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Kenya -- Education
The
foundation for modern education
in Kenya was laid by missionaries
who introduced reading to spread
Christianity and who taught practical
subjects such as carpentry and gardening,
which at least at first were mainly
useful around the missions. These
early educational activities began
around the mid 1800s along the coast.
Expansion inland did not occur until
the country's interior was opened
up by the construction of the Uganda
railroad at the end of the century.
By 1910, thirty-five mission schools
had been founded. In 1902, a school
for European children was opened.
A similar school for children of
Asian workers opened in 1910. A
British government-sponsored study
of education in East Africa, known
as the "Frazer Report of 1909"
proposed that separate educational
systems should be maintained for
Europeans, Asians, and Africans.
A system for native Swahili speakers
and Arabs was later added, and education
followed a four-system pattern until
independence.
At
independence, the new national government
faced a dilemma in education. The
pressing need to train Africans
for middle-level and upper-level
government service and for the commercial
and industrial sectors of the economy
called for a restructuring of secondary
and higher education. Many Kenyans
believe that the goal of formal
education is to prepare the student
for work in the modern sectors of
the economy. Thus, government plans
to redirect education toward the
needs of a still predominantly rural
economy and of an African society
have not always been well received.
Despite these goals, the educational
system remains generally urban oriented,
and largely European in its assumptions
and methods.[1]
Schooling
in today's Kenya consists of eight
years of primary school, four years
of secondary school, and four years
of college. Primary grades, commonly
called "standards", give
instruction in language, mathematics,
history, geography, science, arts
and crafts and religions. Secondary
grades, called "forms",
emphasize academic subjects, especially
science and vocational subjects
at the upper secondary level. The
academic year runs from January
through December. The language of
instruction is English throughout
the school system, though in some
areas instruction is provided in
indigenous languages in the first
three grades. In addition to government
schools, there are a number of private
schools, many of which serve Asian
and European communities.
Primary-school
teachers are trained in primary-teacher
colleges which now number about
seventeen. Secondary-school teachers
are trained at Kenyatta College
Technical Teachers College. Technical
and vocational education is provided
by eight secondary schools and four
technical high schools. The technical
high schools and five secondary
vocational schools offer four-year
programs. More advanced training
is available at Kenya Polytechnic
Institute at Nairobi and Mombasa
Polytechnic Institute. The Village
Polytechnic Program, launched by
the National Christian Council of
Kenya, offers technical training
to students forced to interrupt
their rural primary school studies.
Adult
education and literacy programs
are coordinated by Kenya's Board
of Adult Education. The Institute
of Adult Studies at the University
of Nairobi offers courses and there
are adult education centers in all
major towns. All public schools
except municipal primary schools
come under the direct control of
the Ministry of Education. Private
schools are supervised by district
education boards. Curriculum development
is the responsibility of the Kenya
Institute of Education. [2]
The
education system has undergone a
remarkable expansion since independence.
Government expenditure on education
stabilized at over 15% in the early
1990s. By African standards this
is high, although the government
is responding to pressure from international
donors to require students to share
in the costs of education. In 1996
the number of primary school teachers
increased by 1% to 184,393, while
that of secondary school teachers
fell by 0.5% to 41,280. Student
enrollment rose 1.1% and 4.1% respectively
in 1996. World Bank data for 1993
show that 92% of males and 91% of
females in the primary age group
were enrolled in schools, which
compared favorably with averages
for all nations struggling with
low-income economies except India
and China.
Higher
education in Kenya can be pursued
in 29 training colleges, one institute
of special education, three polytechnics,
five public and 12 private universities.
The Ministry of Education has proposed
raising fees to KSh50,000 ($875)
per student per year (of which a
maximum of Ksh42,000 can be supplied
by a new loans board), arguing that
such expenditures are not unreasonable
since some parents pay up to KSh30,00
per year towards a child's secondary
education. Implementing such fees
is a condition of the World Bank's
education sector adjustment program.[3]
[1]
Kaplan, Irving. 1976. Area Handbook
for Kenya, Second Ed., U.S.
Government
Printing Office: Washington, D.C.
pp. 147-48.
[2]
Kurian, George Thomas 1992. Encyclopedia
of the Third World, fourth edition,
volume
III, Facts on File: New York, N.Y.
pp. 984-985.
[3]
The Economist Intelligence Unit.
1998. Country Profile. Kenya, The
Unit:
London,
pp. 19