Challenges Facing the Implementation of Free Primary School in
Kenya
By Anthony Wanjohi
1.0 Introduction
At independence, Kenya inherited an education system
that was characterized by racial segregation and different types of curricula
for the various races namely
Europeans, Asians, Arabs and Africans,
UNESCO, (2005). The colonial schools had a different curriculum from
that of the African independent and the65 missionary
schools. According to Otach,
(2008) “before 1960, free and universalprimaryeducation had not been extended to African children inany of the East African British colonies, racial discrimination in primaryeducation was stillintact” The expansion of primary education remained a
crucial problem in the colonial era. The situation did not radically
change with the achievement of independence in 1963.
ACTIONAID-Kenya(2004) reports that, the achievement ofindependence heightened pressure to increase theschool population and a rapid more towards universal
primary education. The purpose of education was
political, social, cultural, humanistic and economic, (UNICEF & World Bank,
2009). It was expected that the education would mould a whole individual
who will contribute profitably to society.
The first step towards free
primary education was in1971 (Ngaroga,
2001); this was when President Jomo
Kenyatta abrogated tuition fees for the economically marginal
districts in the country. By July 1973 districts
such as Marsabit, Mandera,
West-pokot, Wajir, Tana River, Turkana, Samburu, Garissa and Lamu had free
primary education. The government also built and supported
boarding schools in these areas. A national feeding programme was also launched
in these areas.
The main idea here was to encourage more parents to
retain their children in school. In 1973
another presidential decree made education free for the first four years
of primary education throughout the country. (Ngaroga, 2001) observes that the presidential decree was
one of the most dramatic political pronouncements since it took the planners
and the public unaware. The immediate
result was increase in enrollments in
primary schools from 1.8 million in 1973 to
2.8 million in January 1974. The Ministry of Education had to
rethink of its priorities and operations in order to cope with the staggering
rise of pupil enrollment. In 1976 the Gachathi Report
recommended an extension of the waiver of fees to the full seven years of
primary education by1980, (UNICEF & World Bank, 2009). Despite the
existence of free primary education by 1980, the schools witnessed many
challenges that eventually contributed to
its failure and the introduction of levies in primary
schools.
In January 2003 the NARC (National Rainbow Coalition) government implemented the free
primary education programme with the aim of providing more opportunities to the
disadvantaged school age children (Otach, 2008). The programme created a positive outcome
because it resulted in significant increase in enrolment in a majority of the
schools (Otach, 2008). The policy abolished school fees and other levies arguing that
fees and levies posed a
serious hindrance to children wanting to access education in schools (Okwach &
George, 1997). The free primary education policy has been described as laudable
(Rob et al., 2004), because of its effect on gross enrolment rate (GER) which
increased from 92% in 2002 to 104% in 2003 of the school age children
population (Otach, 2008)), resulting in more than 1.5
million children who were previously out -of -school joining primary schools
(UNESCO, 2005).
However, serious challenges have bedevilled the implementation of the FPE policy,
(UNICEF & World Bank,2009). They
include congested classrooms, limited physical facilities and shortage of qualified teachers,
which negatively impacted on the quality of teaching and learning on one hand
and contributed to indiscipline in schools on the other (Okwach &
George, 1997). This paper therefore reviews the FPE policy highlighting its
achievements and challenges. The paper also assesses the progress of the chosen
schools towards achieving EFA goals.
2.0 Challenges
The introduction of free
primary education in 2003 was received with mixed reactions across the country,
UNESCO, (2005). The government’s task force reported that the implementation
of the program was faced with a number of glaring
challenges that required to be addressed.
2.1 Delays in Funds
Disbursement
The road to true
learning is thinking. Yet, children have no spare time to engage in this
necessary practice, known for creation of knowledge, development of social
skills and cognitive growth, UNESCO, (2005). In most schools, there is a
widespread failure with respect to teachers and the teaching profession. The
government controls the remuneration and may often see no urgency in
encouraging seamless implementation of a progressive reward system, (Okwach & George, 1997). The failure on the part of
the public to recognize the fact that teaching requires great skill and talent
compounds the matter. Delays in disbursing funds to support free primary school
education have frustrated many teachers, put pressure and on parents financial
burdens.
2.2 Teacher Shortages
Teacher: pupil ratio,
for instance, it emerged that in some schools the ratio was 1:70 which was far
beyond the recommended maximum rate of 1:40. Such a high ratio has got its own
challenges also, (Okwach & George, 1997).
For instance, teachers find it impossible to pay attention to all learners,
especially the slow ones. Also teachers were not able to give
adequate assignments to the pupils, as they could not cope with the marking and
teaching workload (UNESCO, 2005).
2.3 Teacher-Learning
Facilities
There was also an issue
associated with teaching- learning materials as a major challenge facing the
system, (Okwach & George,
1997). Under the FPE programme, every pupil is entitled to free
writing materials e.g. pencils, pens and exercise books. It emerged that
textbooks were being shared in the ratio of one textbook to five pupils.
Sharing of textbooks affected their accessibility to the books while at home
and many have to do their homework early in the morning the next day when in
school. This says something about the amount of work the teachers have to give
to the pupils. Shortages of supplementary reading books were also identified in
the study.
There was also the issue
of inadequate physical facilities. It emerged that most schools did not have adequate
classroom to accommodate the large number of pupils enrolled under the FPE
programmes. For instance, classrooms appeared to be generally congested and
there was hardly any space for free movement during lessons. Also a number of
classroom conditions were poor, for instance, lighting depended only on
sunlight, which was sometimes inadequate. Also in some schools they had
introduced school mats for children to sit on since there were no sufficient
desks. But a majority of the teachers felt that the sitting on the mats
affected the children’s writing skills and general physical development.
2.4 Managerial Skills
An effective and efficient manager must possess the
technical, human and conceptual skills
in order to be a
good organizer, (Ngaroga,
2001). Technical knowledge and skill include
understanding and being proficient in using specific
activity such as a process, technique, or procedure. The school managers should
be equipped with relevant know-
ledge and skill to perform administrative duties which
include planning daily
routine, among other duties. This
implies that school managers need to be trained to equip them with the
relevant skills and techniques to prepare
them to be effective in implementation of educational
policies. A school manager, who accepts that people are
the key to successful implementation of policies and
changes, is cognizant of the barriers that people place
between themselves and the changes required (Ngaroga,
2001).
The implementation of
free primary education in Kenya however, found school managers off guard; they
had not been prepared for the change and so they found it challenging. Many
schools had an overwhelming increase in enrollment
while others witnessed mass exodus. Average class sizes rose from 40 to 70
while the facilities remained the same. It s notable that in Kenya
today, approximately 50% of all the
country’s primary schools are housed in temporary and/or semi-permanent
buildings; others are on split sites. The declaration of free primary education
witnessed the rise in student enrollment which in turn led to strain in the
existing physical resources.
These changes required
changes in the managerial skills of school managers. Orora (1997)
points out that a change agent is a person who attempts to influence proposed
change and its adoption as well as decisions in a direction which beneficiaries
have indicated desirable. An advisory committee on supply and
education of teachers observe that education service has been operating in a
climate of rapid change and that this climate is likely to continue to the
foreseeable future (Glatter1988). Such a rapid change requires a continuous
process of adjustment on the part of all those involved in the education
system.
This view is supported
by Wideen (1987) who pointed out that
teachers need continued professional growth and development in order to be
competent to handle changes. School managers are judged with the responsibility
of interpreting educational policies to the parents and other stakeholders;
they are also responsible for obtaining, directing and
utilizing resources available for successful implementation of education
policies and programs. This study was designed to explore management challenges
facing implementation of FPE in Kenya, a case of Keiyo District.
2.5 Students’
Mobility from Public to Private and within Public Schools
Parents cite quality of
school as their main reason for transferring their children from one school to
another, (UNICEF & World Bank, 2009). But this is based on their perception
of quality rather than an actual measure of quality. Unfortunately,
unacceptably high numbers of transfers are still into private schools because
of perceptions of poor quality in public schools following the implementation
of free primary education, UNESCO, (2005). The number of transfers in the
non-slums is fewer and the likely explanation for this is that there is
sufficient supply of public schools to match demand and parents are able to
make a choice between public and private schools depending on their disposable
income (Oketch et al, 2008). Due to limited
public investment in education in the slums (there are fewer public schools in
the slums), room has been created for the ‘mushrooming’ of private informal
schools which can operate in any structure, usually of unacceptable condition
for a school. The quality of these slum informal private schools is likely to
vary, itself a likely explanation of the transfers from one school to another
in search of perceived school of better quality.
Teachers complain that
pupils’ frequent transfers from one school to another at any point of the term
and in any class affect content delivery, (Eldah et
al 2005). They observe some pupils who joined a particular school may have
missed out for a term or several months and were likely to find some topics
that had already been covered in their new school, (Eldah et
al 2005). This suggests that the teachers had to look for ways of providing
them with remedial lessons but their efforts were hampered by the large
workload due to overcrowded class.
A preference for free
and cheaper education is evident, (Eldah et al
2005). School availability and its proximity as well as the highest grade offered
in a school are other reasons why pupils transfer from one school to another, (Eldah et al 2005). Perceived teacher quality,
discipline and overall school performances were the most frequently cited
reasons for transfer into any given school. A lower fee was also a factor, and
cheaper or free schools seemed to be an important motivation for school
transfer. It can be argued that the movement between private schools was in
search of a cheaper private school whereas those who managed to move into public
schools are those who wanted to benefit from the free primary education policy.
Moreover, movement to private schools was also in search of better performance.
Another frequent reason for transfer was lack of appropriate grade in the
school a pupil was presently enrolled in, although this was not a major factor.
2.6 Embezzlement of
Funds
Some government
officials are corrupt and hence they mismanage or misallocation of funds that
are allocated to them, (UNESCO, 2005). For instance, the sponsor’s funds; this
makes some children who are poor miss the opportune moments of schooling.
Senior officials in the
Ministry of Education, in Kenya have been accused of protecting corrupt
headmasters and members of PTA (Parents Teacher Association) suspected of
embezzling funds because they are also indirectly benefiting from incentives
that are being paid by parents, disgruntled senior education officials have
revealed, (UNESCO, 2005).
They allege that several
internal audit reports as well as complaints by parents and teachers to the
ministry against certain school heads and PTAs have been swept under the
carpet. Many officials say the payment of incentives to teachers had resulted
in an upsurge of fraud by school heads that are now exposed to huge amounts of
money which they were not used to handling.
3.0 Conclusion
The Kenya government
policy to achieve Universal Primary Education (UPE) has to be seen within
developments in the wider international context. The Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, adopted in 1948, declared that “everyone has a right to
education.” The World Conference on Education for All (EFA), held in Jomtien, Thailand in 1990, sparked off a new impetus
towards basic education especially with its so-called vision and renewed
commitment. It noted, that to serve the basic needs for all, requires more than
a recommitment to basic education as now exists. What is needed is an expanded
vision that surpasses resource levels, institutional structures, curricula and
conventional delivery systems, while building on the best in the practices.
The Amman Mid-Decade
Review of Education for All (1996) reaffirmed the commitment to the Jomtien resolutions. It observed that the provision of
basic education, especially for girls, has remained elusive in many less
industrialized countries. This was said to be particularly so in Africa, where
ethnic tensions and conflicts have displaced many households, thus denying
children opportunities of going to school. The Dakar Conference of 2000
reviewed developments in achieving UPE in the African continent. It set as one
of the EFA goals eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary
education by 2005, and achieving gender equality in education by 2015. This was
further endorsed by the so-called Millennium Development Goals (MDG). Among
other things they set targets “to ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere,
boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling.
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Suggested Citation in
APA
Wanjohi,A.M.(2010).Challenges Facing the Implementation
of Free Primary Education in Kenya.KENPRO Publications. Available online at http://www.kenpro.org/papers/challenges-facing-free-primary-education-in-kenya.htm
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