challenges of implementing free primary education in kenya

8/7/2019 Challenges of Implementing Free Primary Education in Kenya

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Challenges ofImplementingFree PrimaryEducationinKenya

A S S E S S M E N TREPORT

U N E S C O NairobiOfficeMarch2005


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T h e assessment of the freeprimary education inK e n y a received funding support from U N E S C Ounder the Japanese Funds-in-Trust for theCapacity-Building of H u m a n Resources.


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ilK e n y a Ministry of E d u c a t i o n , S c i e n c e a n d T e c h n ol og y a n a U N E S C O

TABLE O F C O N T E N TSList of tables 3List of figures 3Abbreviations and ac r o ny m s 4A c k n o w l e d g e m e n t 5Executive S u m m a r y 6C hap t er 1 : Background and methodology 11C hap t er 2 : Characteristics of the sample and quantitative data 1 8Chapter 3 : Highlights of the focus group discussions 30Chapter 4 : Conclusions and recommendations 70References 78Annexes 80l |l l l i i W l l l t i i | i M H I I i l H l l l l l l | i H M I I l H I I M | I W W I N i i l l P i i W l l i i l i ' i ^ | i l i i | i y | M i i l l l l l i M W l i i i i y | h l l i i l l W i l M I | l i l l l l l l l l intW '^fh l f l l l li t l lW II i l i ih i ll !^^ I IW" WM |n|IWftW l l iHiWUffm ff^W M i Ml ft /^lMi II '"U i f 'T ft iM ' U m ' ^ W m ' ^ B t f H ^ f t W J U ' l lW W ^ M ^ i l I tf i f ti f tf f f ll lM l l P N " f t n H M i n i W t t iW f l M I I1

LIST O F T A B L E S1 T h e s a m p l e of provinces and districts for the study 142 Distribution of enrolment in s a m p l e districtsand schools 193 Percentage change in enrolment, 2 0 0 3 -2 0 0 4 194 Proportion of enrolment in s a m p l e schools b y district and grade, 2 0 0 4 215 Distribution ofprimary school pupils by age by grade in s am p l e schools, 2 0 0 4 216 N u m b e r of teachers by gender and pupil enrolmen by sample districts 247 Overall pupil/textbook ratioby subject by district 258 S u m m a r y ofclassroom observations 28LIST O F F I G U R E S1 Proportion ofenrolment by gender and district 202 Proportion of enrolment by Class by gender 203 Distribution ofpupils by expected ag e forgrade 224 N e w admissions rates in s a m p l e d primary schoolsby gender and district 225 G r a d e repetition rates in s a m p l e primary schoolsby gender and district 236 Distribution of drop-out rates for s am p l edistrictsby gender 247 Overall pupil :textbook ratioby Class and subject 26


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ABBREVIAT IONS A N D A C R O N Y M SAIDS Acquired Immune DeficiencySyndromeA S A LC BODE OD M SE C DE C EEFAFGDFGMFPEHVK A N UK C P EKEK N E CKShM O E S T

N A R CN G OPTAPTRRATAC

Aridand Semi-Arid LandsCommunity Based OrganisationDistrict Education OfficerDistrict M e a n ScoreEarly Childhood D e v e l o p m e n tEarly Childhood EducationEducation For AllF o c u s G r o u p DiscussionF e m a l e Genital MutilationFree Primary EducationH u m a n Immunodeficiency VirusK e n y a African NationalUnionK e n y a Certificateof Primary EducationK e n y a Instituteof EducationK e n y a National Examination CouncilK e n y a ShillingMinistry of Education, Science and TechnologyNational R a i n b o w CoalitionN o n - G o v e r n m e n t a l OrganisationParent -Teacher AssociationPupil:Textbook RatioR e s e a r c h AssistantT e a c h e r Advisory Centre

UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientifica n d Cultural Organisation


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AcknowledgementF R E E P R I M A R YT I O N A S S E S S M E N T

K e n y a MinistryrtE d u c a t i o n , S c i e n c e a n d T e c tm o t o g y a n d U N E S C O

This s tudy w a s carried out by theU N E S C O Nairobi Office in collaboration with K e n y a ' s Ministryo f E d u c a t io n , S c i e n c e a n dT e c h n o l o g y ( M O E S T ) . An u m b e r o f o r g a n isations, individuals a n d g r o u p s w e r einvolved in conceptual is ing, critiquing a n dunde r tak ing the s tudy and eventually p r o duc ing th e report.

U N E S C O , therefore, w i s h e s toa c k n o w l e d g e a n d t h a n k all t h o s e o rg an i sations, individuals a n d g r o u p s that w e r einvolved in t h e s t u d y an d t h e final p r o duct ion o f the report. First, w e th a n kK e n y a ' s Minister fo r E d u c a t io n , S c i e n c ea n d T e c h n o l o g y , H o n o u r a b le P r o fe ss o rG e o r g e Saitoti, h i s t w o AssistantMinisters, D r Kilemi M w i ria a n d M r s B e thM u g o , forgiving th e political s u ppo r t thate n ab le d t h e r e s e arc h t e am t o carry o utthe s tudy . W e w o u l d also like to c o m m e n d th e P e r m a n e n t Sec re ta ry , P ro fesso rK a r e g a M u t a h i , forproviding th e technicalofficers f ro m t h e ministry, w h o participate d in the s tudy .T h e a s s e s s m e n t w a s particularly poss i ble th r o u g h t h e s u ppo r t o f D r S u s a nNk inyang i , t he sen io r educat i on adviser,U N E S C O Nairobi Office. T h r o u g h her,U N E S C O prov ided the technical, financial a n d material suppor t f o r t he s tudya n d finally publ ished the report. D rN k i n y an g i also played a pivotal role inconceptualising t he s tudy , conduc t ing ita n d pro d u c in g t h e final report

U N E S C O particularly a c k n o w l e d g e s th ew o r k d o n e b y t h e Principal R e s e a r c h e r s :D r N k i n y an g i ( U N E S C O ) , P r o f e s s o rOc tav ian G a k u r u , D r P a ul M b a t i a a n dP r o f e ss o r C h a r l e s N z i o k a , all of th eUniversity o f Nairobi, P r o f es s o r E X .G ichuru ofK e n y a t t a University, D rO k w a c h A b a g i , consul tant , O W N a n dA s s o c ia t e s, M r D a v id A d u d a o f t h eNat ion M e d i a G r o u p , M r P aul W a s a n g a o fK N E C , M s E l d a h O n s o m u , M r C h a r le sO b ie ro a n d M r J o s e p h K e s a o f t h eM O E S T . W e are also grateful fo r the s u p port prov ided by the district educat i on

officers f r o m t h e eight districts a n d th edirector o f Nairobi City E d u c a t i o nD e p a r t m e n t during the training o f t h eresearch assistants an d dur ing the actualresearch pe r i od . T h e y prov ided pro fes sional a n d logistical s up p o r t a n d g a v etheir input ab o u t t h e is s ue s ad d re s s e d bythe s tudy .

Finally, w e re co g n is e a n d salute th eresearch assistants w h o s pe n t a n u m b e ro f d a y s in the fieldcarrying out th e actuals tudy . T h e y w o r k e d u n d e r difficultc o n d i tions, bravin g h a r s h w e a t h e r an d w a lk in glo n g d i s tan c e s o n foot t h r o u g h difficultterrains to r e ac h t h e s c h o o ls . It is notablethat t he research w a s c o n d u c t e d at at i me w h e n public service vehicles w e r eo n strike o v e r n e w strict transport rulesa n d that c a u s e d a lot hardsh ip in t e r m s o ftravel. A l t h o u g h that m a y h a v e s l o w e dt h e p r o c e s s , it d id no t d a m p e n th e spirita n d e n t h u s ias m o f t h e r e s ea rc h e rs . W ealso a c k n o w l e d g e a n d appreciate th es u pp o r t o f h e a d t e a c h e r s , t e ac h e r s ,pupils, p a re n ts a n d s c h o o l c o m m i t t e e s a swell a s c o m m u n i t y leaders w h o participa t e d in th e s t u d y an d g a v e th e requiredinformation a n d d a ta .

It is the collective a n d individual effortso f all t h e s e p e o p le a n d o th e r s, w h o s en a m e s d o n o t a p p e a r h e re , that l ed to thes uc c e s s ful c o m p l e ti o n o f t h e s t u d y an dpublication o f this d o c u m e n t . A c o m p l e t ereport o f t h e districts' expe r i ences ispublished separately, entitled: C h a l l e n g e so f I mp l e me n t i n g F r e e P r i ma ry E d u c a t i o nIn K e n y a : E x p e r ie n c e s f r o m th e Districts( M a r c h 2 0 0 5) . O u r desire is that thisreport w o u l d stimulate d e b a te o n F r e eP r im a r y E d u c a tio n ( F P E ) a n d E d u c a t io nF o r A ll ( E F A ) a n d , t h r o u g h that, galvanisepublic a n d g o v e r n m e n t suppor t f o r t h ep r o g r a m m e s . It s h o u l d also provideinsightful reference that political l eaders ,po l ic y -m ak e rs , r e se a rc h e rs an d s c h o l a rsc a n rely o n in r e g a rd t o e x pe r ie n c e s a n dcha l l enges o f providing a n d realising universal pr imary educat i on .


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Executive S u m m a r yT h e Free Primary Education ( F P E )a s s e s s m e n t study w a s carried out in1 6 2 primary schools in K e n y a inFebruary 2 0 0 4 . T h e study coverednine s a m p l e d districts in five provinces.Eighteen schools w e r e picked from e a c h of thenine s a m p l e d districts. T h e Ministry ofEducation, Science andTechnology ( M O E S T )records s h o w that the s a m p l e area had a totalof 2 , 1 6 9 schools with an enrolment of 9 6 3 , 9 1 8pupils. T h u s , the schools visitedrepresent 7.5p e r cent of the schools and 9.04 per cent ofthe enrolment in the targeted s a m p l e districts.T h e overall aim of the study w a s to d o c u m e n tthe experiences of the first year of implementing F P E and use t h e m to address the emergingchallenges.

T h e F P E study collected data from m a n ysources an dused different data collection techniques - both quantitative and qualitative.T h e s e included F o c u s G r o u p Discussions( F G D s ) to collect qualitativedata from pupils,teachers andc o m m u n i t y m e m b e r s . T h e mailquestionnaire technique w a s used to collectdata from headteachers, a checklist to collectobservational data from schools and in-depthinterviews to get data from headteachers anddistrict education officials.

T h e study established that after an initialincrease in e n r o l m e n t , public s c h o o l s w e r ebeginning to experience a decline in enrolm e n t d u e to d r o p o u t s a n d to a lesserd e g r e e , transfer to private s c h o o l s . Whileenrolment rose to 9 2 , 9 7 4 in the 1 6 2 s a m p l e dschools in 2 0 0 3 , up from 7 4 , 4 1 0 in 2 0 0 2 , then u m b e r dropped to 8 8 , 3 5 6 in 2 0 0 4 , representing a 5 per cent drop. A n u m b e r of factorsexplain thissituation, including unfriendly learning environments, poverty, child labour andH I V / A I D S . A c c o r d i n g to the s tu d y , the bulko f the pupils are in classes that are notappropriate to their a g e . Only a quarter of thepupils are actually in a grade that is suitable fortheir a g e , while 44 per cent are over-age fortheir grade by two or m o r e years. T h e results

indicate that the majority of the pupils area b o v e the a ge expected for their grade. Thish a s a negative Impact on their learningachievement. Moreover,- s o m e of t h e m w e r eindisciplinedan dbulliedyounger pupils. Beingover-age for grade also impacts on the survivalrates especially for the girls,w h o d u e to culturalpractices, are considered marriageable o n c ethey reach teenage e v e n though they m a y sillb e in primary school.

T h e study also established that childrenreturning to s c h o o l after having d r o p p e d outconstituted 7.5 per cent of the e n r o l m e n t ins c h o o l s . T h e majority of the re-entry c a s e sw e r e in Classes 4 and 5. In addition, m o r e girlsthan b o y s constituted the n e w admissions inm o s t of the districts,with a significantvariationoccurring in K i s u m u andG u c h a districts.Thisindicates that m o r e girls than b o y s are affectedw h e n schools levy fees. Parents opt to sendb o y s to school at the e x p e n s e of girls, w h o arem a d e to do domestic chores or e n g a g e insmall-scale business like sellingvegetables tobring in additional i n c o m e s to the family. O n c ethey reach puberty, they are p u s h e d into m a r riage to bring bride wealth to the family.

Repetition w a s noted as a c o m m o n feature in m o s t s c h o o l s , an indication that theeducation s y s t e m is wasteful. In the s a m p l e ,a totalof 7 . 7 per cent of the enrolled pupils hadrepeated their classes with m a l e s and femalesaccounting for 8.1 per cent and 7.4 per cent,respectively. The proportion of repeaters is high- and thiscontradicts the official Ministry ofEducation policy that outlaws repetition.

D u e to the large pupil influx, s c h o o l sw e r e facing a serious teacher s h o r t a g e .M o s t classes w e r e too large to be handled bya single teacher. O n average, the teachenpupilratio in m o s t schools w a s 1 : 5 0 . This has a lotof Implications on teaching and learning. T h eteachers w e r e not able to give individual attentionto the learners, especially to the slow o n e s ,a n d this m a d e it difficult for schools to offerquality education. Teachers w e r e also unable to


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Pupils sittingon stones d u e to lack of d e s k s .take fulcontrol of classes. Indiscipline w a s ,therefore, rampant in schools.

Provision of instructional materials including textbooks w a s identifiedas o n e of them a j o r a c h i e v e m e n t s of the F P E p r o g r a m m e ,particularly through reducing the cost bur d e n of education on parents a n d thus leading to an influx of pupils to s c h o o l . H o w e v e r ,it w a s noted that the F P E grants disbursem e n t s w e re not d o n e on time as m o s t schoolsstarted receiving the funds either in second orthird term of 2 0 0 3 , implying m o s t pupils hadlimtedaccess to textbooks in first term. It w a salso noted that d u e to the recent curriculumreview, schools had mainly procured the n e wtextbooks for Classes 1 and 5 and 8 . Storagefacilitieshadalso b e e n provided either in theheadteachers' officesor in classrooms.

Similarly, there w a s c o n c e r n that the p r o c u r e m e n t p r o c e d u r e s w e r e c u m b e r s o m ea n d t im e - c o n s u m i n g . It w a s , therefore, s u g gested that the government should establish acentral professional b o d y either at districtornational levels to procure anddistributetheb o o k s . This would save teachers a lot of teaching time that they spend attending meetings on

textbook selection anddistribution.O n thes a m e note, headteachers would also bespared the time they spend traveiling to buyb o o k s instead of teaching or running theschools.

M o s t s c h o o l s d o not h a v e a d e q u a t ec l a s s r o o m s to a c c o m m o d a t e the large n u m bers of pupils enrolled u n d e r F P E . T h e classr o o m s w e r e generally congested an d 1 there ishardly space for m o v e m e n t . T h e classroomsare inpoor condition. Lighting is poor as m a n yclassrooms d e p e n d only on sunlight. It w a snoted, though, that with F P E , m a n y schoolshad started doing repairs on classrooms usingthe m o n e y given for maintenance. Chalkboardsare being given fresh paint coats and w i n d o w sand doors fixedespecially in classes w h e r eb o o k s and other teaching and learning materials are being kept.

T h e study found that the teachers, parents,school committee m e m b e r s and pupils learntabout F P E through the m e d i a , the 2 0 0 2General Election c a m p a i g n s and through theprovincial administration. T h e y also learnt aboutit through circulars issued by the Ministry ofEducation. S o m e also learnt about it through


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church andc o m m u n i t y leaders and localN G O s . There w a s c o n s e n s u s though that afterthe initial euphoria, there w a s lack of a s u s tained andcomprehensive communicationstrategy for F P E . In particular, there w a s lack ofinformation on the roles of the various stakeholders - teachers, parents, school committeem e m b e r s , sponsors and local donors.

T h e r e w e r e m i x e d v ie w s a b o u t the i m p a c to f F P E . O n the o ne h a n d , there w a s c o n s e n su s that education quality ha d improvedb e c a u s e of the provision of learning an d teaching materials an d b e c a u s e of the factpupilsw e r e no longer missing lessons d u e to lack offees. O n the other h a n d , it w a s reported thatqualityha d g o n e d o w n d u e to large n u m b e r s ofpupils in classes that m a d e it dif-ficult for the teachers to provideattention to all learners. Teachershortage and enrolment of overag e learners w e r e citedas otherfactors that hadaffected thequalityof education. Teachersn o longer g a v e adequateassignments to the pupilsb e c a u s e they can not c o p e withthe marking an d teaching w o r k load.

T h e F P E p r o g r a m m e faces several challenges as clearly articulated by all ther e s p o n d e n t s . Increased student population;shortage of teachers; lack of clear g u i d e lines on a d m i s s i o n ; h e n c e , the entry of o v e r a g e children; lack of consultation with keystakeholders s u c h as teachers a n d parents;delay in d i s b u r s e m e n t of f u n d s ; ande x p a n d e d roles for h e a d t e a c h e r s w e r e citeda s s o m e of the m a j o r challenges facingF P E . It w a s particularly noted that the implementation of the p r o g r a m m e without prior c o n sultationor preparation of teachers and lack ofregular communication to sensitise the variousstakeholders on their roles w e r e highlighted ashampering the s m o o t h implemetation of theF P E p r o g r a m m e . There w a s general m i s c o n ception about the m e a n i n g of 'free' educationwith parents taking the viewthat they w e r e no

T h e r e w a s c o n s e n s u st h o u g h that after t h einitial euphoria, therew a s lack o f a sustaineda n d c o m p r e h e n s i v ec o m m u n i c a t i o nstrategy fo r F P E .

longer required to participate in schoolactivities.Matters w e r e m a d e w o r s e by the politicalleaders, w h o w e r e sendingconflictingsignalsabout parents' andcommunities' participationin F P E . T h e y hav e given indication that fundsdrive or voluntary contributions w e r e notacceptable.

In view of the study findings and basedo n suggestions by the various respondentsthe following recommendations should beconsidered if the F P E p r o g r a m m e is tos u c c e e d .

H T h e g o v e r n m e n t s h o u l d as a matter ofpriority d e v e l o p the F P E policy that clearlydefines w h a t F P E is all a b o u t .

The FP E policy should give direction onaccess, qualityassurance, retentionand completion strategies. The policy should give guidelines on admission criteria. It should also provide for theneed s of children withspeciallearning need s . It should clarify funding sources,defne roles of various stakeholders, provide a framework for instilling discipline, conductingassesssments.

The policy should be widely disseminated . F P E s h o u l d be i m p l e m e n t e d within theb r o a d e r Education F o r Ail ( E F A ) f r a m e w o r k ,w h i c h provides for a holistic a p p r o a c h toeducation provision.

The government should adopt variousstrategies of expanding a c c e s s , ensuringretention and completion. It should e x p a n d , strengthen and createcentres for accelerated learning targetingover-age youth. Vocational and sklls training,adult literacy and education p r o g r a m m e s shouldalso be strengthened so that they cana c c o m m o d a t e the over-age learners. The government should finalisea policyfor establishing equivalencies b e t w e e nformal and non-formal education andacross the various levels of education.


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EDUCAFREE PRIMARYN A S S E S S ME N T

K e n y a Ministry o l Education, S cience a n d T e c h n o l o g y a n d U N E S C O

H T h e Ministry of E d u c a t i o n n e e d s tourgently d e s i g n an effective c o m m u n i c a t i o nstrategy to create a w a r e n e s s a b o u t theF P E policy, w h a t itentails, a n d h o w it is tobe i m p l e m e n t e d .

Teachers, parents, pupils and c o m m u n i tiesneed to get regular updates aboutw h a t ishappening about F P E , h o w toaddress emerging challenges andh o w tow o r k as a t e a m toaddress those challenges. T h e Ministry of Education should usethe m a s s m e d i a and the provincial a d m i n istration to popularise F P E and inform parents an d communities of w h a t they areexpected to do to m a k e it s u c c e e d .

H T e a c h e r s s h o u l d be taken t h r o u g h in-service c o u r s e s to train t h e m on n e wteaching t e c h n i q u e s like multi-grade anddouble-shift a n d w a y s of instilling disciplinewithout using the c a n e .

T h e y need to be trained on guidancea n d counselling, especially to enable t h e mdeal with over-age learners. Parents, school communities and s p o n sors should be involved in disciplining ofpupils.

H I T h e g o v e r n m e n t s h o u l d carry out at h o r o u g h staff balancing exercise to e n s u r ethat all s c h o o l s h a v e e n o u g h t e a c h e r s .

T h e g o v e r n m e n t could consider e m p l o y ing m o r e teachers to eas e the shortage. It could also consider engaging contractteachers, w h o wllbe cheaper to maintain. Parents andcommunities should alsob e e n c o u r a g e d to e n g a g e part-timeteachers, especially the u n e m p l o y e dtrained teachers. T he g o v e r n m e n t and stakeholdersshould devise w a y s of motivating teachers, including promoting and rewardingbest-performers.

B T h e g o v e r n m e n t s h o u l d provide clearpolicy guidelines o n h o w parents a n d c o m munities could provide physical facilitieslike c l a s s r o o m s , toilets, d e s k s a n d w a t e rt a n k s . E m p h a s i s m u s t be m a d e that n ochild s h o u l d be locked out of s c h o o lb e c a u s e of the parent's failure to participate in the d e v e l o p m e n t activities.

Part of the constituency d e v e l o p m e n tfunds should be u s e d to put up classr o o m s andtoiletsor rehabilitate facilitiesin schools to provide pupils with a c o n ducive learning environment. C o m m u n i t i e s should be e n c o u r a g e d toraise funds to provide buildings and otherphysical facilitiesto schools.H I T h e g o v e r n m e n t s h o u l d revise the crite

ria for disbursing f u n d s with a view to giving m o r e m o n e y to s c h o o l s in h a r d s h i pa r e a s a n d also c o n s i d e r giving allocationsfor joint e x a m s .

Additional funds should be allocated forn e e d y schools to enable t h e m put upphysical facilitiessince parents no longerp a y building fees. T h e F P E funds should be sent toschools on time preferably during holidaysso that the headteachers an d the c o m m u nitiescan plan andpurchase the b o o k sa n d other teaching and learningequipm e n t on time. Fexibilityshould be allowed in the useof funds on the condition that parents,communities and school committeesagree on w h a t they w a n t to be supported.F or e x a m p l e , schools that do not haveelectricityor telephone bills to pay shouldh a v e the libertyto u se votes for thoseitems alternatively for pressing n e e d s likepaying the E C D teacher. T h e g o v e r n m e n t should also considerincluding an allocation for school a s s e s s m e n t s and sporting activities. Voluntary participation of parents andcommunities to provide resources to putu p non-budgetary facilitieslike toilets andclassrooms should be e n c o u r a g e d .H o w e v e r , strictguidelines m u s t be put inplace to eliminate cases of exploitation ofparents.


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R! M A RYTION A S S E S S M E N T- K a n y a Wrasiiv of Education Scienc a n d T K h n o l o s y a n d U N E S C O

T h e g o v e r n m e n t s h o u l d provide theinfrastructure for the children with specialn e e d s .

E x p a n d existing schools offeringspecialn e e d s education to a c c o m m o d a t e m o r epupils. School buildings should be m a d e friendlier to those with physical disabilities. Teachers should be trained on w a y s ofhandling children with physicaldisabilities. Parents andcommunities should besensitised so that they can take theirdisabled children to school. S y s t e m s of school data collectionshould be improved to capture the information on children with special learningn e e d s .

H A c o m p r e h e n s i v e E C D policy s h o u l d bed e v e l o p e d that defines the various c o m p o n e n t s of the s u b - s e c t o r , the kind of curriculu m its h o u l d offer, teacher training, recruitm e n t a n d p a y m e n t as well as w h a t rolesthe p a r e n t s , the c o m m u n i t i e s , the Ministryof E d u c a t i o n a n d the local authoritiess h o u l d play.

T h e g o v e r n m e n t should finda w a y ofsupporting E C D . Realisingthis wouldrequire a directive compelling local authoritiesto e m p l o y E C D teachers and m a k eeducation free at least at the pre-unitlevel. T h e g o v e r n m e n t should review theS i m b a A c c o u n t with a view of building in ac o m p o n e n t for E C D funding.

H Intensify c a m p a i g n against H I V / A I D S ins c h o o l s a n d d e s i g n special interventions tos u p p o r t th o s e affected a n d infected by thes c o u r g e .

Publicise and widely distribute theEducation Sector Policy on HIV/AIDS toassist schools, parents a n d communitiesto fight the scourge. Equip teachers with skillsan d k n o w l e d g e to disseminate information onH I V / A I D S and enable t h e m to providinng

counsellingservices to those affectedandinfected. Strengthening teaching of H I V / A I D S inschools.

H T h e g o v e r n m e n t s h o u l d p r o m o t e partne r s h i ps to e n s u re sustainable i m p l e m e n tation of F P E .

T h e g o v e r n m e n t should define the rolesof various groups involved in school m a n a g e m e n t , n a m e l y headteachers, sponsorsand school committees, to enable t h e mcarry out theiractivities harmoniously. T h e role of sponsors need s to be clearlyspelt out to avoid a situation w h e r e theyexerted a lot of influence on the m a n a g e m e n t of schools without c o m m e n s u r a t einput in terms of resources. Parents a n d c o m m u n i t y m e m b e r sshould also be m a d e aw are that it is theirobligation to ensure that all children aretaken to school. Parents a nd c o m m u n i t y m e m b e r sshould be e n c o u r a g e d toparticipate inschool m a n a g e m e n t . T h e y should monitor the progress ofF P E and ensure that all children enrol andattend school regularly. T h o s e w h o are notenrolled or drop out of school should bereported to the chief or local educationauthorities for action.I B H e a d t e a c h e r s , teachers a n d s c h o o lc o m m i t t e e s s h o u l d be trained on b o o k k e e p i n g , a c c o u n t i n g a n d general p r o c u r e m e n t p r o c e d u r e s . T h e g o v e r n m e n t should recruit,in-service and deploy m o r e inspectors to thedistrictsto improve inspection servicesand guarantee quality. It should e n g a g e bursars/accountclerks to serve a cluster of schools. Notonly wll thisensure effective acccountingprocedures for the funds but also relieveheadteachers from that task, which theyare not well-equipped to do.

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CHAPTERF R E E P R I M A R YE D U C A T I O N A S S E S S M E N T

KanyaMirastiv o f E d u c a ti o n , S c ie n c e a n d T e c h n o l o g y a n d U N E S C O

B a c k g r o u n d a n d M e t h o d o lo g y

M a t s h a v e provided a g o o d alternative for pupils w h e r e there is shortage of d e s k s .

1.1 Backg r o u nd of the FreePr imary Educat ion ( F P E ) studyA political transition took place inK e n y aafter the D e c e m b e r 2 0 0 2 elections w h e nthe political party ( K A N U ) that had ruledsince independence lost to the oppositionparty. Just before the elections, the majoropposition parties formed a coalition( N A R C ) that eventually w o n . During itsc a m p a i g n s , N A R C promised toofferfreeprimary school education. And true toitspromise, after taking over in D e c e m b e r2 0 0 2 , through M O E S T , the N A R C governm e n t introduced F P E inJanuary 2 0 0 3 . An da s w a s expected in acountry w h e r e a s u b stantialproportion ofchildren w e r e out ofschool, the response w a s overwhelming.Inm a n y schools, the headteachers foundthemselves with m o r e children to enrollthan their capacity could hold. D u e to the

limtedspace and facilities, the h e a d sturned m a n y children aw ay . Of course,m a n y parents w e r e disappointed and theykept on moving from one school to anothera s they sought places for their children.Since-the government had not given ana g e limt,even those w h o w e r e 'over-age'w e r e enrolled and thisworsened the c o n gestion in schools.Given this background, scholars and policy-makers h a v e raised pertinent issuesrelated to the F P E policy. While there is ac o n s e n s u s that this isan appropriate policyaddressing the problem ofdeclining primary school enrolment inK e n ya , a seriousconcern has b e e n raised on the way theN A R C government has implemented thepolicy. For e x a m p l e , after the (political)declaration of the policy, school h e a d sw e r e expected to implement it without prior


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preparations. O n the ground, school h e a d sand education officersw e r e caughtu n a w a r e s . Indeed, the government w a sitselfunprepared for the policy b e c a u s e itw a s started on a short notice.In response to the initial implementationproblems, the Minister for Education c o n vened an urgent meeting at the K e n y aInstituteof Education (KIE) inNairobi inJanuary 2 0 0 3 that w a s attended by seniorEducation Ministry officials, the private s e c tor, the civil society an d faith-basedgroups. T h e meeting attempted toprovideguidelines to the implementers andalsostarted to address the m o s t pressingobstacles hindering the implementation ofthe policy. T h e meeting set up a taskforcethat w a s m a n d a t e d to review the situationand advise the ministry on w h a t should bed o n e to implement the policyeffectively.T he ministry also sent out itsofficers to allthe districtsto review the situationon theground andcollect data to inform theimplementation process.

To support the F P E initiative,U N E S C Ow a s asked by M O E S T to finance and carryout an a s s e s s m e n t study to collect m u c h -n e e d e d data on the initial experiences inthe implementation of the policy. In late2 0 0 3 , after close consultation b e t w e e nU N E S C O and the M O E S T , a research t e a mw a s constituted toundertake the study.T h e next section highlights the focus of thestudy.1 .2 The objectiveso f the FPE study

T he overall aim of the study w a s to d o c u m e n t the experiences of the firstyear ofimplementing F P E and use t h e m toaddress the emerging challenges. T h e s p e cificobjectives of * l e a s s e s s m e n t studyw e r e as follows:

(1) Establish h o w different stakeholders(teachers, parents and pupils) u n d e r s t o o d theF P E policy an d identify their var ious s o u r c e sof information a b o u t the policy.(2) Establish h o w the policy h a d b e e n imple

m e n t e d in s c h o o l s an d capture th e initialexper iences of the stakeholders.(3) Assess the i m m e d i a t e o u t c o m e s of thepolicy in t e r m s of transfers (from private topublic or vice versa), c h a n g e in enro lments ,class size, u se ofexisting school resourcesand others.(4) Identifyspecific resources ( m o n e y , b o o k sand other teaching an d learning materials) thatschools had received through F P E .(5) Establish the perceptions of different stakeholders on t he new policy in regard to quality,efficiency, discipline, and sustainability.(6) Take stock of th e challenges, a c h i e v e m e n t sand existing i mp le me nt at i o n that s h o u ld b eaddressed to strengthen t he F PE policy.( 7) Docu m ent t he lessons learnt in the firstyear after implementat ion of F P E in K e n y a .T a k e n t o g e t h e r , t h e s e are the o b j e c t i v e s

that the a s s e s s m e n t s t u d y a t t e m p t e d torealise. T h e n e x t s e c t i o n p r e s e n t s themethodology adopted by the study.1 . 3 T h e m etho do log ica l des igno f the FPE a s s e s s m e n t

T h e F P E n e e d s a s s e s s m e n t w a sdesigned as a national study an d d r e w arepresentative s a m p l e of K e n y a n districts.Using various data collection techniques,the study obtained data from varioussources that included pupils, teachers, parents, school committees and educationofficers. In the next sections, the key c o m ponents of the methodological design ofthe study are discussed.1 . 3 . 1 The purposive selectionof provinces and districtsGiven the financial resources available andthe urgency of the data targeted, the n e e d sa s s e s s m e n t w a s designed as a survey ofK e n y a n districtsand schools. M o r e specifically, the study targeted a representatives a m p l e of the districtsand public primaryschools. T he sampling design w a s d o n e instages (adopted multi-stage sampling) andcombined both the principles of probability

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Pupils in class: F P E h as given a c h a n c e to m a n y pupils to get a c c e s s to education.a n d non-probability sampling.1 In the firststage, the study purposively d r e w a s a m p l eof fiveout ofeight administrative provincesa n d from e a c h of the selected provinces,t w o districtsw e r e selected. T h e selectionof the provinces (and districts)w a s b a s e d ,interalia, on their respective agro-ecological potentials with a view ofcapturing thenational pattern. It should be noted that theagro-ecological potential of a z o n e(province or district) largelydetermines itse c o n o m i c potential which consequently,influences the poverty levels, basicinfrastructures a n d tos o m e extent, a c a d e m i cperformance. Using the agro-ecologicalpotentialas the m a i n selection criterion,C o a s t , Eastern, Nairobi, N y a n z a , and RftValley provinces w e r e selected.

In the second stage, the study selectedt w o contrasting districts from e a c h of thefive provinces, except Nairobi that w a streated as both aprovince a n d a district.T h e selection of districtsw a s d o n e purposivelya n d ensured that o n e of the districtsrepresented the high agro-ecological

potential z o n e of the province; the otherdistrict w a s m e a n t to represent the lowagro-ecological potential z o n e . In addition,th e selection of the districtswthin aprovince w a s also controlled for the K e n y aCertificateofPrimary Education ( K C P E )performance in2 0 0 2 . Inparticular, the purposive selection of the two districtswthin aprovince also ensured acontrast in termsof a c a d e m i c performance as m e a s u r e d byth e District M e a n Scores ( D M S ) for K C P Eresults of 2 0 0 2 . Practically,wthin aprovince, using data from the K e n y aNational Examination Council ( K N E C ) , thestudy purposively selected a districtwith a'high' versus another with a 'low' D M S . Inall, using these criteria, a total ofnine districtsw e r e selected; two from e a c h of thefive selected provinces, except Nairobi, a ss h o w n inTable 1.

In Table 1, the D M S are s h o w n inbrackets for all the selected districts except forNairobi. T h e firstdistrict per province listedin Table 1 represents the high agro-ecological z o n e ; and except for RftValley, the dis-

1 C h e i n in Singleton, R . , B . C . , Straits, M . M . , McAllister, R . (1 9 8 8 ) : A p p r o a c h e s to Social Research, O U P :N e w Y o r k : "... it is possible to combine probability an d non-probability sampling in one design wheneversampling is carried out in stages. "


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Table 1

SelectedprovincesC O A S T

EASTERN

E2EHI RIFT V A L L E Y

im

Selected districts a n dDstrict M e a n Scores( D M S ) for K C P E 2 0 0 21. Taita Taveta (18 9)2 K w a l e (176)1. E m b u (190)2 . Mwingi(178)1. Nairobi1. Ker icho(193)2 . Kajiado(198)1 G u c h a (170)2 K i s u m u (181)

9

B B SN u m b e r of schoolscovered per district

1 8

1 8

1 81 8

1 8

I N u m b e r of schoolscovered per| province3 6

3 6

1 83 6

3 6

1 6 2

trictwith ' g o o d ' a c a d e m i c performance. Inthe s a m e w a y , except forRft Valley, thes e c o n d district represents the low agro-ecological z o n e of theprovince and the districtwiththe 'poor' a c a d e m i c perform a n c e . Tocontrol for sociale c o n o m i c status and a c a d e m ic performance inNairobi,schools w e r e selected pur- ^ ^ aposively from different socio-economicz o n e s (likeEastlands versus Westlands)

In each district, 'good'performing as weil as'poor' performing schoolswere randomly selected.

1 . 3 . 2 T h e r a n d o m selection ofp r i m a ry s c h o o l sIn stage three, the study attempted toselect arepresentative s a m p l e ofpublicprimary schools inthe nine selected districts.Given the limted time and finances,the study targeted tocover 18 schools perdistrict or 36 schools per province - givinga total s a m p l e of 162 schools as s h o w n inTable 1. At thisstage, the selection ofschools w a s d o ne using astratifiedrand o m sampling technique. Within a district,schools w e r e stratifiedon the basis of theira c a d e m i c performance as m e a s u r e d bythe School M e a n S c o r e s for the K C P E2 0 0 2 results. T h e target here w a s to c a p ture schools with ' g o o d ' versus 'poor' a c a d e m i c performance.

Practically, toselect schools from adistrict, the School M e a n S c o r e s for

K C P E 2 0 0 2 results w e r e u s e d for theidentificationof18 leading and 18poor performing schools. Out of the1 8 best performing schools in a district, the study randomly selectednine. In the s a m e w a y , out of the 18poor performers inadistrict, thestudy randomlyselected nineschools. At thispoint, using data onK C P E 2 0 0 2 candidature, the studyalso controlled the selection of theschools by size. Accordingly, bothschools with alarge and small n u m ber ofcandidates as reflected inthe.K C P E candidature of 2 0 0 2 w e r eincluded.

T h e F P E study anticipated that in ruralareas, s o m e schools selected randomly

would not be easily accessible. Accordingly, the n e e d toreplace s o m e selectedschools w a s foreseen. In thisrespect, fore a c h of the twocategories of the targeted^ ^ ^ ^ ^ schools, the study u s e d a

sampling frame of 18 schools to selectnine schools togive r o o m for replacementof a school selected but which w a s noteasily accessible. By following these procedures, the study ensured that the selectionof the schools at the district level w a s unbiased and h e n c e scientific. Ine a c h district,' g o o d ' performing as well as 'poor' performing schools w e r e randomlyselected.Inaddition, schools with large as wellasthose with small candidature w e r e includedinthe final s a m p l e . Indeed, by adopting astratifiedr a n d o m procedure tod r a w as a m p l e ofschools at the district level, thestudy controlled all the n o n - a c a d e m i c interests (likepolitical)that could have interferedwith the selection procedures. Followingthe three stages, the study d r e w and c o v ered as a m p l e of 162 schools from thenine selected districts.


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1 . 3 . 3 Select ion of r espoden tswithin an d a round t he schoo lsIn the fourthstage of the sampling design,the study targeted to d r a w a representatives a m p l e of stakeholders involved in theimplementation of F P E . Specifically, at theschool level, the study targeted to coverthe following: pupils, teachers, parents andm e m b e r s of the school committees.H o ww e r e these categories of respondentsd r a w n ?

In each of the selected schools, usingclass registers, two pupils (a m a l e and afemale) per grade w e r e randomly selectedfrom Class 4 to 8. This w a y , a totalof 10pupils w e r e covered in a school. T h e studydid not therefore cover pupils from lowerprimary - w h o w e r e considered too youngto be subjected to any form of an interview.T h e selection of teachers w a s partially rand o m . Frst, in each school selected, threeteachers w e r e selected to represent Class8 . S e c o n d , two science teachers w e r ed r a w n from Classes 5 and 7. Third andlast, three non-science teachers w e r eselected from Classes 4 , 6 and 8. In thisw a y , a s a m p l e of eight teachers w a s d r a w n(albeit partially randomly) and studied fromeach of the 1 6 2 schools covered by thestudy.

T h e selection of community m e m b e r s -parents and m e m b e r s of school committee- w a s d o n e purposively. After the selectionof a school, the research t e a m s in a districtw e r e instructed to contact and request theheadteachers to invitem e m b e r s of theschool committee and parents for a m e e t ing with the research t e a m in the selectedschools. T h e group to be interviewed w a sto comprise four committee m e m b e r s(including the chairman and treasurer) andsix parents. T h e group had to be of mixedgender and representative of the c o m m u n i ty. This w a y , the study covered about 10community m e m b e r s per school. In s o m ecases, h o w e v e r , it w a s not possible to h a v eall the targeted community m e m b e r s inter-

HdHUIdKlilaaslafilwlKla M f l t * y o ) E d U M S o n , Sctonce andtechnolojy and U N E S C O

viewed. E v e n then, in all the schools covered, the research t e a m s w e r e able tom e e t and interview at least fivecommunitym e m b e r s . Last, the study covered all theheadteachers of the 162 primary schools,w h o w e r e required toflla questionnaire.1 . 4 T h e collection of F P E datausing different techniquesT h e F P E study collected the required datafrom m a n y sources and used different datacollection techniques - both quantitativeand qualitative. Indeed, the study adopteda triangulation methodology. First, the F P Estudy used F o c u s G r o u p Discussions( F G D s ) extensively to collect qualitativedata from pupils, teachers and communitym e m b e r s . Bydefinition, an F G D entailscollectionof qualitativedata from a group ofbetween six and 12 persons w h o are facilitated (by the researcher/moderator) toreflectand discuss specific issues of interest to a study. Using an interview guide(the instrument), o n e of the two researchassistants conducting an F G D facilitatedthe discussion while the other recorded thediscussion - manually and electronicallyusing a tape recorder. Accordingly, allF G D s covered by the study are recordedon tape. For each cadre of informants, theF P E study had constructed an interviewguide for the F G D s . [Notes to researchassistants and the instruments used for theF G D s appear in the A n n e x e s . ]

S e c o n d , the study used mail questionnaire technique to collect data from h e a d teachers. In every school, the headteacherw a s given a questionnaire that he or shew a s requested tofll.Through this technique, the study collected useful quantitativedata pertaining to enrolment, classsize, attendance, anddistributionof pupilsby class and sex, stock of school facilities,and others. [A copy of the mail questionnaire also appears in the A n n e x e s . ]

Third, the F P E study used a checklist tocollectobservational data from schools. In

O


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R E E P R I M / *: D U C A T I O N* K e a p MtiJsjFfofEueatlo^^Scief lcAt#%Edol^f a n t N &

Lea rn ing u n d e r tree: Al efforts h a v e b e e n m a d e to ensur e that children are taught.all the schools covered, the research t e a m sphysically visiteddesignated classes (twolower classes and two u p p e r classes) andm a d e observations regarding physicala p p e a r a n c e , roofing materials, type ofwalls, status of w i n d o w s , congestion,pupils present and sharing of d e s k s , andothers. [The checklist u s e d by this studyalso a p p e a r s in the A n n e x e s . ] T h r o u g h thistool, the study collected m a s s i v e o b s e r v a tional data that enriched qualitative andquantitative sets of data reported in thisd o c u m e n t .

Fourth and last, while in the districts, thetechnical supervisors (PrincipalResear cher s) visitedthe district educationoffices and held in-depth interviews witheducation officers. In a n u m b e r of districts,the supervisors w e r e able to interview theDistrict Education Officers ( D E O s ) w h o arethe senior m o s t implementers of the policyat the district-level. F r o m thissource, thestudy obtained valuable data on thebureaucratic constraints that h a m p e r e d theflow of information and finance, which arecritical for implementing the n e w policy.

1 .5 Training and organisation ofthe district research t e a m sBefore e m b a r k i n g on the fieldwork, thePrincipal R e s e a r c h e r s (from U N E S C O andM O E S T ) recruited about 60 R e s e a r c hAssistants (RAs) and thoroughly trainedt h e m for three d a y s at Ruiru (outsideNairobi). T he trainingcovered, inter alia,F P E as a n e w policy and related issues,critical issues on scientific research (such assampling), andqualitative and quantitativedata collection techniques. In particular, theR A s w e r e trained on h o w to collect datausing the F G D technique and h o w torecord data systematically. T he training alsocovered interviewing and observation asdata collection techniques.

After the rigorous training on m e t h o d o l o gy, the R A s w e r e deployed to the nine districts.T h e Principal Resear cher s w e r e e a c hassigned a district to supervise. N i n e districtspecific t e a m s w e r e formed that comprisedthe supervisor an d six R A s . Within a district,the six R A s w e r e further subdivided intothree smaller t e a m s of two. E a c h t e a mw a s then allocated six schools, w h e r e theycollecteddata from headteac hers , teach-


18/91

ers, pupils and c o m m u n i t y m e m b e r s . Asupervisor in a district, therefore, had tocoordinate the w o r k of three t e a m s inhis/her district to cover a total of 18schools. This w a y , all the 1 6 2 schools innine districtsw e r e covered. This ensured1 0 0 per cent c o v e r a g e of the study's targeted s a m p l e in February 2 0 0 4 .1 . 6 C h a lle n g e s e n c o u n t e re dduring fieldwork

T h e F P E study faced several challenges.First, the study had a short time f r a m e - fortraining, field w o r k and report writing. T w oa n d m o s t serious, fieldworkw a s conducted w h e n therew a s a national crisis in thepublic transport sector. Thisslowed the m o v e m e n t of thedistrict research t e a m s - ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ Bwhich reliedentirely on public transport -from Nairobi to the districtsand from oneschool to another within the districts. Too v e r c o m e thischallenge, the studyIncreased the n u m b e r of field days by threefor all the district t e a m s to ensure effectivec o v e r a g e of the s a m p l e . But in all, thestakeholders covered strongly supportedthe initiative and h o p e d to see an i m p r o v e -

T h e supervisors studieda n d merged th e ninedistrictsreports to comeu p with a overall report.

F R E E P R I M A R 'E D U C A T I O N A S S E S S M E N "K e n y a Minist^ of e d u c a B a n , S c i e n c e a n d Tsdiiwlogy a n d U N E S C O

m e n t in the implementation of the F P Eb a s e d , in part, on the study findings.1 . 7 Analysis of the F P E d a t aAfter the fieldwork, the technical researcht e a m held n u m e r o u s meetings and agreedo n h o w to organise, s u m m a r i s e , andanalyse the raw data to c o m e upwith theexpected reports. During the m e e t i n g s , itw a s agreed that e a c h research supervisorwould write a report for the district he ors h e covered. T h e full districts a s s e s s m e n treports are publicised separately in anotherd o c u m e n t . Basically, the supervisors w e r e

to analyse qualitative datafrom the F G D s . In addition,o n e supervisor w a s allocatedto analyse the quantitativedata for all the districtsusingan appropriatestatistical

p a c k a g e . S u c h data would be u s e d toenrich the discussions b a s e d onqualitativedata. After the compilation of the district-specific reports, the supervisors studieda n d m e r g e d the nine district reports toc o m e up with an overall report. This reportcaptures all the substantive issues pertaining to the first year of F P E ' s Implementation.

M a n y schoo l s are in p o o r condition.


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of Education, Ss fen a n d Technology a m i U N E S C O

C H A P T E R 2

C h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of s a m p l ea n d quantitative d a t a

Pupils go ing h o m e at the e n d of the d a y . A H s c h oo ls r e c o r d e d high e n r o lm e n t .2-1 S a m p l e school populationT h e F P E study w a s carried in 162 schoolscomprising 18 schools from e a c h of thenine s a m p l e d districts. M O E S T recordss h o w e d that the s a m p l e area had a totalof 2 , 1 6 9 schools with a totalenrolment of9 6 3 , 9 1 8 in 2 0 0 4 [Table 2]. T h e schoolsvisited represent 7.5 per cent of theschools and 9.04 per cent of the enrolm e n t in the targeted s a m p l e districts.Table 2 s h o w s the distributionof the prim a r y schools with a school pupil population comprised of 5 0 . 1 per cent b o y s and4 9 . 9 percent girls.2.2 EnrolmentTh e results in Table 2 s h o w the overall districtdata and enrolment in the s a m p l eschools. T h e enrolment in the 1 6 2 s a m p l e d

schools had increased from 7 4 , 4 1 0 (in2 0 0 2 ) to 9 2 , 9 7 4 pupils (in 2 0 0 3 ) . In 2 0 0 4 ,the enrolment reported of 8 8 , 3 5 6 pupilsdepicted a drop of 5 per cent w h e n c o m pared to enrolment of 2 0 0 3 . Nairobirecorded a totalenrolment of 1 4 4 , 9 2 9 in2 0 0 2 , increasing to 2 0 5 , 3 6 2 in 2 0 0 3 anddeclined to 2 0 3 , 0 6 1 in 2 0 0 4 . In Kajiado,primary school enrolment increased from5 8 , 3 3 4 in 2 0 0 2 to 7 3 , 9 8 1 in 2 0 0 4 . A higher proportion of b o y s than girlsw e r eenrolled In all districtsexcept Kajiado,Kericho and K w a l e . This m a y be attributedto the fact a large n u m b e r of b o y s in thesedistrictsare involved in informal e m p l o y m e n t . For e x a m p l e , in K w a l e , b o y s w o r k inthe tourism sector as ' b e a c h b o y s ' .

H o w e v e r , data on enrolment for all theschools in the s a m p l e d districtsreflecta


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K e n y a M i n ^ rtEducation, S c i e m s a n d T e c h n o l o g y a n d

Table 2 : Distribution of enrolment in s a m p l e districts and schoolsDistrict

KajiadoNairobiMwingiGuchaKisumuKwaleTaitaTavetaEmbuKerichoTotal

Overall dstrictdata2002

58.334144,92985.880

102,14546.51188,07759.16856,175

125,075768,296

200366,648

205,36297,069

126,54551,543

109,45662,82761,814

133,088916,355

200473,981

203,061107.261122,197

55.984131,05566,85562,337

139.183963,918

Sample schools data20029,583

16,0096,2965,0477,1358,8177,3297,5876,607

74,410

200310,63123.383

6,8536.4047,876

11,6647,886

11,0577,220

92,974

200411,71518,0716,9666,7328,113

12,2207,9628,9137,664

88,356

tremendous increase in enrolment from7 6 8 , 2 9 6 (in 2 0 0 2 ) to 9 1 6 , 3 5 5 (in2 0 0 3 ) anincrease of 1 9 . 3 per cent. T h e increase inenrolment reflects the achievement towardsincreasing access to education during theimplementation of F P E . Also, b e t w e e n2 0 0 3 and 2 0 0 4 the overall districtenrolm e n t increased by 5 . 2 per cent in the ninedistrictsas c o m p a r e d to the s a m p l eschools that reflected a decline of 5 percent.T h e overall districtdata indicates thatenrolment inNairobi and G u c h a declinedb y 1.1 per cent and 3.4 per cent respectively b e t w e e n 2 0 0 3 and 2 0 0 4 . In comparis o n , data collected from the s a m p l eschools also s h o w that enrolment InNairobi declined by 2 2 . 7 per cent b e t w e e n

2 0 0 3 and 2 0 0 4 , while that of E m b u districtdeclined by 1 9 . 4 per cent In the s a m e perio d . T h e decline inenrolment In the publicschools could be attributed to several factors, including drop-out d u e to unfriendlylearning environments, poverty a n d transfers to private schools. In 2 0 0 4 , KajiadoDistrict had the highest increase in enrolm e n t of 1 0 . 2 per cent in the s a m p l e dataand 11 per cent in the overall districtdataa s s h o w n in Table 3.Table 3 and Figure 1 s h o w that nationallythere Is near attainment of gender parity inenrolment. H o w e v e r , gender inequality w a shighest in Kajiado, K w a l e and Kericho asthey recorded m o r e b o y s than girls Inschool. O n the contrary, Nairobi, G u c h aand E m b u had ahigher enrolment for girls.

Table 3 : Percentag e cha ng e in enrolment , 200 3 - 2 0 0 4District

KajiadoNairobiMwingiGuchaKisumuKwaleTaitaTavetaEmbuKerichoTotal

Overall district data

200314.341.713.023.910.824.36.2

10.06.4

19.3

200411.0-1.110.5- 3 .48.6

19 .76.40.84.65.2

Sample schools data2003

Males10.563.810.630.611.332.99.96.68.1

26.1

Females11.425.17.1

23.89.5

31.55.3

76.810.6

23.7

Total10.946.18.8

26.910.432.37.6

45.79.3

24.9

2004Males 5-3

- 3 8 . 83.64.3

- 0 . 44.2

-0.313 . 04.1

-8.6

Females16 . 02.2

-0.35.96.35.52.3

-34.98.4

-1.1

Total10 . 2- 2 2 . 7

1.65.13.04.81.0

- 1 9 - 46.1

- 5 . 0


21/91

roMlnisy of Etiucatioii,6cienc a n d T a c h n o l o g y a n d U N E S C O

Figure 1 : P roport io n of enro lment by gender and district

Figure 2 illustrates the proportion ofenrolment for e a c h grade by class by g e n der. The school grade enrolment levelss h o w an increase from Class 8 at 9.1 percent toClass 1 at 15.1 per cent, indicatingan annual increase of n e w entrants in prim a r y education.

Table 4 Illustrates the distribution ofenrolment of the s a m p l e d districtsforClass1 to8. T h e composition of the grades issimilar for all the districtswith Classes 1a n d 2recording the highest enrolment levels. H o w e v e r in E m b u , Classes 3and 4h ad the lowest enrolment composition,while for K w a l e It w a s inClass 5 to8.

2 . 3 A g e specific da taTable 5indicates apositive achievementduring the F P E introduction, since at Class2 , 5 3 . 9 per cent of the pupils are of theexpected a g e for grade. H o w e v e r , the n e wentrants inClass 1 in2 0 0 4 w e r e only 2 9 . 6per cent. This represents a2 4 . 3 decline. Itiscritical tonote the proportion ofpupilsw h o w e r e over-age for their grades - theyconstituted 11.6 per cent of the totalenrolm e n t . Within this group are pupils w h oshould be In the fourth year of secondaryeducation or inpost-secondary institutions.

Analysis of the age data inFigure 3,reveals that only aquarter of the pupils are

Figure 2: Propor t ion of enro lment by class by gender

E H


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F R E E PIiTI O N A S S E SKenya Sffisffey #Edu( ^5iftcean#lsaftf 0^^ahtfiAES&?

Table 4 : Propor t ion of e n r o l m e n t in s a m p l e s c h o o l sby district a n d g r a d e , 2004DISTRICT

E m b uG u c h aKajiadoKerichoKwaleK i s u m uM w i n g iNairobiTaita T a v e t aTOTAL

N

181818181818181818162

113.113.915.815.419.713.718.812.914.715.2

214.013.014.912.822.712.813.315.813.415.3

Class (grade) percentage3

10.713.212.212.212.512.513.813.712.412.6

410.913.713.212.111.012.711.313.211.612.3

512.513.612.511.69.2

13.011.812.411.712.0

613.312.112.013.19.5

12.310.411.611.311.6

713.811.910.912.29.1

12.311.310.712.711.4

811.88.68.5

10.56.2

10.79.49.7

12.29.5

actually In a grade that is suitable for theira g e , while 44 per cent are over-age forgrade by two or m o r e years. T h e resultsindicate that the majority of the pupils area b o v e the age expected for their grade.This has a negative Impact on their learningachievement. A m o n g others, teachers indicated that the over-age pupils did not participate in classroom activities likeasking oranswering questions or reading aloud forfear of exposing their w e a k n e s s e s . Yetclassroom participation is part of the learning process and e n h a n c e s achievement.M o r e o v e r , s o m e of t h e m w e r e indisciplineda n d bulliedyounger pupils, especially thebright o n e s w h o they considered a threat.It also impacts on the survival rates e s p e cially for the girls,w h o , d u e to culturalpractices, are considered marriageableo n c e they reach teenage.

2 . 4 N e w a d m i s s i o ns ,repetition a n d drop-outT h e analysis of n e w admissions indicatesthat they constituted 7.5 per cent of theenrolment in schools. Figure 4 s h o w s thatthe highest n e w admissions occurred inG u c h a and Kericho districts,with 1 3 . 5 percent and 1 2 . 6 per cent, had the highestproportion of n e w admissions while Mwingiat 3.3 per cent recorded the least. In addition, m o r e girls than b o y s constituted then e w admissions In m o s t of the districts,with a significant variation occurring inK i s u m u and G u c h a districts.This indicatesthat m o r e girlsthan b o y s are affected w h e nschools levy fees. Parents opt to sendb o y s to school at the e x p e n s e of girls, w h oare m a d e to do domestic chores or w o r k Insmall-scale business likesellingvegetables

A g e for gradeExpected1+ year2-3 + years> = 4 yearsColumn Total

Table 5 :

i29.634.225.011.2100

Distribution of primary school pupils by ageby grade in sample schools, 2004

Expected age for grade and over-aged for gradeClass

253.916.319.010 7

100.0

314.650.621.912.8

100.0

419.329.634.816.3

100.0

519.928.336.515.4

100.0

620.029.638.911.5

100.0

715.226.249.88.9

100.0

822.534.638.93.9

100.0

R o w total24.831.831.811.6

100.0Note: N p= 86,937, Ns=l62Official entry age at Class 1 is 6 years


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l y m M B i iKanyaMinisliy o ) Educatitm, Science a n d T e c h n o l o g y a n d U N E S C O

Figure 3: Distribution of pupils by expected ag e for grade

2-3 tvears32%

m Expected 1+ year 2-3 + years n>= 4 years

to earn additional i n c o m e to the family.O n c e girls reach puberty, they are p u s h e dintomarriage to bring bride wealth to thefamily.G r a d e repetitionA total of 7.7 percent of the enrolled pupilshad repeated their classes with m a l e s andfemales accounting for 8.1 per cent and7 . 4 per cent, respectively as representedinFigure 5. T h e proportion of repeaters ishigh - andthiscontradicts the official regu

lationthat outlaws repetition. Kericho,K i s u m u and Mwingi reported the highestrepetition rate of m o r e than 10 percent,while Nairobi with 1.1 percent, w a s thelowest.Drop-ou tsFigure 6 provides details of the drop-outlevels for the s a m p l e districtsby g e n d e r . In2 0 0 4 , the s a m p l e schools reflected a lowpupil drop out level of 1.4 percent with aslight g e n d e r variance of 1.5 percent for

Figure 4: New admission rates insample primaryschoolsby gender and dstrict

% N e w Admssons MalesK % N e w Admssons Females= % N e w Admssons Total

% N e w Adressons MalesB % N e w Admisaans Femalesa % N e w Admissions Total

Kaiado4 94 246

Nairobi7 17 87.4

Mw ng

3.43 23.3

Gucha12514 5

! 135

Ksumu; so

11 5I 98

Kal.888.285

Tala

4 44 143

Embu647 77 1

Kenlio

11 913312 ,6

Total

727975


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K e n y a M i n i s h y o( Educatioii, S c i e n c a m d T e c l m c r io g y a n d U N E S C O

Figure 5: Grade repetition in sample primary schools bygender anddstrict

girlsand 1.4 per cent for b o y s . Incidentally,K i s u m u , G u c h a and Nairobi had high dropout rates despite recording high n e wadmission levels. E m b u andTaita Tavetareported the least drop out rates of 0 . 2 percent and 0.4 per cent.2 . 4 N u m b e r an d ratioo f t e a c h e r sTable 6 provides detailsof the compositionof teachers in the s a m p l e districts. Therew e r e a totalof 2 , 1 4 6 teachers of w h o m 61pe r cent w e r e females. B a s e d on the enrolm e n t of e a c h of the 1 6 2 schools and then u m b e r of teachers in the nine districts,Kajiado had the highest pupil: teacher ratioof 1 : 5 8 followed by K i s u m u and K w a l e with1 : 4 4 and 1:42 respectively. T h e district withlowest pupil:teacher ratiow a s E m b u at1 : 2 9 .

2. 5 Provision of tex tbooksin sc h oo l sM o s t of the 1 6 2 s am p l e schools visitedh a d received F P E grants, ordered andreceived instructional materials as per theM O E S T guidelines. Provision of instructional materials including textbooks w a sidentifiedas o n e of the major achievementsof the F P E p r o g r a m m e , particularly throughreducing the cost burden of education onparents and thus leading to an influxofpupils to school. H o w e v e r , it w a s notedthat the F P E grants disbursements w e r enot d o n e on time as m o s t schools startedreceivingthe funds either in s e c o n d or thirdterm, implying m o s t pupils had limteda c c e s s to textbooks in first term, 2 0 0 3 . Itw a s also noted that d u e to the recent curriculum review, schools h ad mainly procured the n e w textbooks for Classes 1 and5 andClass 8 (which is an examinationclass). Storage facilities ha d also b e e n pro-


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Figure 6: Distribution of drop-out rates for sampledistricts by gender

vided either inthe headteachers' offices orinclassrooms.

O n procurement procedures, s o m eteachers suggested that the textbooksshould be bought through an establishedcentral professional b o d y either at districtor national level. T h e y said teachers w e r espending a lot of teaching hours attendingmeetings on textbook selection. Similarly,headteachers spent a lot of time travellingto buy b o o k s at the e x p e n s e of teaching orrunning the schools. Acentral professional

b o d y for b o o k selection and procurementwould, therefore, ensure that the r e c o m m e n d e d b o o k s w e r e supplied to allschools. H o w e v e r , this issue requires further review to identify the best d e c e n tralisedtextbook procurement proceduresthat do not c o m p r o m i s e the quality ofteaching and learning while eliminatingbureaucratic red tape witnessed in thepast.

Table 7presents the results on theaggregate pupil: textbook ratio ( P T R ) in the

Table 6: Number of teachers bygender and pupilenrolment bysample districts

District

KajiadoNairobiMwingiGuchaKisumuKwaleTaitaTavetaE m b uKerichoTotal

Male teachers566380

11493

1049379

119801

Female teachers1433631018391

12511021975

1,310

Total

199427182197183288192298180

2,146

Pupil Enrolment

11,71518,0716,9666,7328,113

12,2207,9628,9137,664

88,356

Pupil TeacherRatio1:581:421:381:381:441:421:411:291:421:41


26/91

' U C ATI iF R E E P R I M A R Y

'N A S S E S S M E N TK e n y a Ministry ol E d u c a t io n , S c i e n c e a n d T e c h n o l o g y a n d U N E S C O

1 6 2 sample schools. In m o s tschools pupils had access totextbooks at least in the coresubjects: mathematics, English,science and Kiswahili. The g o v ernment target in the provision oftextbooks under the F P E is toensure a P T R in the core s u b jects of 1:3 in lower primary and1 :2 in upper primary. Accordingto the study findings, the overallP T R w a s good as it rangedbetween 1:2 and 1:4 in all s u b jects but with disparitiesa m o n g classes.

T h e analysis in the nine districts s h o w e dthat on average the P T R for mathematics,English and Kiswahili Is 1:3 while science is1 : 4 . M o s t schools recorded achieving thedesired P T R for certain lower and upperclasses in mathematics and English, e s p e cially for upper classes as s h o w n inFigure 7 .

O n e of the problems stated by the pupilsan d teachers on textbooks use w a s that itw a s problematic sharing textbooks particularly in doing h o m e w o r k . The pupils andteachers, therefore, r e c o m m e n d e d that thegovernment should target provision of on etextbook perchild in the core subjects.

Analysis of the ( P T R ) by subject by district s h o w s the following:

In E m b u the overall P T R bysubject w a s 1:3in English, mathematics and Kiswahili: and 1:4in science. Th e mathematics P TR averaged1 :3 in lower primary and ranged froml : 2 to 1:4in upper primary. Kiswahili P T R in lower andupper primary ranged from 1:3 to 1:4. EnglishP T R w a s recorded between 1:2 and 1:4 inlower primary and 1:2 to 1:4 in upper primaryclasses. The PTR in science w as also relatively high ranging from 1 :4 to 1:6 in both lowerand upper primary classes. G u c h a recorded overall P T R of 1:3 in m a t h ematics, Kiswahili and English and 1:4 in scie n c e . Th e mathematics P T R averagedbetween 1:3 to 1:4 in lower primary andbetween 1:2 and 1:3 in upper classes. Englishand Kiswahili P T R s ranged froml :2 to 1:4 inall classes. The P TR in science w a s relatively

Table 7 : Overall pupi l /book ratio by subject and districtDistrictKajiadoKerichoKisumuKwa l eMwing iNairobiTaita TavetaE m b uGu c h aTotal

M a t h s1:31:31:31:31:21:21:31:31:31:3

Kiswahili1:31:31:31:31:31:21:31:31:31:3

English1:31:31:31:31:21:21:31:31:31:3

Science1:41:61:31:41:31:31:31:41:41:4

high ranging from 1 :4 to 1:7 in lower primaryand 1:3 to 1.4 in upper primary classes. In Kajiado. the mathematics P IR rangedbetween 1:3 to 1.4 in lower primary and 1:2 to1: 3 in upper primary. Kiswahili P T R rangedbetween 1:3 and 1:4 in lower primary and 1:2to 1:3 in upper primary. English P T R rangedbetween 1:2 to 1:3 in upper primary and 1:3 inlower primary. The PTR in science w as relativelyhigh ranging from 1:3 to 1:7 in lower prim a r y ana from 1'3 to 1:4 in upper primary. In Kericho. trie mathematics P T R rangedbetvveen 1:2 to 1:3 in lower primary and 1.2 to1: 5 in upper primary. Kiswahili P T R rangedbetween 1:3 and 1:4 m lower primary and *c2to 1:3 in upper primary. English P TR tangedbetween 1:2 to 1:A in upper primary while itranged between ! : 3 to 1 4 in lower primaryThe PTR in science w as also relativelyhighranging tram 1:5 te T9 in lower and upper prim a r y classes. K i s u m u recorded relatively lo/j PI R s corn -pared to other districtsparticularly in science.Th e matnematics P T R averaged 1:3 in lowerprimary aridranged froml :2 to 1:3 in upperprimary. Kiswahili P T R averaged in lowerprim a r y and 1:2 to 1:3 in upper primary. EnglishP T R averaged 1:3 In lower primary while itranged between 1:2 to 1:3 in upper primary.The P TR in science w as also relativelyhighranging from 1:3 to 1:5 in lower primary andbetween 1:2 and 1:4 in upper primary classes. K w a l e recorded overall P TR of 1:3 in m a t h ematics, Kiswahili and English and 1:4 in scie n c e . The mathematics P T R averagedbetween 1:2 to 1:6 in lower primary andranged from 1.2 to 1.4 in upper primary.Kiswahili P T R ranged from 1:2 to 1:6 in lower


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F R E E P R I M A R YE D U C A T I O N A S S E S S M E N TK a n y a Ministiy o( E d u c a f o n , S c i e n c e a n d Teciinoliigy a n d U N E S C O

Figure 7: Overall pupil/textbook ratio by class and subject

C l a s sprimary and 1:2 to 1:3 in u p p e r primary.English P T R ranged from 1:2 to 1:6 in lowerprimary andb e t w e e n 1:2 to 1:3 in u p p e r prim a r y . T h e P T R in science w a s also relativelyhigh ranging from 1:3 to 1:8 in lower primaryan d from 1:3 to 1:6 in u p p e r primary classes. In M w i n g i the pupil textbook ratios by s u b ject w e r e relatively low. T h e m a t he m a t i c s P T Raveraged 1:3 in lower primary and rangedf r o m 1 : 2 to 1:3 in u p p e r primary with anoverallof 1:2 in all classes. Kiswahili P T R in lower prim a r y averaged between 1:2 to 1:3 in lowerprimary and 1:2 in u p p e r primary. English P T Raveraged 1:2 in all classes except in Classes 2an d 3. T h e P T R in science w a s also relativelyhigh ranging from 1:3 to 1:6 in lower primaryan d b e t w e e n 1:2 and 1:4 in u p p e r primarywith an overall average of 1:3 in all classes. Nairobi recorded overall P T R of 1:2 in

m a t h e m a t i c s , Kiswahili and English and 1:3 inscience. T h e m a t he m a t i c s P T R averaged 1:2in all classes except Classes 3 and4 . Englishan d Kiswahili P T R s r a n g e d f r o m 1 : 2 to 1:3 inall classes. T h e P T R in science w a s also relatively low ranging from 1:2 to 1:5 in both lowerprimary u p p e r primary classes. Taita Ta ve t a recorded overall P T R of 1:3 inthe four subjects. T h e m a th e m a t ic s P T R avera g e d b e t w e e n 1:2 to 1:4 in lower primary andranged froml :2 to 1:5 in u p p e r primary.Kiswahili P T R ranged from 1:2 to 1:5 in lowerprimary and 1:2 to 1:5 in u p p e r primary.English P T R ranged from 1:2 to 1:6 in lowerprimary while it ranged between 1:2 to 1:5 inu p p e r primary. T h e P T R in science w a s alsorelativelyhigh ranging from 1:3 to 1:5 in lowerprimary and from 1:2 to 1:5 in u p p e r primaryclasses.


28/91

In general, lowest P T R w e r e recorded inClass 5 in all districtsImplying that owingto the implementation of a n e w curriculum,schools had opted to buy m o r e textbooksfor that grade c o m p a r e d to others. It w a salso apparent that a m o n g all the subjects,science had the least n u m b e r of textbooksa m o n g classes and districts.2.6 S c h o o l observations:statusofphysical facilitiesThe school observation report gives a g e n eral description of conditions andcharacteristicsof schools and can be consideredrepresentative of schools nationally.Schools w e r e grouped according to h o wwell they would fit intoa given observationscale.2.6.1 Gener a l condition ofs c h o o l c o m p o u n d sThe analysis indicates that a quarter of theschools had a clean school c o m p o u n dwith a m p l e s p a c e . H o w e v e r , only 15 percent of the schools with a large c o m p o u n d

F R E E P R I M A R YE D U C A T I O N A S S E S S M E N TK e n y a Ministry of E d u c a t i o n , S c i e n c e a n d T e c h n o l o g y a n d U N E S C O

w e r e untidy. Slightly less than half (44 percent) of the schools w e r e crowded but withtidy c o m p o u n d s while 16 per cent of theschools lacked s p a c e and the c o m p o u n d sw e r e untidy. The results indicate that amajority of public primary schools arecrowded (60 per cent); thisd o e s not augurwell for the success of the F P E prog r a m m e . There is a n e e d to address environmental concerns especially for the 31per cent of the schools that w e r e reportedto have untidy c o m p o u n d s .2.6 .2 C l a s s r o o m observationsTh e study also sought to establish the c o n ditions of classrooms. Generally, there w e r ea range of classrooms In the schools visited - p e r m a n e n t , semi-permanent andmud-walled classes. S o m e classroomsonly have roofs but no walls. Th e floorsarenot c e m e n t e d and In m o s t cases dusty. Inworst c a s e s , which w e r e c o m m o n , pupilslearn under trees b e c a u s e there are noclassrooms. L e s s o n s conducted undertrees are subject to weather conditions. For

Nursery school children in class: Parents and teachers a s k e d the g o v e r n m e n t to providefunds for nursery s c h o o l s .


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F R E E P R I M A R YE D U C A T I O N A S S ! S S M E NK e n y a Ministiy o f E d u c a t io n , S c i e n c e a n d T e c h n o l o g y a n d U N E S C O

instance, lessons have to stop w h e n Itrains or w h e n it is too windy. Concentrationis also difficult b e c a u s e of m a n y distractions in o p e n s p a c e s .C l a s s r o o m s in m a n y schools are m u d -walled and iron-roofed. In a n u m b e r ofc a s e s , schools h a v e p e r m a n e n t classr o o m s but m o s t of t h e m do not have win

d o w p a n e s or shutters and doors. Only af ew schools h a v e p e r m a n e n t classroomswith lockable doors. In m a n y c a s e s , onlyupper classes w e r e in g o o d s h a p e withchalkboards.

Overall, m o s t schools do not h a v e a d e quate classrooms to a c c o m m o d a t e thelarge n u m b e r s of pupils enrolled underF P E . T h e classrooms w e r e generally c o n gested and there w a s hardly s p a c e form o v e m e n t . T h e classrooms w e r e in poorcondition. T h e y d e p e n d on sunlight forlighting.Pupils h a v e difficulty reading fromthe chalkboard w h e n there is nosunlightespecially in the morning and evenings orw h e n it is cloudy a n d rainy.

It w a s noted that with F P E , m a n yschools had started doing repairs in theclassrooms using m o n e y given for mainte

n a n c e . Chalkboards w e r e being given freshpaint coats and w i n d o w s and doors fixedespecially in classes w h e r e b o o k s andother teaching and learning materials w e r ebeing kept.2 .6 . 3 G ene ra l characteristicso f c l a s s r o o m sObservations w e r e m a d e in four classr o o m s In each of the schools. Obsevationsincluded walls, roofing, w i n d o w s , lighting,ventilationand accoustics in the classr o o m s as well as the condition of furniture,chalkboards andvisualaids.2 .6 .4 C l a s s r o o m wallsF r o m the analysis m a d e on the condition ofclassroom walls, it w a s evident that threequarters (74 per cent) of primary schoolshave classrooms with p e r m a n e n t wallswhile only 23 per cent had temporary wallsand 8 per cent conducted lessons in theo p e n air. H o w e v e r , only 49 per cent of theclassrooms are in g o o d condition andabout 14 per cent in a crumbling state ass h o w n in Table 8.

Table 8: Summary of classroom observationsW a l ls

G o o d c o n x i o nU n s t a b l e ' m o v i n gC r u m b i n g

Lighting

G o o d s e e i n g c o n d i ti o n sP o o r visibility (parts/all ol c l a s s r o o m )

Furni tureA d e q u a t e / s u i t a b l e fo r a g e / s i z e o f p u p i lsI n a d e q u a t e fo r n u m b e r o f p u p i l sN o n e

%493714

6040

46495

R o o f i n g

_ < x a a > m C a w g i iU a J * gO p e n in placesVentilationS t a b l e a n d p l e a s a n tU n c o m f o r t a b l e c o n d i t i o n s

C h a l k b o a r d s

Visible f r o m ail a r e a s o f c l a s s r o o mG l a r e , p o o r visibility t r a m s o m e p a r t s1*

%6210

2 82

47

51+7.2

W i n d o w s

G l a s s in p l a c eB r o k e nN o g l a s s

N o s e

A c o u s t i c s g o o dN o i s y / p o o r a c o u s t i c s

V i s u a l A i d sV i s u a l a i d s In g o o d condit ionM a t e r ia l s in p o o r condit ionN o v i s u a l a i d s

%231859

3961

334027


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F R E E P R I M A R YE D U C A T I O N A S S E S S M E N TX e a y a tfinstryof Education, S a n c e a n d Tectaofagyand I W E S C O

Thirsty for k n o w l e d g e : Pupils sit o n every available place just to learn.2 .6 .5 C lass room roofsLooking at the condition of roofing, abouttwo-thirds (62 per cent) of schools haveclassrooms well-covered with Iron sheetswhile a thirdof t h e m h a v e iron-sheets roofsbut leaking (26 per cent)or caving in (10pe r cent). A b o u t 2 per cent w e r e observedto be in o p e n places.2 .6 . 6 C lass room w i n d o w sObservations w e r e also m a d e on the typeof w i n d o w s in classrooms. T h e results indicated that m o r e than half (59 per cent) ofclassrooms did not h a v e w i n d o w glass,while 18 per cent had broken w i n d o wglass. T h e majority of the schools did noth a v e w i n d o w shutters while a few hadw o o d e n w i n d o w shutters.2 .6 . 7 Lighting, s p a c e ,ventilation a n d a cco us ticsSlightly less than half of the schools hadpoor visibility in the classrooms and the situation w a s w o rs e in lower primary class

r o o m s . T h e majority of schools s h o w e d anoticeable variation in learning s p a c e . Inalmost every school, the lower classesw e r e congestedwhile the upper classeshad adequate s p a c e . T h e majority of classr o o m s had poor acoustics.2 . 6 . 8 C l a s s r o o m furniture,cha lkboards a n d visual aidsA large variation existed in the distributionof furniturew h e r e m o s t of the lower gradesin the majority of the schools had inadequate furniturec o m p a r e d to the uppergrades w h e r e furniturew a s generallysuitable for a g e and b o d y size. A b o u t half ofthe schools had chalkboards visiblefrom allareas of the classroom and only 2 per centdid not have chalkboards. M o s t schoolshad visual aids in poor condition (40 percent) and about a quarter had no visualaids at all. T h e poor condition in provisionof adequate furniture, visiblechalkboardsa n d visual aids can impact negatively onthe pupils' learning o u t c o m e s .


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F R E E P R I M A R YE D U C A T I O N A S S E S S M E N TKflfiya Ministry ot E d u c a t i o n , Science sid T e d w o f e g y a n d U N E S C O

CHAPTER3

H i g h l i g h t s of f o c u sg r o u p d i s c u s s i o n s

Waiting for admission: Parents ha d to wait for long hours to secure admission fortheir children w h en F P E w a s launched.

3.1 S o u r c e s of information onF P E a n d understandingT h e study found that the majority of teachers, parents and school committee m e m bers w e r e first informed about F P E throughthe m e d i a during the political c a m p a i g n sfor the 2 0 0 2 General Election. T h e y heardabout F P E on the radio, from television anddaily n e w s p a p e r s . T h e m e d i a w a s thepredominant source of information on F P E . Ina m o r e limtedw a y , teachers reportedlearning about F P E from education officialsa n d circulars issued by the Ministry ofEducation. S o m e mentioned learning aboutit from other teachers or parents, localadministrative leaders, chiefs' barazas,churches, c o m m u n i t y leaders, children andN G O s . Generally speaking, h o w e v e r , it w a s

the m e d i a that played the significant role ininforming the education stakeholders onF P E . T h e Information w a s straightforwardan d concise ('education isfree'). W h a t hasb e e n lacking, h o w e v e r , s a sustained andcomprehensive communication strategy forF P E . After the intiaeuphoria In early 2 0 0 3a n d the m e d i a publicityof the time, littlehas b e e n said about F P E thereafter.T h o u g h s o m e attempts w e r e m a d e by theMinistry ofEducation to inform schoolsthrough circulars, thisdid not s e e m tohaveh ad any significant impact. There issillconfusion over the m e a n i n g ofF P E and Inparticular, the roles of stakeholders.A t the onset parents and teachersunderstood F P E as a system w h e r e b y children go to school and learn without paying

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or buying anything. Conversely, they understood that it is the g o v e r n m e n t that provides all facilitiesand resources required forlearning such as textbooks, chairs andd e s k s , buildings and maintenance.

" T h e government provides everythinglike learning materials, teachers andbuildings, so the childjust walks intoschool and doesn 'tpay anything. "Teachers and parents noted that infor

mation w a s (andsill is) v a g u e on roles andresponsibilities. F P E has b e e n pretty m u c ho p e n - e n d e d leaving teachers, schools andparents to figure out the detailsand itsworkings. Parents especially h a v e diverseviews on F P E and h o w it should w o r k .S o m e say that they are only expected tob u y school uniforms while others believethat F P E m e a n s everything is free, includinguniforms.

M a n y teachers and parents understandF P E as a ' g o v e r n m e n t policy' that has'relieved parents' of a h e a v y financial burd e n . With that burden lifted, parents cann o w cater for other n e e d s such as schooluniforms. M o r e significantly,m a n y believethat the g o v e r n m e n t h a s taken over fulresponsibility for primary education andm a d e it free of charge.

"It is a system where the governmenttakes over responsibilityfor theprovision of education.Itprovides everythingfor school-going children. ""It is said that the present governmenthas given the children the 'right to education. ""Free primary education is a programme which enables every child irrespective of background to access education free of charge. It is an opportunityfor all children to go to school. Freeeducation is whereparents do not payfees and books are free. Inshort, anything that requires money has beencateredfor a n d parents need not pay

f cnya Minstiy o f & t a e a & Q n , Sc tace a n d Tectmology a n d U N E S C O

anything. Ifasked to pa y K S h 2 5 forcooks, parents will defend themselves bysaying N A R C willpa y for everything. "

A t the time of the study, just over a yearafter F P E started, teachers, schools, parents and others w e r e silltrying to figureout the m e a n i n g of F P E . T h e y k n o w thatthe g o v e r n m e n t disburses grants toschools for learning materials and otheritems. H o w e v e r , misunderstandings ariseover roles andresponsibilities.

" B y freeprimary education, the role ofeducating children atprimary level isthe responsibility of the government.Parentsdon 'tpay anything since theywere advised by the government not tod o that. "Pupils heard about F P E from the m e d i a ,

through N A R C ralliesin 2 0 0 2 , their parentsa n d others in the c o m m u n i t y . Mostly, pupilsunderstand F P E to m e a n education withoutp a y m e n t of school fees or an y other kind oflevy such as m o n e y for examinations,buildings and co-curricular activities.Mor e ov e r , all learning materials at schoolincluding b o o k s , p e n s , pencils, geometricalsets and rulers are provided by the governm e n t . F P E also m e a n s no m o r e drop outsfrom school d u e to lack of school fees.Pupils described F P E as a 'relief to theirparents. S o m e say that it is 'education forall' b e c a u s e e v e n those w h o could notaffordfees can n o w go to school.

Pupils recognise F P E to be a 'presidentiadirective' that allchildren m u s t go toschool. It caters for orphans and the poor.

" T h e president was trying to assist thoseivho could notafford t o pay schoolfees. "

F P E allows pupils to learn without beingsent h o m e to get fees. T h e y say F P E hashelped those parents w h o could notaffordto payfor education and those w h o usedto obtain textbooks on credit from s h o p sa n d delay p a y m e n t s .

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F R E E P R I M A R YE D U C A T I O N A S S E S S M E N TK e n y a Ministry of E d u c a t i o n , S c i e n c e a n d T e c h n o l o gy a n d U N E S C O

" M y parents tell me that now they cansave some money for my secondaryeducation because they are not payingthe primary schoolfees. They can alsoafford to buy a school uniform. "

S o m e pupils thought F P E m e a n t theg o v e r n m e n t would provide everything,Including uniforms, lunch and e x a m fees.That is to say, the g o v e r n m e n t has takenover the sole responsibility of fundingprim a r y education.

" F P E is a programme in whichparentsdo notpay anything. Books and pensare provided in school. It is system ofeducation that does not require us to

pay money. "T h e g o v e r n m e n t m e e t s the entire

costs/payments in the school and providesthe teachers. This, therefore, allows all children togo to school without anyhindrance.

T h e study concludes that althoughteachers, parents and pupils k n o w w h a t'free education' is all about, there Is confusion about the facts. Otherwise, diverseviews on the m e a n i n g of 'free' wll continueat the riskof misunderstandings and ill-feeling b e t w e e n school administrators and

parents. Moreover, m a n y parents w h obelieve 'all Is free' are likelyto harbour ill-feelings toward education authorities andthe g o v e r n m e n t if asked by schools tom a k e contributions. T h e longer parentsan d pupils believe 'all is free', the harder itwllbe to redefine the concept of 'free' andmobilise resources and support from parents in favour of their children's educationan d the running of the school.3 . 2 K n o w l e d g e of th e goalsand rationale of F P ETeacher s, parents and school committeem e m b e r s are clear about the goals of F P E ,which they see as eliminating illiteracy andcreating an educated citizenry to participate effectively in the social, e c o n o m i c andpolitical d e v e l o p m e n t of the nation. T h e ysee FPE as a i m e d at improving livingstandards andfightingand eradicating poverty.F P E isseen as a w a y of bridging the gapb e t w e e n the richand the poor in terms ofa c c e s s to education, which isseen as avehicle for social and e c o n o m i c u p w a r dmobility. F P E is a m e a n s towards realisingthe Children's Act that provides for c o m p u l sory and free primary education. Similarly, itisa step toward Education For All ( E F A ) ,

H a n d s u p ! Active participation in c l a s s r o o m .


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R I M A R Y :3 S M E N T K e n y a Mnijtiy o fwhich K e n y a is asignatory to. F P E aims atcatering for the children from poor familiesa n d orphans. It also aims atcreating self-reliant citizens thus contributing towardimproving the e c o n o m y and eliminatingpoverty. The underlying rationale isthatthere isno development w h e r e there is noeducation.

F P E ism e a n t to reduce school dropouts, reduce the n u m b e r ofstreet childrena n d child labourers, boost girls' educationa n d increase the quality ofeducationthrough the provisionof learning materialsto schools. R e s p o n d e n t s said F P E underscored the government's intention toprovide education toeveryone. T h e y said F P Eh as restored the 'right toeducation' to allchildren and increased primary schoolenrolment, especia

challenges of implementing free primary education in kenya

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