Education in Kenya

Education in Kenya refers to its institutionalized education system, whereby pupils and students in specific locations (and buildings), following a particular curriculum are taught. The institutionalized system differs from traditional (or customary) education which had been in existence long before missionarisation and colonization, and was administered according to the various indigenous groups' cultures and customs.

Institutionalized education in Kenya dates back to as early as the 18th century among the Swahili people, whereby the earliest school was established by missionaries in Rabai. During colonial rule, schools for the colonial settlers and administrators were established, as well as schools serving various religious and cultural communities.

Kenya has maneuvered through three education curriculums since independence in 1963, with the latest being, the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), which was rolled out in 2017 to replace the 8-4-4 Curriculum that has been in practice since 1985.

Even though efforts have been put in place to promote basic education - with literacy levels increasing among the Kenyan population - poverty, teenage pregnancy, truancy, drug abuse, among others, all affect the literacy levels of prospective pupils.

In 2017, the World Economic Forum rated Kenya's education system as the strongest among forty-three other mainland Africa countries. In the following year, 2018, the World Bank also ranked Kenya as the top African country for education outcomes.

In Kenya, education is guaranteed by the Constitution of Kenya 2010, whose Article 53 stipulates that every child has the immediate right to free and compulsory basic education.

History

East African socio-linguistic groups had access to institutionalized education by 1728, as attested by the Swahili manuscript Utendi wa Tambuka (Book of Heraclius).