Step-by-step explanation:
An inequality perspective of education structure and performance in Kenya
Abstract
Education is an important determinant of individuals’ income, health as well as the capacity to
interact and communicate with others. In spite of this view, there is considerable evidence of
inequalities of opportunity in education in most developing countries. Differences abound with
respect to sex of the head of the household, rural and urban areas heads, across population
groups defined by parental education, region of residence and wealth. The probability that the
household head is uneducated is higher than average when she is a woman and in general,
household heads are more likely to have no education when they are in rural areas than in urban
areas. Achievements by children in school vary considerably depending on the wealth of their
household, their place of residence, the education of their mother and that of their father.
From the foregoing, the overall policy goal for the Kenyan Government is therefore to provide
every Kenyan the right to education and training no matter his/her socio-economic status
through the provision of all-inclusive quality education that is accessible and relevant. This
vision is guided by the understanding that quality education and training contributes
significantly to economic growth and the expansion of employment opportunities. The vision is
in tandem with the Government’s plan as articulated in the Economic Recovery Strategy Paper
which provides the rationale for major reforms in the current education system in order to
enable all Kenyans to have access to quality lifelong education and training.
For the above reasons, the Kenyan Government has, over the years, demonstrated its
commitment to the development of education and training through sustained allocation of
resources to the sector. However, despite the substantial allocation of resources and notable
achievements attained, the sector still faces major challenges related to access, equity, quality,
relevance, efficiency in the management of educational resources, cost and financing of
education, gender and regional disparities, and teacher quality and teacher utilization.