Education Of Children

In Kenya, there are three different levels of education; primary level education which is similar to elementary school in the US; secondary school which is similar to high school and university level schooling.

Primary School Education:

Under President Mwai Kibaki’s current government, all primary school children are entitled to free education. Indeed, their campaign slogan, “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance”, highly popularized the government’s free primary education program (FPE) policy. Primary school education after all, is free…but is it really? We feel, that despite many improvements shown by the new government, sadly, the word “free” in this context still remains subjective. While official school fees are free, the cost of education in and of itself is not. Most schools have historically imposed levies that ultimately amount to more than the cost of regular fees. The fees charged are labeled various names such as construction fees, chalk fees, activity fees etc. and children, regardless of background, are subject to expulsion from school, if unable to pay.

What does primary school education cost? Though the cost obviously varies by grade and location, the general cost of one year of primary school is about Ksh 36,600 ($500 USD), per pupil. This cost covers workbooks, textbooks, activities and school uniforms.