In dedication to my beautiful friends who have the heart and patience to dedicate their lives to studying and working in the field of education, I salute you.
In today’s Institutional Strengthening course, we explored the challenges facing the education system in Kenya, reviewed suggested solutions, and devised possible remedies.
Kenya is an interesting case. In 2003, the government passed a policy allowing free primary education (FPE). We take this for granted in the States, but in many parts of the world what we call elementary school requires tuition. When the Kenyan government opened up schools to all children, they were applauded. YES! Everyone is in school this looks great for the Millennium Development Goals and development stats and oh my goodness they are cramming 120 kids into one classroom and the teacher to student ratio is 1/60.
Some problems arose. Our first task was to list them out:
I think it is most important to note that creating access to education is not enough, the Kenyan government needs to provide a return on students’ investment of their time, money, and dedication to their schooling. There was a total lack of foresight.
Our professor also connected this issue to culture. She remarked, “Farming is not sexy anymore… Apart from one of the main industries being agriculture in Kenya.”
Have you heard about the student strikes? Not the current ones over loans but the ones that occurred a few years ago? There were all these educated young Kenyans graduating school and being popped in the work force where there were no jobs they wanted or were trained for. There is a total disconnect between the curriculum and job market.
Previously, three approaches have been taken to address this problem:
When asked to provide our own solution, my partner Megan and I devised an Apprenticeship Program that guaranteed that skills training resulted in relevant work. All of the public sector would be required to provide three to six months of unpaid training then three to six months of paid training for participants. At the end of this period, those who completed the program would be guaranteed a contract for at least two years. If private companies abided to this program, they would receive tax breaks.
It is an ambitious plan, we know. Our professor pointed out that we didn’t create a backup mechanism in case a trainee did not work out. I responded to her criticism by saying that those enrolled and willing to learn would not be allowed to fail. They would have a support system and then she was like, “You are asking a lot of the private and public sectors.” And we reminded her that she didn’t preface the exercise with any parameters, so we didn’t adhere to any.
I wish we could start having this discussion with limited resources. These idealist exercises are feeling more appropriate for 100/200 level courses but I’ve been studying this stuff for three years.
Plus I’ve lived some of it. I received my elementary and high school education in a school district that struggled with funding. Or maybe we had enough funding but it was spent in all the wrong places (i.e. a building with technology we didn’t need and the teachers didn’t know how to use). At one point, I wanted to become a school administrator because I felt so passionately about fixing Delaware’s education system. I didn’t want a single other kid to be chewed up and spat out by it like myself and so many of my friends. I was required to learn from some racist, sexist, and elitist teachers and administrators who negatively outweighed the great faculty. I am from an area of inequality for the States and to see my public high school reinforce that disparity was nauseating.
Only in my sophomore year did my high school start building up its vocational capacities, finally accepting that it’s okay that not all students are Division 1 Lacrosse Players who want to go to big name schools in the south. Not to dismiss those kids, they were great and at times I am envious that I wasn’t more like them so I could fit into the mold of who my school was designed for. But I’m me. And I like me. And I also like the kids who wanted technical training instead of college preparation for a future they either didn’t want or didn’t see the point in paying for. Not everyone needs to go to college.
This mess hits close to home. I understand a lot of it from the inside out but there are some challenges here that don’t even cross our minds. For instance, Megan and I wrote a law that outlined the basic infrastructure requirements for school facilities:
If schools don’t meet these requirements, they will be forced to close. School closures due to health hazards will not look good.
But we’re amateurs. The minds behind the three articles we studied recommended more comprehensive measures:
Oof. I literally just summarized my notes from a three hour class. Hopefully, this crash course on Kenya’s education system was somewhat interesting. I get really fired up about education policy, particularly in the vein of resource allocation to the arts and adequate services for students with offbeat learning styles. I am a kinetic and visual learner, so you can imagine how my scores came out on the SATs and DSTPs. My poor parents had to remind teary little me several times that my head wasn’t a balloon.
If as a society we can figure out a way to help kids recognize and value their talents while preparing them for the real world, that’d be good. And if we can instill some love for learning in the students who hardly ever attend class but roll out of bed hungover and nail a 2100 on the SAT, that’d be great. I think I’ve seen Dead Poet’s Society too many times. R.I.P. Robin Williams.
To conclude, here's a picture of me with an award I received from the center I volunteer with in D.C. This award is evidence that my goofiness apparently does translate into a real life skill. I've worked with two middle schoolers (with drastically different learning styles) for two years now and they are one of my favorite parts of my life in the District. I miss them a lot whenever I get all buzzy about education because I know they are working their butts off this moment in preparation to begin the brutal process of high school applications. We don't like the system but we work with it to get places. My first postcards are going to them.
In today’s Institutional Strengthening course, we explored the challenges facing the education system in Kenya, reviewed suggested solutions, and devised possible remedies.
Kenya is an interesting case. In 2003, the government passed a policy allowing free primary education (FPE). We take this for granted in the States, but in many parts of the world what we call elementary school requires tuition. When the Kenyan government opened up schools to all children, they were applauded. YES! Everyone is in school this looks great for the Millennium Development Goals and development stats and oh my goodness they are cramming 120 kids into one classroom and the teacher to student ratio is 1/60.
Some problems arose. Our first task was to list them out:
- Quality decreased when quantity increased
- No good measurements/data on needs of schools
- Language barriers in rural areas for teachers who are instructing and students who are attempting to learn in a second language (either Swahili or English)
- Still fees for food, transportation, uniforms, and supplies
- There is no maximum class size law
- No compulsory attendance law
- Private school advantage
- No motivation for students with learning disabilities or ones who are held back
- Persistent absenteeism
- Zero return rate of primary school
- Lack of appropriate school infrastructure
- Curriculum is colonial
- Health and nutrition (worms, chiggers, access to running water, bathrooms, sinks)
- Distance to secondary schools since they are more spread out than primary
- Lack of incentives for teachers
I think it is most important to note that creating access to education is not enough, the Kenyan government needs to provide a return on students’ investment of their time, money, and dedication to their schooling. There was a total lack of foresight.
Our professor also connected this issue to culture. She remarked, “Farming is not sexy anymore… Apart from one of the main industries being agriculture in Kenya.”
Have you heard about the student strikes? Not the current ones over loans but the ones that occurred a few years ago? There were all these educated young Kenyans graduating school and being popped in the work force where there were no jobs they wanted or were trained for. There is a total disconnect between the curriculum and job market.
Previously, three approaches have been taken to address this problem:
- Skills development as an alternative to secondary education
- Skills are not separated out, instead an introduction to practical, business, and agricultural skills is required by everyone in the general school system (primary and secondary)
- Similar to the above, but the vocational options relate to the informal economy in addition to the formal sector
When asked to provide our own solution, my partner Megan and I devised an Apprenticeship Program that guaranteed that skills training resulted in relevant work. All of the public sector would be required to provide three to six months of unpaid training then three to six months of paid training for participants. At the end of this period, those who completed the program would be guaranteed a contract for at least two years. If private companies abided to this program, they would receive tax breaks.
It is an ambitious plan, we know. Our professor pointed out that we didn’t create a backup mechanism in case a trainee did not work out. I responded to her criticism by saying that those enrolled and willing to learn would not be allowed to fail. They would have a support system and then she was like, “You are asking a lot of the private and public sectors.” And we reminded her that she didn’t preface the exercise with any parameters, so we didn’t adhere to any.
I wish we could start having this discussion with limited resources. These idealist exercises are feeling more appropriate for 100/200 level courses but I’ve been studying this stuff for three years.
Plus I’ve lived some of it. I received my elementary and high school education in a school district that struggled with funding. Or maybe we had enough funding but it was spent in all the wrong places (i.e. a building with technology we didn’t need and the teachers didn’t know how to use). At one point, I wanted to become a school administrator because I felt so passionately about fixing Delaware’s education system. I didn’t want a single other kid to be chewed up and spat out by it like myself and so many of my friends. I was required to learn from some racist, sexist, and elitist teachers and administrators who negatively outweighed the great faculty. I am from an area of inequality for the States and to see my public high school reinforce that disparity was nauseating.
Only in my sophomore year did my high school start building up its vocational capacities, finally accepting that it’s okay that not all students are Division 1 Lacrosse Players who want to go to big name schools in the south. Not to dismiss those kids, they were great and at times I am envious that I wasn’t more like them so I could fit into the mold of who my school was designed for. But I’m me. And I like me. And I also like the kids who wanted technical training instead of college preparation for a future they either didn’t want or didn’t see the point in paying for. Not everyone needs to go to college.
This mess hits close to home. I understand a lot of it from the inside out but there are some challenges here that don’t even cross our minds. For instance, Megan and I wrote a law that outlined the basic infrastructure requirements for school facilities:
- No tin roofs (the rains are so loud during the rainy season that teachers can’t teach under tin)
- 1 toilet per 25 students with designated female and male bathrooms (sorry for the gender binary but girls beginning their menstrual cycle need access to a safe space where they won’t be teased for taking their time when still figuring out how puberty stuff works)
- Working sinks
- 1 chair per student (students in rural areas are getting chiggers and worms from sitting on the floor)
- Accessible paved road to school (allows for public transportation access)
- Windows and doors for safe exit during emergency
- 1 classroom per 30 students
- Optional: solar panels for electricity paired with more government funding
If schools don’t meet these requirements, they will be forced to close. School closures due to health hazards will not look good.
But we’re amateurs. The minds behind the three articles we studied recommended more comprehensive measures:
- Deworming, use government funds to provide vaccinations
- Grants to finance remedial education
- Vouches for vocational education
- Early childhood development
- Teacher incentives
- Information campaigns for parents about school systems
- School-based health initiatives
- School-based food and micronutrient supplementation
- Conditional cash transfers to pay for secondary
- Teacher training paired with higher standards to receive their certificate
- Improve monitoring and evaluation of education institutions
- In the perfect world, more technology to appeal to diverse learning styles
Oof. I literally just summarized my notes from a three hour class. Hopefully, this crash course on Kenya’s education system was somewhat interesting. I get really fired up about education policy, particularly in the vein of resource allocation to the arts and adequate services for students with offbeat learning styles. I am a kinetic and visual learner, so you can imagine how my scores came out on the SATs and DSTPs. My poor parents had to remind teary little me several times that my head wasn’t a balloon.
If as a society we can figure out a way to help kids recognize and value their talents while preparing them for the real world, that’d be good. And if we can instill some love for learning in the students who hardly ever attend class but roll out of bed hungover and nail a 2100 on the SAT, that’d be great. I think I’ve seen Dead Poet’s Society too many times. R.I.P. Robin Williams.
To conclude, here's a picture of me with an award I received from the center I volunteer with in D.C. This award is evidence that my goofiness apparently does translate into a real life skill. I've worked with two middle schoolers (with drastically different learning styles) for two years now and they are one of my favorite parts of my life in the District. I miss them a lot whenever I get all buzzy about education because I know they are working their butts off this moment in preparation to begin the brutal process of high school applications. We don't like the system but we work with it to get places. My first postcards are going to them.