educated when there are only funds enough for one in the family to attend school.? Societal roles dictate that education is of little value for the girl child. In areas of upper Rift Valley, North Eastern and Coast Provinces, some girls are married off at a very young age. Boys in nomadic tribal areas are expected to herd animals. The Kenyan government places a heavy penalty for any parent that bars a child from education.?The reality is that too many children are denied their education.

Peer Pressure and Substance Abuse:

Substance abuse of cocaine, heroin, bhang, khat and alcohol is common among youth. These create a society where school dropouts and unemployment increases.? Communities then deal with the statistics that emerge from HIV/Aids, teenage pregnancy and prostitution.? There is little hope that remains after these have taken their toll.

Kenya recorded a 35 percent unemployment rate according to recent report by United Nations; Human Development Index (HDI) 2021. The actual figures for youth under the age of 25 years is an alarming 60% due to a difficult economic environment. Kenya has the highest unemployment rate in East Africa. Countries like Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda have recorded lower unemployment rates. Kenya is a country in crisis, and it does not appear that the situation will turn around in time for the next generation to see the benefits of stronger economic growth.?

CES Canada believes in the importance of education, inclusivity, equal opportunity and gender equality; all youth are considered to be equal and must be free from the prejudice associated with disability, ethnic or religious background, sexual orientation, or economic status. To that end, CES has created secondary scholarships, mentoring and training programs, ICT Learning and Leadership Development Programs for young people orphaned by the HIV/Aids pandemic living in rural western Kenya.

During its first ten years of operation, CES Canada had been focusing on scholarships for secondary students. It was cost efficient and there were many more students that could be assisted. The message was consistent that CES would only support students up to and including Form 4 and the KCSE (Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education). After that it was up to students to make it on their own. Having been orphaned and knowing a life of financial struggle, few were attending and completing higher learning. It seemed such a waste of talent and opportunity. Many CES graduates applied at universities across Kenya. They were accepted for registration but that’s as far as it went for them.?

There has been in the past five years a growing feeling that Kenyan students, although talented and bright, were ill prepared for the real world of work. Having achieved in an education environment that stressed memorization of facts, students were not able to communicate, problem solve, work as a group, show initiative and in general, lack self-confidence. That is what started the whole curriculum review and the perceived need to change the system entirely.?

At the same time, CES Canada was evaluating its effectiveness as a charity. Realizing that our best and brightest were at a standstill and denied the university education they were capable of completing. There was a strong intent to do as much as we could do through partial scholarships. Students could apply and be interviewed according to need and ability to pursue higher learning.?

Since 2015, CES Canada has provided 600 partial scholarships and 30 full scholarships at the undergraduate and post graduate levels. Science, Technology, Engineering, Agriculture and Mathematics (STEAM) scholarships are an important part of our program. Students also have opportunity to participate in Leadership Training through the CES School of Continuing Education (CESCED).?

The intent is to provide CES Graduates with a chance to become fully employable in the major professions, in Business, Science and Technology, Agriculture, Water Management, Medicine, Community Health, Social Services and General Education studies. Being part of an on-line leadership training program has also provided IT and personal development skills that allow our graduates to compete with top students across the country and even globally. Our vision to equip and enable youth to become leaders and nation builders has now become the main reason why there is less emphasis on providing resources for secondary education.?

To make a contribution towards the development and strengthening of rural communities in Kenya is critical to what CES considers its ongoing mandate. It is possible to do both; yet on balance and recognizing the challenges of funding programs, CES is now pursuing scholarship programs at the post-secondary level. There will be funding for clean water, nutrition and health related initiatives; however there are no capital investment strategies considered for infrastructure within the 12 school communities CES is currently involved in.

It is important for CES to grow as a charity and also be sensitive to the tides of social change. Youth unemployment in Kenya is at a critical stage. Youth as a whole are discouraged and as a group have lost their way. They look to their leaders for the way forward, not realizing that the way forward is themselves.?

Transformation in society is a long process, involving multiple generations of strong vision and positive action. Creating a small group of agents for change has now become the way for CES to make a difference. Time will reveal its legacy; hopefully it will be said that a small group of CES graduates became a powerful force for good in Kenya.?