Factors Contributing to
the Expansion of Early Childhood Education in Kenya
By Anthony M. Wanjohi
Education acquired in
the early stages of childhood refers to as Early Childhood Education (ECE).
According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children
(NAEYC), ECE spans the human life from birth to age eight. Although ECE does
not have to occur in absence of the parent or primary caregiver, this term is
often used to describe preschool or childcare programs (NAEYC, 2007).
Much of the first two
years of human life are spent in the creation of a child's first "sense of
self" or the building of a first identity. This is a crucial part of
children's makeup, how they first see themselves, how they think they should
function and how they expect others to function in relation to them. For this
reason, early childhood care must ensure that in addition to employing a
carefully selected and trained caretaker program, policy must emphasize links
with family, home culture and home language.
In Kenya, the first
preschools were started in the 1940s by and for the exclusive use of the
European and Asian communities. It is later that preschools were developed in
African locations in urban areas and on coffee, tea and sugar plantations (Kipkorir and Njenga,
1993).
After independence,
preschool education expanded throughout the country. In their paper, Kipkorir and Njenga wrote
that prior to the 1970s Kenya lacked an organized curriculum. Also, there were
other support materials for use in the preschools. In addition, many of those
teachers teaching in these schools were untrained. Because they lacked
training, many of the teachers used formal teaching methods equivalent to those
used in the primary schools with older children.
In 1991, in an effort to
address the situation presented by the ever-increasing numbers of preschools
and the lack of appropriate support for them, the Kenya government, with
assistance from the Bernard van Leer Foundation created the Preschool Education
Project, based at the Kenya Institute of Education (KIE) Nairobi. The main
objective of this project was to improve the quality of preschool education
through the development of viable training systems and the creation of
curriculum and other support materials for use by trainers, teachers and
children
2.0 Factors That Have
Contributed To the Expansion of Early Childhood Education in Kenya
There are various
factors that have necessitated to the expansion of early childhood education in
Kenya. Some of these factors include government policies, changing roles of men
and women in the growing economy and lastly but not least the provision of
learning environment. This paper tends to find out in detail how these factors
have necessitated the expansion of ECD.
In Kenya, ECD is under
the responsibility of the Ministry of Education Science and Technology (MOEST).
Of concern here is that the current Education Act does not even include ECD in
its legal provisions. The existing situation in Kenya is that the Partnership
Policy provides the only policy framework that directs the MOEST’s provision
for the development of ECD. This policy is the, first on ECD and was stipulated
in the Sectional Paper No. 6 of 1988 and the National Development Plan of
1989/1993. The Children’s Act of 2001 safeguards the rights and welfare of
children from early childhood to adolescence (UNESCO, 2005).
In a letter submitted to
International Development Association (IDA) by the Government of Kenya in 1996
on Sub-Sector Policy outlining policies that will be implemented as a result of
a proposed Early Childhood Development Project, it proposed that budgetary
allocation for ECD in the Ministry of Education budget would be increased to at
least 1% of the recurrent MOE budget at the expiry of the IDA Credit
(Http://Siteresources.Worldbank.Org).
One of the important
events was the move in 1983 to decentralize government under the District Focus
Strategy for Rural Development. The focus of development was shifted to the
district level. The result of this shift is that district and local governments
have taken on the main responsibility for ongoing support of preschool
education. The MOE is currently involved in the formulation of policy
guidelines for early childhood programmes, registration of preschools,
coordination of government grants and funds from external donors and the
provision of early childhood personnel at all levels.
When the Preschool
Education Project was evaluated in 1982, it was recommended that the activities
of the project be continued. This was done through the creation of a National
Centre for Early Childhood Education (NACECE), established in 1984 to harmonize
the growth, evaluation and oversight of early childhood education. It was later
followed by implementation of District Centers for Early Childhood Education
(DICECE) in 1985, to facilitate decentralization of ECCE support (Ibid).
The administrative and organizational
structure of early childhood care and education is recognized in the Gachathi and Kamunge educational
commissions from 1976 and 1988 respectively. These commissions played key roles
in creating greater recognition of preschool activities within the MOE.
Thus the government
through its policies has done a lot to expand Early Childhood Education. From
the point where ECD was not included in the country’s budget to the point where
some funds are set aside for the expansion of this education.
2.2 Changing Roles of
Men and Women in the Society
As the world keeps
revolving so do people and their cultures keep changing. In the world that we
are living in at the moment many things have changed from the dressing code,
gender equalities, job specification and many more. All these have led also to
the emerging issues of women employment. This employment affects the children
because in the African community women are taken to hold the main
responsibility of taking care of the children when the husband is out to work..
It has been reported
(Kola, 2001) that regional disparities have significant role in facilitating
access to early childhood care and education, where enrollment levels in rural
areas are low in comparison to those in the urban areas. This is due to the development
of the roles of women in urban areas. Most of the women in urban areas go to
work so that they can be able to provide more for their families and at the
same time keep up with own needs. This leaves no option but just to take the
young ones to these ECD programmes so that they can have a humble time at work
without having worries about the well-being of their children.
Kenya’s early childhood
programme has grown because it is rooted in the community. Through workshops and
seminars organized by the DICECE. Parents and community members have been
encouraged and empowered to increase their participation beyond provision of
physical facilities. They provide the feeding programme and take part in
collecting, telling and demonstrating stories, songs and dances in the mother
tongue. The incorporation of tradition and folklore into the curriculum make
the community feel proud of their contribution to the learning process and
development of their children. The lesson from Kenya is that the community is a
very important resource for the development of the ECCE programme and must
continue to be tapped and appreciated. A larger portion of the costs of the
preschools development are borne by the communities and external donors. For example
in 1992, the expenditure on ECCE activities was extremely low. Myers argues
that if it were increased to even 1% of the budget, this allocation could
provide more comprehensive and higher quality services (Myers, 1992:23).
The ECD center provides
a conducive learning environment for the
young children age 3-5 years. According to a research carried out by the World
Bank in 1989 gives evidence that the Childs fastest growth in physical, mental
and social emotional characteristics takes place during the age of 0-5 years.
In these centers the
children are looked after by well qualified personnel. The teachers who look
after these children have undergone lessons of psychology and sociology of the
early childhood. They are able to identify some of the behavior the children
may tend to have thus knowing the good way of handling them without interfering
with their attitude. This kind of training held by these teachers motivates
most parents to take their kids there, thus increasing the number of young
children enrollment in these centers. This is for the reason that most parents
would like their children to get the best of foundational classes to help them
their future life (UNESCO, 2000).
In conclusion, all the
members in the society have a big role in the early childhood education.
Starting from the parent back at home to the law making body all need to work
hand in hand together in bringing up this young children in a good moral and
organized manner. More policies should be created in favor of ECD and also
funds to be allocated to these centers providing ECD so as to improve the
facilities that are available with the modern technology and
requirements.
References
Kipkorir, L.I., and Njenga,
A.W. (1993). A Case Study of
early Childhood
Care and Education in
Kenya. Paper prepared
for the EFA Forum 1993, New Delhi, 9-10 September
1993. Available online: http://www.ecdgroup.com/download/
Myers, R.G.,
(1992). Towards an Analysis of the Costs and Effectiveness
of Community-based Early Childhood Education
in Kenya: The Kilifi District. Report prepared for the Aga Khan Foundation
NAEYC (2007). The National Association for the
Education of Young
Children.Available Online: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
UNESCO (2000). Framework for Action on Values of
Education in Early
Childhood. ECF Values, Early
Education and Family Education Unit, UNESCO.
UNESCO (2005). Policy Review Report: Early Childhood
Care and
Education in Kenya. Early Childhood and
Family Policy. Series N0. 11, 2005. Available Online:
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001390/139026e.pdf
Suggested Citation in
APA
Wanjohi, A.M.
(2011). Factors Contributing to the Expansion of
Early Childhood Education in Kenya. KENPRO Publications. Available
online at http://www.kenpro.org/papers/early-childhood-education-expansion-kenya.htm
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