EDUCATION

EDUCATION

The Government of Kenya has allocated significant budget to education in order to implement reforms such as the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) and effect a 100 percent transition from primary to secondary school. However, issues such as poor-quality teaching and large class sizes still affect the quality of children's learning. The pupil-to-teacher ratio remains very high in some counties.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, nationwide enrolment in primary education stood at 93 per cent. However, at secondary level this number dropped to only 53 per cent. Kenya has made some gains in reaching remote areas and disadvantaged communities at primary and pre-primary level. However, in some pastoral communities, high dropout rates reflect a perceived lack of value of schooling, long distances to schools, high rates of child marriage and the inability to afford the requisite school uniforms and supplies.

The move towards a competency-base curriculum is a significant and positive step. Core competencies to be developed through the CBC are communication and collaboration; critical thinking and problem solving; creativity and imagination; citizenship; self-efficacy; digital literacy; and learning to learn. The CBC will make learning meaningful and provide opportunities to apply the competencies to real life situations, while also empowering them with skills for lifelong learning.

The Naserian Foundation works closely with the Kenyan Government, the community and civil society to help increase enrolment, retention and learning outcomes for girls and boys in pre-primary, primary and secondary education. It looks to strengthen existing capacity while providing resources and facilitating innovative practices to increase the efficacy of teaching techniques and to further expose the learner to contemporary real-world practices. Its entrepreneurial foundations, along with deep innovation and media roots of its partner, make it particularly well suited to address the requirements of the CBC.