MAJOR FORCES THAT HAVE DETERMINED THE DIRECTION OF THE CHANGES IN THE EDUCATION SECTOR

A foundation has been laid down for the development of sustainable education worldwide. There

has been specialize in literacy and skills therefore enabling the expansion and development of

the education sector in Kenya and therefore the world at large.

Over the years Kenya has noted plenty of changes that have helped improve the education

system considerably within the last decade. I’ll begin with a significant ground changer that was

the introduction of free primary education.

1. Introduction of Free Primary Education

Unfavorable political and economic conditions in Africa throughout the 1990s hindered the

expansion of the basic education that was undergoing numerous reforms.

As noted, throughout the 1990s basic education went through numerous reforms however the

unconducive political and economic conditions at the time were unable to support its growth.

Having to rely on restricted resources and donor funding, the government experienced

difficulties maintaining academic standards. Afterward the standard of education deteriorated

and there was a rise within the numbers of school-age kids who weren't receiving formal

education. Figures as an example show that huge school dropouts were recorded which out of

about one million students who registered in standard one in 1993 and in 1998, but half a million

got to standard eight (Oketch and Rolleston, 2007; Onyango, 2003).

When a brand new government was fashioned in 2003, one among the priorities was to re-avail

academic opportunities so as to fulfill UPE the second of the eight MDGs. whereas this was a

move within the right direction for economic development, providing UPE wasn't while not its

challenges:

When free primary education (FPE) was introduced, the enrollment considerably rose from 5.9

to 7.2 million. However, most schools weren't equipped to handle the big numbers of students in

terms of the quantity of teachers, physical room area, and learning resources (Mukudi, 2004). In

some schools, some classes currently have as many as 80-100 students and this has led to a

dramatic increase within the range of in private owned and operated schools that focus on

families who will afford to pay school fees.

Despite a large portion the budget being allotted to the education sector, the government still

depends on donor-funding.

There are several cultural demands and practices that influence full participation in each the

domestic and school surroundings, as several kids also are liable for domestic chores. Though

the initial enrollments have been higher within the last 5 years, there's still the danger of dropout

rates not being absolutely in restraint (Oketch and Rolleston, 2007). One positive outcome of

FPE, however, has been the numerous increases within the range of women in class.

Maintaining the standard of education may be a challenge that the government continues to deal

with. With giant category sizes and competitive resources, parents with money mean force their

kids out of public schools and registered them privately schools.

Due to the big increase in grammar school enrollment the quantity of scholars seeking secondary

school education has big considerably. In 1963 there have been of 151 secondary faculties and

therefore the total range of scholars listed was thirty a hundred and twenty. Nowadays there are a

unit concerning 3000 secondary schools and therefore the enrollment is concerning 620 000

students. Of these, about 400th are feminine students (UNESCO, 2008). In 2008, President

Kibaki declared that Kenya had introduced a free secondary schooling education program that

targeted raising student enrollment to one.4 million by the top of the year. The theme projected

to pay tuition fees for students whereas parents would still be needed to fulfill private school

prices and school uniforms. US$41 million was to be free to purchase the primary section of the

program (BBC News, 2008).

2. EXAMINING SOCIAL FACTORS TO EQUALIZE OPPORTUNITIES

Education, Gender, and Health

The government of Kenya acknowledges that provision of universal primary education is a vital

milestone to economic and social development. Above all it's been established that by providing

primary education to ladies, a society is ready to hasten its development. the government has

conjointly increased its fund allocation to education also as introducing a constituency bursary

Fund for economical facilitation of education at the grassroots level (Ministry of Education,

2008). Analysis on financial condition (Mukui, 2005) is being conducted to work out the

progress that has been created in terms of economic development because it relates to education

and different socioeconomic amenities.

Research indicates that educating ladies influences several cognitive content and socioeconomic

indicators together with health care, mortality rate, and reducing population big. Further, public

health studies that link maternal education to health indicate that education is pertinent to

national development, which those inequalities in mortality perhaps associated with the

socioeconomic standing of the population. Additionally, higher levels of education are

reciprocally associated with levels of health and mortality which the variations within the levels

is also part explained by the social and economic policies.

Education and variety

Regional disparities in education area unit closely associated with, and sometimes combined by

different socioeconomic factors. Starting within the colonial amount some teams, particularly the

unsettled and pastoralist teams have traditionally been marginalized, whereas those teams that

had a lot of interaction with the British throughout the colonial reign were exposure to Western- based education and economic systems earlier. Initially, formal education was joined to

Christianity however starting within the 1970s, the government created accommodations for

Muslim students. This was done by acknowledging Madras and spiritual schools, and later

within the 1980s by introducing Hindu and monotheism spiritual Education and categories

within the info (Alwy and Schech, 2004; Buchmann, 2000). The government and numerous

nongovernmental organization area units presently operating to create accommodations for

children from unsettled, pastoralist, and different underrepresented teams by increasing

resources, teachers, and building a lot of boarding faculties for them.

The prevalence of incapacity in Kenya is principally thanks to restricted preventive and

rehabilitation services. The government has taken measures to cater to the standard of education

within the country and therefore the MoEST has adopted AN integration policy that has children

with special desires, each physical and mental to cater for in regular faculties (Ministry of

Education, 2000). Presently, there are a unit 57 primary schools kids with disabilities that recruit

a complete of 8000 children. There are a unit a further 103 integrated units in thought primary

faculties, 3 high schools for college kids with physical disabilities, 2 high schools for students

with hearing disabilities, and one high school for college kids with visual disabilities.

Special education within the country was more self-addressed by the implementation of degree

courses at Kenyatta University’s school of Education. Special desires Education is disseminated

through a centralized info (Ministry of Education, 2008).

The association for Street children (2002) estimates concerning 250 000 street children in Kenya,

with over sixty 000 in Nairobi. Several area unit second or third generation street youngsters

whereas others have a lot of recently been orphan (Ouma, 2004). UNESCO reports that as a

results of the discrimination they suffer, street children and kids orphaned by AIDS area unit a

lot of vulnerable than different children as they struggle to survive daily, swing them at a better

health and social risks. Shetty and Powell (2003) conjointly note that youngsters who have lost

each parent are a lot of possible to drop out of school than those that have lost one parent.

3. ICT within the equalizing method Factors resulting in Underutilization of ICT

Kessy, Kaemba, and Gachoka, (2006) and Ford (2007) discuss many reasons for below use of

ICT in education within the African context. The value of adopting ICT together with deed

hardware and computer code, putting in putting in telecommunication networks, and therefore

the maintenance and repair of facilities is usually preventative for developing nations. Kessy et

al. suggest privatization as a way to boost competition and cut back price. In general, African

countries have poor infrastructure together with unreliable transportation, restricted electricity

provide, and broadcast and telecommunication facilities. This makes it troublesome for

establishments to keep up net connections and within the case of Kenya electricity isn't

government sponsored creating it comparatively overpriced.

To be effectively adopted, ICT needs smart governance and appropriation of allotted government

funds and economic aid. In several developing nations’ lack of ICT policy, poor ICT project

management, and corruption has crystal rectifier to ineffective implementation, adoption of

various systems and standards, duplication of effort, and waste of technology resources. Efforts

area unit typically uncoordinated and initiatives area unit typically in competition with one

another instead of complementing one another. Additionally there is a unit several unsustainable

ICT programs wherever faculties have computers that don't work as resources that area unit

typically redirected and misuse (Ford, 2007; Kessy et al., 2006).

The cultural context of ICT adoption, language barriers, and attitudes toward ICT have an effect

on the speed at that it's adopted. Perceived problem within the integration of ICT in education

relies on the assumption that technology use is difficult, its implementation needs time beyond

regulation, technology skills area unit troublesome to find out, and therefore the price of

achieving and maintain resources is preventative (Fourier and alt, 2002). as an example, as Ford

(2007) notes humanities academics area unit the foremost immune to computers. Restricted

skilful human resources and students’ restricted laptop data that is precipitated by the reluctance

or inability for faculties to introduce ICT typically end in restricted use of resources, making a

positive feedback (Kessy et al., 2006). Further, Ford (2007) states that in several instances

academics believe that victimization computers deprives students of the time required to review

for his or her national examinations which computers disrupt the normal structure of the room.

The State of ICT for instructional Development

Computers were introduced to Kenya within the 1970s and therefore the net became accessible

in 1993 (Ford, 2007). As of March 2008, 7.9% of the population was accessing the web, with the

bulk being government and personal sector staff. On the far side these users, cybercafés area unit

the foremost suppliers of net service for the bulk of the population. Whereas there is a unit over

thirty net Service suppliers in Kenya and therefore the range continues to grow, access continues

to be restricted, particularly in rural areas (Internet World Stats, 2009).

In a study by Wabuyele (2003), results indicated that whereas ICT has penetrated several sectors

together with banking, transportation, communications, and medical services, the Kenyan

instructional system looks to lag behind. The study found that laptop use in Kenyan lecture

rooms continues to be in its early phases, and ended that the perceptions and experiences of

academics and directors do play a vital role within the use of computers in Kenyan lecture

rooms. This highlighted the requirement to produce pre-service and in service coaching

programs to change them to with success teach victimization computers within the lecture rooms

are pertinent. Wabuyele’s study conjointly determined that the government and therefore the

MoEST required to review each teacher preparation and employees development programs, also

as develop a revised national conceive to implement ICT into the info.

In 2008, the Ministry of Youth Affairs' Youth Enterprise Fund (YEF) started a Digital Villages

project designed to attach rural and concrete areas with ICT. The project is funded through

government and personal sector resources. Everybody is to be supplied with a minimum of eight

laptop workstations and coaching in entrepreneurship. Additionally to mean positive outcomes

on agriculture, health, and commerce, different expected results area unit enhancements within

the education system like increasing online course offerings and up college management systems

together with recording and news examination reports (Wanjiku, 2008). In seeking to extend

social, cultural and economic capital, the Digital Villages project is vital for many reasons:

• As a way to boost sustainability for the native communities;

• It uses a crosssectoral approach in its funding;

• It uses an integrative governmental crosssectoral approach in its use of ICT (e.g., in agriculture,

health, and commerce);

• It integrates the utilization of ICT in formal education and non-formal education and training;

and

• It uses a community approach to development.

For most developing nations, the dynamic nature of technology is troublesome to stay up with,

typically forcing academics to use ancient teaching strategies and fewer effective tutorial

technology techniques. Kessey et al recommend seeking concessions with firms like Microsoft®

for discounted computer code. Instead, the utilization of Open instructional Resources

(Johnstone, 2005) and Open supply computer code (Coppola and Neelley, 2004) is an choice that

permits users to freely produce and distribute computer code and academic resources while not

the preventative prices or licensing limitations. Progress has been created with victimization

open supply laptop operative systems and software being localized to the languages and contexts

with samples of Microsoft® and Google® that currently have Kiswahili applications.