Education Can Be Affordable

[Omollo]

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There are measures which GoK can take to reduce the cost of education. I have previously opposed the high pay demands by teachers and instead suggested that some of the money they are demanding for themselves be used to reduce the class sizes and put up facilities that would ease their work.

However that is not all. The government should aim at ending the Boarding School and promoting days schools. As an interim measure National schools could be allowed to keep their hostels but with a clear sunset provision not going beyond 15 years ahead. During that time, Education should have been devolved. The Ministry of Education (MoE) would largely be responsible for quality assurance and by that ensure equity in infrastructure and learning.

There are reasons why I look at boarding as very expensive and dangerous luxury. For starters Boarding is responsible for more than 75% of the fees and subsidies payable.  Most of that money is squandered by corrupt principals and very few of the kids actually benefit from it. GoK allowed schools to buy grain directly and cheaply from National Cereals Board warehouses. Few took up the offer and when they did, used the opportunity to make profit by selling the same to merchants. Boarding as an institution cannot be repaired.

A guy like Pundit. The daughter is now about 5 soon to go to school at 6 (legally). If Pundit is still human, he will take her to a day school and collect her daily. At 13 to 14 she will have passed her exams and Pundit will dispatch her to Boarding School. That will actually be the end of Father-Daughter relationship only that both will pretend it isn't. Henceforth Pundit's daughter will stay at school 9 1/2  months out of 12. Of the two and half months remaining, the school will take it all back in "tuition" except two weeks when the girl comes home to pick her cheque. That is grossly unfair to parents and kids.

[RV Pundit]

Indeed. If we ensure we have quality day schools all over..there will be no need for boarding. Ultimately we must aim for compeltey free education....from class 1 to university. I think it can be done..if for instance...we made all day gov schools free.

[Real P]

Well said Omollo. Class sizes result in considerable gains in pupil achievement which endure to graduation and beyond.  Because brain growth occurs at a much faster rate early in life, investing in small class sizes in Primary school has shown the greatest benefits for kids (best example is Private schools). These benefits are not only in terms of academic benefits measured on achievement tests. But they also include social benefits including better communication skills, better social skills and a better way to muddle through to overcome challenges and problems as well as improved self esteem. However, smaller classes sizes have also been shown to benefit high school students by increasing both test scores and reducing dropout rates. 

[Ka-Bella]

The "extracurricular" tuition on weekends and holidays, especially for non-candidates (Std 8/Form 4) should go as well. Scandinavians, it is said, have the best education system and they make sure to give their children adequate time to grow up (I think they start at age 7 or something like that), to play, and to rest. Here, these days, Pre-unit and Std 1 children have extra tuition after school (which ends at 4 even for them, can you believe it?) till around 5 or 6 pm, depending, and on Saturdays. What would a 6 year old possibly need all that tuition for?

[Omollo]

There is no benefit whatever in the so called "Tuition". It is punitive and a waste of money for parents but extremely beneficial for teachers and the school administration.

The sad thing is that they have convinced parents that this thing is very important and many sell their land to finance the scam. In my time I did attend one or two and soon found that it was an opportunity for randy teachers to date school girls and there was no learning. Instead I chose to work for my parents during the holidays for a wage. Needless to say I topped the class putting the whole tuition thing to nonsense.

The "extracurricular" tuition on weekends and holidays, especially for non-candidates (Std 8/Form 4) should go as well. Scandinavians, it is said, have the best education system and they make sure to give their children adequate time to grow up (I think they start at age 7 or something like that), to play, and to rest. Here, these days, Pre-unit and Std 1 children have extra tuition after school (which ends at 4 even for them, can you believe it?) till around 5 or 6 pm, depending, and on Saturdays. What would a 6 year old possibly need all that tuition for?

[Omollo]

There is now enough money in the sector to make it totally free. It is now being wasted on duplication and corruption.

We are not going to make any progress while a lot of resources are wasted on boarding. Let me make it clear that I am not against Boarding. It should however be a choice which must not cause the taxpayer any extra expenses.If boarding schools serve a special purpose like reducing tribalism (no study done to back this pedestrian claim) then it is possible to do this at university.

I agreed with you along time ago on devolving education.

There is a way in which the whole idea of fees can be streamlined and made cheaper for parents.

• Devolve Education
• The County Government pays for everything
• Parents pay a tax directly to the County from which the county finances a percentage of the costs
• TSC is devolved in a way that it loans the power to hire teachers to the Counties
• Counties negotiate affordable salaries with teachers based on local conditions
• Parents who are unable to pay should file tax returns and qualify for bursaries for their kids

Indeed. If we ensure we have quality day schools all over..there will be no need for boarding. Ultimately we must aim for completely free education....from class 1 to university. I think it can be done..if for instance...we made all day gov schools free.

[mya88]

The "extracurricular" tuition on weekends and holidays, especially for non-candidates (Std 8/Form 4) should go as well. Scandinavians, it is said, have the best education system and they make sure to give their children adequate time to grow up (I think they start at age 7 or something like that), to play, and to rest. Here, these days, Pre-unit and Std 1 children have extra tuition after school (which ends at 4 even for them, can you believe it?) till around 5 or 6 pm, depending, and on Saturdays. What would a 6 year old possibly need all that tuition for?

[Kim Jong-Un's Pajama Pants]

I know this is about affordability.  But another thing that I think messes up education in Kenya, from the get go.  It's the cut throat competition.  The separation of "idiots" and "smart ones". 

From an early age, I already "knew" there was "something wrong" with kids who had trouble with class work.  There was simply no fun in learning.  You did stuff to prepare for tests.  To avoid that mkia and stigma that comes with it.

At the end of schooling, for the most part, the only people left standing are the ones who fared well academically.  The rest having internalized their status as failures.

[gout]

despite our hatred for matatu sector and likes of safaricom/equity ..I think these are the models which we need to keep referring to when trying to solve Kenyan problems...

matatus are one of the most reliable sector we have serving millions day in day out without albeit some queries of quality of service

safaricom/equity have shown there is no limit to innovations which are scaleable to serve millions


alll these are private sector initiatives which are affordable where govt tried and failed miserably ... for me even in education/health the private sector holds the key ..... instead of harassing likes of Aviation college we need to build their capacity and even offer support say every private education and even health institution serving over 100 will have one employee paid for by govt  .... it is a good start that HELB is supporting private university students though the deficit is becoming bigger ...maybe CDF, youth, women fund,  can be more meaningfu at HELB

In nearly all urban slums -umoja, kayole, githurai, Kondele, Makongenis - all over Kenya there is hardly any public space to build schools/health facilities to cater for thousand kids.... maybe this is the main reason why most pundits have no option but to take their kids to murang'a and nyeri where there are schools are vacant ... in fact it could be time the public primary schools in rural areas are turned into boarding schools to cater for urban population given the observed trends with rural population in Central Kenya which has bulk of quality primary schools with teachers and infrastructure serving very few kids

[Omollo]

There is nothing stopping the State from acquiring land in any part of the county to build schools. The law allows the government to acquire any land for such purposes.

You have not stated why you think boarding schools should continue. I am shocked that you suggest that primary schools be turned in to boarding schools. Boarding schools may well be responsible for the creation of youthful criminals and others with extreme anti social behavior in society. Children have to be brought up by their parents and guardians in a loving environment even as they pursue formal education. If you are advocating for boarding schools because there is a shortage, I would rather you sought to address the shortage by appealing for more days schools in Nairobi and other areas with such a shortage.

If there are vacancies in Central then the chance to concentrate on quality has presented itself. Instead of crying that there are "too few" students, we should celebrate that we have smaller and manageable classes - something that will allow teacher and pupil greater opportunities to teach and learn. Right now a class size in Kenya stands at 40 students (secondary) and I think 30 (Primary). Nowhere is this upheld. There are as many as 70 kids in one classroom meant for 30. Needless to say there can be no learning. No teacher would give homework and if he does, will be unable to mark and provide guidance to individual pupils.

On Jua Kali and Matatu: Nobody listened to Dr. Sally Kosgei when she warned against the destruction of middle level colleges in the rush to create universities. Her warning fell on deaf ears. The strength of this country lies in investing more in polytechnics and technical schools. That is because the labour most needed comes from those institutions.

The reason I keep asking that Ethiopians be allowed to enter and work in Kenya rather than Ugandans and Rwandese, is that Ethiopia and Tanzania invested heavily in middle and low level institutions and have some of the best skilled labour on the continent. Allow 200k Ethiopian artisans to enter and you will cut down on the cost of labor in the construction industry. Needless to say they will also kick our lazy asses in to action. Perhaps then we can build more schools.

Incidentally, why has no institution offered Manamba studies? We tell them how we want them to behave, but offer no education. I would like to see somebody offering Manamba / Conductor Studies at Certificate and Diploma level. I can help draw the curriculum.

despite our hatred for matatu sector and likes of safaricom/equity ..I think these are the models which we need to keep referring to when trying to solve Kenyan problems...

matatus are one of the most reliable sector we have serving millions day in day out without albeit some queries of quality of service

safaricom/equity have shown there is no limit to innovations which are scaleable to serve millions


alll these are private sector initiatives which are affordable where govt tried and failed miserably ... for me even in education/health the private sector holds the key ..... instead of harassing likes of Aviation college we need to build their capacity and even offer support say every private education and even health institution serving over 100 will have one employee paid for by govt  .... it is a good start that HELB is supporting private university students though the deficit is becoming bigger ...maybe CDF, youth, women fund,  can be more meaningfu at HELB

In nearly all urban slums -umoja, kayole, githurai, Kondele, Makongenis - all over Kenya there is hardly any public space to build schools/health facilities to cater for thousand kids.... maybe this is the main reason why most pundits have no option but to take their kids to murang'a and nyeri where there are schools are vacant ... in fact it could be time the public primary schools in rural areas are turned into boarding schools to cater for urban population given the observed trends with rural population in Central Kenya which has bulk of quality primary schools with teachers and infrastructure serving very few kids

[RV Pundit]

I agree with Omollo. You want to formalize Matatu and other informal sectors..not to encourage informalisation. I think education is too important to be left to private sector. This is an equalizer that every child deserves...whether born poor or rich. If we cannot offer poor kids that opportunity...to read in a quality gov sponsored school..then we have failed completely.

We need FREE AND COMPULSORY SCHOOLING. Education is a key factor in nearly every sphere of  our later lives.

[Mr Mansfield.]

People in gov know all these things what lacks is the genuine will to implement them,

Without Prejudice.