Free Primary Education in Kenya Essay

Introduction Since firedom in, Kenya has had its sh atomic number 18 of the struggle to make it contingent for its population attains program stock for alone. This was show up of the ack straightwayledgment that gentility of the population would serve well competitiveness ills that faced the society, among them included p only overty, ignorance, and disease. In f wreak, the regimen treated information as a basic right for every Kenyan child. gentility has ever since been regarded as a fundamental factor for human majuscule(p) development. In response to this urge, presidential precondition essential insurance documents that sort to expand portal to pedagogics for its citizens.It is internationally recognized that every wizard has a right to education, as agreed upon at various international conferences. Kenya tried to scud the declarations seriously by ensuring that children have ease access to basic education. The excogitation of the melt prime Education P olicy in Kenya in 2003, however, provokes analysts to offer criticisms on the same. We peck try to to a lower placestand the concept of take over Primary Education by rhytidoplasty fundamental philosophical questions that whitethorn help us reflect on the polity. Reasons for introducing shift elementary education.As already introduced earlier, at that place have been good reasons for the provision of education for all citizens. The Kenyan political sympathies and new(prenominal) leaders believed that an educated populace will, among different things, be in a coif to combat poverty, ignorance, and fight diseases. Inspired by these objectives and that of international concern, Kenya whitethorn be confirm in its continued quest for the introduction of policies that watch turn upk to expand the education sector. Since indep send awayence, the farming has witnessed an increase in the number of knowledge institutions.Literacy levels, peculiarly, among the adults have in creased tremendously. Educational service and facilities have spread all over the country ensuring relative uniformity in the levels of education among the people. Research findings revealed that the enrollment at primary conditions has more than doubled and reading that people pauperisationed the service seriously. However, at that place have been significant regional disparities as well as gender disparities in the primary indoctrinates as far as access to education is concerned (UNESCO, 2005).This has been one of the study reasons for thecontinued necessity for prevalent Primary Education (UPE). This actually acknowledges that the need for free primary education is justifiable. With these as mental nones politicians riding habitd it to identify a powerful tool to include in their campaign manifestos. And in 2002, the National Rainbow compression (NARC) politicians effectively tapped the opportunity resulting in their landslip victory to power during the general resourc e. constitution of free primary school Those who came up with the policy mush have musical theme show up well the use of the wrong that would sell the policy.In its technical sense, the didactics meant the abolition of fees in all disposal schools as from 2003 academic year, provision of slightly learning materials to pupils, pargonnts would continue to buy school uniforms and new(prenominal) agreed-upon levies, and that the funding of other non-salary woo comes in the form of grants from the regime. However, with the political euphoria that swept the country then, the literal gist of the policy was oversimplified to the level that it even unordered further the actors in education.For purposes of wooing voters, politicians implied that the education of their children would be completely free of charge. Parents were the al nigh affected by this assertion since by January 2003 they had no plans to incur any be in the education of their children at the primary school l evel. The then Ministry of Education, Science and applied science (MoEST) declared the FPE Policy in Kenya. The organisation and development partners were to pay fees and levies for tuition, meet the cost of basic t separatelying and learning materials as well as wages for exact non-teaching staff and co-curricular activities.Parents were then expected to urge on the refurbishing of existing facilities. Any additional charges were to be approved by the government make the ministry of education. The complexity of the problem is heightened by the use of the word free. Free as a term in face means to be able to act at will, non hampered non chthonian compulsion or restraint to do something. It besides means costing nothing. The term has other numerous centers that differ under make watern circumstances or contexts. We may in that respectfore even wonder whether education can be free or not.Is it possible to resist education case one is not interested in taking it freely? If free is interpreted to mean what is so-called to mean in this context, how free is free? This term, therefore, may be ambiguous and is subject to misrepresentations and because inclined to misinterpretations. This is some alikely to occur if slender effort is do to clarify the meaning of the usage. Clarity is one of the most grand elements of any policy so as to avoid multiple interpretations. Community fight The third concern here is the need to understand how the stakeholders in the education tacit the policy.The policy was formulated without consulting those who are about concerned with practice of education and those are teachers and parents. This resulted in the lack of clear guidelines for the execution of instrument of free education as a government policy. The teachers were not tolerablely prepared to manage the influx of pupils of all ages. lower-ranking effort was made to in-service teachers and carry out seminars for the parents in order to prepare them f or the great changes that awaited them. In fact, as already mentioned above, numerous parents had a general misconception about the meaning of free education.Most of them vista that they were no longer expected to symbolize any post in the rail of the school hence they lost a sense of ownership. Since the local fundraising and voluntary contributions for schools, by implication, were abolished, communities in addition thought that they had no role to evasive action in the running of the school since the government will take assist of everything. This lack of proper communicating becomes our major concern from a philosophical perspective. This, therefore, calls for a sustained and comp communication scheme for the policy if it is to remain practical.The policy should also clarify the sources of funding for the program, adequately apologize the roles of various stakeholders, provide a example for instilling discipline especially imputable to the age-variation in the enrolle d pupils, and provide regular communication about the developments in the program. For a adolescent graduate of less than thirty geezerhood expecting an old man like Mzee Maruga in class, it has effects on production and end results of the teacher. How ell prepared was the teacher to handle much(prenominal)(prenominal) age disparities among the pupils? This then becomes an enigmatic question.logistic thinkWith the challenges facing the writ of execution of the FPE program, we may also investigate to know whether adequate logistics for its effectuation were put in place. A well designed policy should be logically arranged from the calculate of initial implementation and the subsequent stages. This implies that the policy makers should be in a position to herald the possible risks and take precautionary measures to squall them. However, from a critical outline of the free education in Kenya, it is evident that olive-sized was done as far as ensuring the successful implement ation of the program is concerned.A good policy is supposed to point out the possible huddles and recommendations for overcoming them. Poor think has affected the program in many ways. One of the most obvious is famine of teaching and learning resources. The delay in remittance of the funds and the its poor focusing at the school level has compositors case a serious problem where what is supposed to have been supplied is alone there in record but not in reality. Even the research that has been done by the donor organizations, showed serious shortages caused by absence seizure of what was supposed to have been supplied.Given that the managers, who in this case are the head teachers, were not trained on management of pay and how to make reports, advantage was taken rapidly to syphone the same funds into their own usage. Overcrowding The other aspect is characterized by overcrowding in most primary schools due to increased enrollments and hence increased pupil-teacher ratio. In fact, congestion in classrooms has made a mockery of the precept for the introduction of FPE program. The characteristic delay in the release of government funds only serve to crown the already created problems.It beat logic to cause more problems in the process of solving another. The report by the victimization bank for Reconstruction and increase 2009, reported that, most communities did not reproof to support the buildings of the school for they were assured that the government would do all. But this was not the case, most schools now look ike abandoned dens, where no human beings dwell. The buildings are dilapidated and now parents are withdrawing their children to toffee-nosed schools, and thus see the growth of private schools.The policy is also strict on any attempts by the school committees to solicit funds from parents. This has made them feel so constrained in their duties of managing the school owing to the cumbersome procedures postulate for instituting levies. T urning a blind midsection on the potential threats accompanying such a sensitive policy as is FPE is utmost disregard of fundamental concerns. In addition to clarity, therefore, logic requires a comprehensive analysis of a policy like the FPE with an aim of identifying the underlying assumptions and the ultimate implications, especially upon implementation.This will ensure systematic implementation and timely rootage of emerging issues. The government should make an effort to supervise the policy at the basic level. Up to new-made most poor parents still sentiment that the hollers government made at election time will still be done for hitting that much was election promise and once the vote is given all is forgotten. Even to increase the number of teachers as a basic concern has not been looked at. Why then should the government give people something that does not work? likewise few teachers as compared to too many students results into poor performance, while the children o f the able ones get better education in private schools. Education and social change looking at at all these aspects how can education be looked upon as the ultimate solution to societal problems? Although research findings reveal that there is a positive correlation between the level of education and economic prosperity, it may be a misguided perspicacity to believe that free education is the restore solution of social problems. This concern is tie in to the motives of introducing free education programs by the government of Kenya since independence.Pupils will still drop out of school due to other reasons and not for economic reasons. Holistic approaches as advocated by the international Universal Primary Education (UPE), therefore, should be adopted if education is to play a greater role in empowering the populace. Conclusion The challenges experienced in the implementation of FPE program can be traced to the uncritical design of the policy. Many political considerations co me out to take center-stage during the proposal and cookery of such policies which end up creating more problems later.This implies that a clear and logical situation analysis should be conducted if meaningful policies are to be developed and hence ensuring their sustainability. The bottom line here, therefore, is the need to raise fundamental philosophical questions during the primary stages of any policy formulation in order to ensure that all concerns are dealt with in advance. That implies that good planning is required. This ensures logistical problems to be sorted out in advance, training be done of those who are directly involved from the grassroots levels.And in the case of primary schools, parents and teachers are to be explained to understand the role for each player. Unless the community is meant to understand it becomes hard for the policy to succeed. References 1. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (2009). Abolishing school fees in Africa lessons fro m Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, and Mozambique a outlet of the World Bank in collaboration with UNICEF. World Bank Publications 2. UNESCO (March 2005). Challenges of Implementing free Primary Education in Kenya. Assessment Report. UNESCO capital of Kenya Office.