The international community is aware of Kenya’s significant education reforms, which are gaining support for their implementation.
The World Bank has extended a six years intervention that was to end in December 2023 for an additional year. The Kenya Secondary Education Quality Improvement Project (SEQIP) focuses on the most educationally and economically disadvantaged areas as well as the poorest and most vulnerable children.
The Sh20 Billion project aimed to help the country overcome obstacles in accessing education. The Kenya Country Partnership Strategy focuses on enhancing human capital through education and training.
Elijah Mungai, the projects director at the Ministry of Education, emphasized the importance of providing quality secondary education to enhance the skills of the working population.
The Kenyan Constitution mandates the government to offer free, high-quality Basic Education. The government aims to enhance Basic Education for Sustainable Development by fostering critical thinking, communication, problem-solving, digital literacy, and 21st-century competencies among students.
Speaking in her office, SEQIP project coordinator Jane Mbugua said the project is committed to enhancing transition from primary to secondary education along with retaining students in school up to the age of 18.
Word Bank Africa’s development strategy aims to accelerate the demographic transition and maximize the demographic dividend by enabling more girls in impoverished regions to attend secondary school.
The project addresses challenges such as high school dropout rates in grade seven and eight, low enrollment, particularly among girls, and low transition from primary to secondary school. Ms Mbugua stated that the organization is enhancing the quality and relevance of education in 135 sub-counties in vulnerable and marginalized areas.
The Kenya Vision 2030 envisages a reduction of Illiteracy, increased individual well-being brought about by an education, training, and research that is inclusive and of high quality. The SEQIP project is in line with the World Bank’s global objectives of reducing extreme poverty and promoting sustainable shared prosperity.
The National Education Sector Plan 2018 prioritizes Quality Basic Education as the primary sustainable goal, requiring governments to ensure inclusive and equitable education and lifelong learning opportunities.
By Joseph Kamolo Mutua