Education Issues in Kenya - Essay Example

Education in Kenya Name Course name and code Instructor’s Name Date Since independence, Kenya has recognized education as an instrumental element in the country’s socioeconomic as well as cultural development. Therefore, quality education provision as well as training has been a central policy issue at all levels of education, as such a number of commissions have been established to look into the country’s training and educational needs. These commissions include the Ominde Commission (1964), Gachathi Commission (1976), the Presidential Working Party on Establishment of the Second Public University (1981), Kamunge Commission (1988), Koech Commission (1999), the implementation of free and compulsory primary education in 2003 (Cockburn & Kabubo-Mariara, 2010). Recently, the government implemented partially free secondary education. The education sector in Kenya will soon become digital after the incumbent government pledged to supply standard one pupil with laptops. In Kenya, gender imbalances affecting access to education can be attributed to poverty, environmental degradation especially in Arid and Semiarid Lands (ASALs) areas, traditional beliefs. Factors impeding development in Kenya Socio-cultural orientations in Kenya, which inculcates gender disparities in performance. In Kenya, boys and girls go through different cultural orientations, for instance, birth ceremonies and later division of labour in productive as well as domestic chores, based on gender stereotyped artefacts, for instance, clothes, games and play within the context of the general preparation as well as skill-based training for adult roles. The HIV/AIDS scourge has prompted increased school dropouts, especially among girls faced with many domestic responsibilities when one of the family members is ailing or succumbs to the scourge (Njeru, 2003). The general effect has been decreased likelihood of learning as well as skills development, in most scenarios skewed against the girl - child (Prah, 2013). Poverty issues impede access to education in a number of ways. When parents are poor parents and do not have the means of educating their children boys will be more favoured at the expense of the girl-child. This therefore implies that girls will have little access to education and girls will be involved in income generating activities, for instance, selling of foodstuffs (Njeru, 2003). Gender-insensitive policies impede development in Kenya. These policies in question are either ambivalent or permissive to prompt disruption of girl child education. For instance, teenage pregnancy results in girls dropping out of school. The girls dropping out of school are not offered a chance to continue their studies upon baby delivery. In some instances, the public attitude is punitive and not favourable to establishment of chances to enable post-teenage mothers to get back to school (Njeru, 2003). Student enrolment in schools Year Primary education Secondary education 1994 5,557,008 619,839 1996 5,597,656 658,253 1998 5,919,721 700,538 2000 6,155,500 772,464 2002 6,062,900 778,601 2003 7,159,500 882,513 2004 7,394,700 926,150 2006 7,632,200 1,030,080 2007 8,330,200 1,180,267 2008 8,563,800 1,382,211 2009 8,831,400 1,507,546 (Adapted from Acedo, Adams & Popa, 2012) Gender parity in education In Kenya, there has been a difference in access to education between boys and girls since independence. The gender gap in the education sector has been consistent and is with all the sub-sectors of education. In the past decade, although nationally the Net Enrolment Ratio (NER) at the elementary school level has been about 49 percent for girls and 51 percent for boys. Regional statistics display gender differences in the eight provinces in Kenya. For instance, North Eastern Province the National Enrolment Ratio between 1990 and 2001 has been 9.8 percent for girls and 16.5 percent for girls. In Nairobi Province, the NER is 42.2 percent for girls and 43.3 percent for boys. During the same period, the NER at secondary school levels by gender has been 47 percent for girls and 52 percent for boys (Busken & Webb, 2009). The gender disparity is wider in Rift Valley, North Eastern and Coast provinces, where incidences there are high incidences of poverty and cultural –religious factors work not in favour of schooling of girls. For instance, after the declaration of free-primary education in 2003, Gross Enrolment Ratio in North Eastern Province remained at 16.9 percent and 31 percent for girls and boys respectively. Women are also under-pinned in higher education. A meagre 30 percent of girls have been able to access university education in Kenya (Busken & Webb, 2009). How gender equality affects access to education in Kenya In Kenya, gender is socially construed, therefore denoting different social roles for both men and women in the society. Therefore, gender connotes differentials in social relations with respect to cultural activities, positions, roles, occupations, responsibilities, rights and obligations (Rose, 2012). Inequality comes about when assigning men and women, boys and girls, particular social roles, rights, privileges, rights and responsibilities on the basis of the sexes of the concerned person. Many African societies manifest cultural diversity as exemplified in complex gender driven power relationships, which disadvantage women and girl-child from accessing and benefiting from educational services and resources. Owing to gender inequalities, there is low enrolment of girls in schools. Girls are perceived to be inferior to boys therefore, some communities believe that boys should be the one who can get education and girls should not. These believe have resulted in fewer women enrolling in schools. There has also been the problem of early marriages among some communities in Kenya. Girls marry at a tender age while they are still going to school in most cases the girls are usually still at the elementary level. Marrying off young school-going women implies that the girl will not be able to attend school since she will have to take up the roles of a wife; this involves ensuring that the husband is well taken care of. Poverty contributes to girls being married at a tender age. When a parent is poor and can hardly sustain bringing up the child, the parents will be prompted to give their girl to any potential husband as long the husband can pay the dowry price. Consequently, the girl will not be able to attend school (Aikman & Unterhalter, 2005). Gender insensitive policies contribute to gender inequalities in the education sector. These policies seem to be either ambivalent or permissive to discontinuation of girls from the education system, for instance, teen pregnancy causes girls to drop from schools and in some cases, the girls lack the chance to continue with their studies upon delivery of the baby. In some scenarios, the punitive public perception is not conducive to the creation of opportunities that allow post-teenage mothers to resume school upon delivery. Consequently, this implies that the girl will have to drop out of school and take care of the newborn baby and she will not have a chance of getting back to school. This gives boys a competitive advantage over girls, therefore boys have little or no hindrances to access to education while girls are disadvantaged yet they should have equal chances (Aikman & Unterhalter, 2005). Girls are denied equal opportunities in a number of ways, for instance, HIV causes cash as well as labour shortages, and girls are required to work so that they can produce cash, food, and take care of sick members, young and elderly in their respective home. Even though men are required to be breadwinners in the society some of them ignore this task, therefore the task is taken up women in the homes. In some cases, the breadwinner may be the one who is sick therefore; the girl will take over the task held by men (Aikman & Unterhalter, 2005). Girls have a less bargaining power in the household than boys. Whereas all children are supposed to undertake household chores before going to school, boys can easily refuse, unlike girls. In most cases, boys have fewer responsibilities; therefore, they will leave home before ladies. This implies that the boys will get to school early and will be able to concentrate easily unlike girls who are likely to get to school late owing to the many responsibilities they have. This demonstrates that the household has failed in ensuring that the roles assigned to the boys and girls are equal and do not burden one party at the expense of the other party (EFA GMR, 2012). Privatizing higher education in Kenya is a slap in the face of gender equity. Privatization of higher does not aid in improving gender equity but rather enhances existing socioeconomic gaps by enabling both boys and girls from well-to-do families take part in higher learning. Even though, statistics may show that private universities have better female-male ratio compared to public universities, the national ratio underscores the fact that women continue to be locked out of higher education. Firstly, it ought to be observed that private universities and public universities do not operate with an admission policy that favours girls (Knight & Teferra, 2008). According to Wesonga, Chege & Oanda (2008), they state that women constitute over 50 percent of the total Kenyan population however, 70 percent of women live in poverty. Female enrolment is about 49%, 48.2%, and 30.8% in public primary, secondary s well as tertiary levels respectively in 2004. The percentage of female students in private universities was 54.5 % from an absolute enrolment of 8021 students. Private universities as well as programs do not have affirmative action policies – or gender based policies for that matter. Private universities function on a commercial basis and lack formal mechanism of addressing gender concerns in admissions. Additionally, private programs in public universities have this weakness. Consequently, it would be deceiving to claim that the mission of private universities is to enhance gender equity since logic demonstrates that the well-to-do families can afford to admit their children in such institutions (Wesonga, Chege & Oanda, 2008). Interventions There are a number of interventions that have been put forward by several bodies. The Kenyan government has policies that advocate for gender equality in access to education. Firstly, the cut-off-point required to join public universities for ladies is lower for girls by one point. This has a huge impact on the male dominated country since girls will also be able to join public universities. In 2003, the Kenyan government introduced free primary education (Aikman & Unterhalter, 2005). The citadel intent of free primary education was to ensure that both boys and girls have equal access to education for girls had been sidelined and in most cases, they had to drop out of school so that they could give a chance to boys since they were perceived as inferior to boys. Challenges confronting girls’ education in Kenya include both in school and out-of-school factors; they span the cultural, economic, regional, and social as well a policy realm. Government and non-governmental agencies have attempted to address these challenges that are expressed in the interlinked problems of poor rates of retention, unequal access as well as poor quality of education for girls. Their concerted efforts have reduced the differential in boys’ and girls’ participation in basic education (Aikman & Unterhalter, 2005) There have been a number commission that have been set-up by the Kenyan government this includes the Ominde Commission (1964), Gachathi Commission (1976), Kamunge Commission (1988), Mackay Commission (1981), Koech Commission (2000)and Mater Plan on Education and Training (1988) among others (Aikman & Unterhalter, 2005). The aim of all these commissions was to ensure that there is equal access to education among both boys and girls in Kenya. NGOs have also been instrumental in ensuring equal access to education in Kenya. Recently, the Kenyan government introduced the Re-Entry Program that allows girls who have given birth to gain readmission in schools. The Lutheran World Federation LWF) developed project by UNCHR, to take care of the girls who had dropped from primary school and wished to return. The Western Kenya Girl Child Network chapter has been instrumental in ensuring teen mothers return to formal education upon delivery (Aikman & Unterhalter, 2005). Poverty is one of the main causes of inequality in access to education among the girls. In order to address this problem, some civil society organizations, for example, the Basic Education Fund (BEF) - have encouraged school management committees to take part in income generating activities. For instance, the Kenya chapter of the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWEK), that partner with EF in Meru and Mbeere districts offers seed money to school management and the money is used to support gender-sensitization clubs. Clubs are motivated to develop income generating activities to sustain them (Aikman & Unterhalter, 2005). References Acedo, C., Adams, D & Popa, S. (2012). Quality and qualities: Tension I education reforms: Tension in education reforms. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers. Aikman, S & Unterhalter, E. (2005). Beyond access: Transforming policy and practice for gender equality in education. Oxford: Oxfam. Buskens, A & Webb, A. (2009). African women ad ICTs: Creating new places with technology. Nairobi: IDRC. Cockburn, J & Kabubo-Mariara, J. (2010). Child welfare in developing countries. Ottawa: Springer. EFA GMR (2012). Rural women miss out on education – and decent jobs. Retrieved from http://efareport.wordpress.com/2012/03/05/rural-women-miss-out-on-education-and-decent-jobs/ Knight, J & Teferra, D. (2008). Higher education in Africa: The international dimension.Accra: African Books Collective. Njeru, E. (2003). Critical perspectives ocucation skills in Eastern Africa on basic and post-basic levels. Retrieved from http://www.norrag.org/en/publications/norrag-news/online- version/critical-perspectives-on-education-and-skills-in-eastern-africa-on-basic-and-post- basic-levels/detail/the-status-interpretation-and-opportunities-for-gender-equity-in-the- kenyan-educational-system.html Prah, M. (2013). Insights into gender equity, equality power relations in Sub-Saharan Africa. Dakar: African Books Collective. Rose, S. (2012). Limited livelihoods: gender and class in nineteenth century England. London: Routledge. Wesonga, D., Chege, F & Oanda, I. (2008). Privatization and private higher education in Kenya: Implications for access, equity and knowledge production. Dakar: African Books Collective. Read More