Report reveals worrying state of education in Nairobi

Usawa executive director Emmanuel Manyasa. [File, Standard]

Poor school infrastructure, lack of extra-curricular activities and distance of schools from residential areas are among the causes of high dropout of learners in Nairobi.

The Foundation Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (FLANA) report, launched by Usawa Agenda in collaboration with Youth Initiative Kenya (Yike), titled “Are our children learning?” highlights disparities in enrollment, absenteeism, and the quality of education, particularly among vulnerable groups.

The findings in the report indicate that despite a national enrollment rate of 91 per cent, Nairobi lags slightly behind at 89.4 per cent with more girls enrolling compared to boys.

However, the city faces a high dropout rate, particularly among children with disabilities, at 7.1 per cent.

Additionally, a significant number of children in Nairobi are out of school, with 4.3 per cent never enrolling and 6.3 per cent dropping out after enrolling.

This out-of-school rate is higher than the national average, with 11.44 per cent of school-aged boys and 10 per cent of girls in Nairobi not attending school.

Absenteeism also presents a major challenge among girls and is notably high compared to boys.

"School heads identified lack of community support in assisting pregnant teenagers to continue with their education," reads the report.

High out-of-school rate has also been blamed on inadequate school infrastructure, such as lack of libraries and proper classrooms.

"Over half of the schools in Nairobi lack a library, and many students are forced to learn in open spaces due to insufficient infrastructure," reads the findings.

The report revealed that children with disabilities in Nairobi are more likely to have a lower level of educational attainment and are more likely to drop out once enrolled in higher education.

Accessibility of special education centers is a major factor causing primary school dropout from special education centers.

Moreover, the report highlights the under representation of women in school leadership positions, particularly in holding positions as head teachers or chairs of Boards of Management (BOM).
This gender disparity in leadership is one of the factors contributing to the broader inequities in the education system.

Slightly fewer parents and educators expressed dissatisfaction with the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) associating it with high cost of learning materials.

The study also revealed that almost half of Grade Six pupils were unable to read and comprehend a Grade Three-level English story.

"A significant number of children leaving primary school in Nairobi did not have basic English literacy skills," reads the report.

Usawa Agenda’s CEO Emmanuel Manyasa, emphasized the need for systemic reforms to address these inequities and ensure every child's right to education.

"Education stakeholders must collaborate and innovate to overcome challenges and drive meaningful change in the sector," Dr Manyasa said.

He said the report serves as a call to action to the pressing issues.

"The report gives a realistic outlook of the status of schooling and learning in Nairobi region on the accessibility of learners to read and comprehend basic numeracy tasks set at grade 3 level,” he said.