A survey by Usawa Agenda has highlighted on critical factors influencing students’ academic performance beyond their Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) scores.
The survey points out impact of a student’s secondary school category on their educational journey and subsequent Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) grades.
According to the findings, disparities in resource allocation among different school categories significantly affect students’ opportunities for success.
National schools, deemed more privileged, enjoy better staffing and funding compared to sub-county schools, resulting in varying levels of academic outcomes.
Financial barriers also emerge as a major hurdle for many families, with school fees and the cost of uniforms posing significant challenges.
Usawa Agenda Report Findings
The survey released on Wednesday, April 24 at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development – KICD revealed that a substantial percentage of schools impose uniform costs exceeding Ksh5,000, causing financial strain on parents, particularly in lower-tier schools.
Infrastructure deficiencies further compound disparities, particularly in laboratory facilities.
While national schools boast well-equipped laboratories, sub-county schools often lack adequate resources, hindering students’ practical learning experiences in subjects like biology, physics, and chemistry.
“On average, only 20 percent of sub-county schools are equipped with biology, physics and chemistry laboratories compared to 90 percent of national schools,” reads the report by Usawa Agenda in part.
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Issues of Gender Bias
Gender disparities persist within school leadership, with women underrepresented in principal positions and chairs of Boards of Management despite comprising a significant proportion of teachers.
“While women are 41.8 percent of the teachers, they make up only 33 percent of the principals and 15.7 percent of the Boards of Management (BOM) Chairs,” reads Usawa Agenda report.
This imbalance according to Usawa Agenda Report, points out to a broader gender bias within the education system.
Moreover, absenteeism among students is influenced by socioeconomic factors, with financial constraints leading to students being sent home for unpaid school fees.
“Percentage of learners absent on the day of the survey by school category students’ absenteeism declines as we go up the ladder of public-school categorisation,”
“23.9 percent of students in sub-county schools were absent from school on the day of the Survey compared to 3.9 percent of students in national schools,” stated the report.
Private schools had a higher absenteeism rate (20.7 percent) than all cadres of public schools except for the sub-county and special schools.
Health-related absenteeism also poses challenges, making healthcare issues to affect students’ access to education.
“Special schools had the highest absenteeism rate at 52.2 percent against the national average of 17.9 percent,” said report.
Need for Policy Reforms to Adress Inequalities
Dr. Emmanuel Manyasa, the Executive Director of Usawa Agenda, stressed the urgent need for systemic reforms to address these entrenched inequalities.
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“We call for alignment of educational policies with the principles of SDG 4 to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education for all,” he said.
According to the survey, the highest ranked schools in Kenya, national schools, enjoy great privilege compared to the lowest ranked ones subcounty schools both in staffing and funding.
Consequently, this disproportionate resource allocation based on the category of school one attends according to Usawa Agenda report therefore impacts their performance in KCSE examinations more than their secondary school entry marks.
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