Since 2003, primary school in Kenya is free. However, school uniforms, shoes, textbooks and lunch costs must be covered by the students themselves, which many families cannot afford. Another problem is the lack of public schools in slums, as these regions are not recognized as official districts. Even if families could pay school fees, there are just not enough schools for their kids to go to.
THE KENYAN SCHOOL SYSTEM
The Kenyan school system consists of two sections: primary school, which is funded by the government and secondary school, which is private and fees must be paid by the students themselves. The kids attend primary school for eight years before they can apply for secondary school with an exam, they must take at the end of 8th grade. Places in Secondary school are popular which results in an intense competition between the students.
With four years of secondary school the students qualify for college, which is usually one step before university. Here, too, they are continuously compared to each other in order to apply for college or university.
Unfortunately, only primary school is free, whereas costs at secondary school, college and university must be covered by the students and their families themselves. For most families this is too much of a financial burden which results in their kids leaving school after 8th grade. Unfortunately, education in Kenya ist still a matter of money and contributes to a widening gap between rich and poor.
THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SCHOOL
If you’re going to a private school in Germany you are usually considered a wealthy person, that is able to afford the high tuition fees. In Kenya this is different.
Due to the lack of public schools in slums, a large number of “private schools” are being established. Unfortunately, however, these primary schools are far from good quality education: Unqualified teachers who mostly just graduated from secondary school themselves hold their classes in tiny tin huts. However, these schools are often the only option for kids from low-income families to get an education at all. The low quality education makes it hard for these kids to qualify for secondary school though and if they happen do to so, to keep up with other students in secondary school. Without a good basic education in primary school it is almost impossible to graduate from secondary school.
However, there is a third type of school in Kenya: The so-called organization schools, which are run and supported by larger organizations, such as churches and associations. Here, teachers have higher degrees and offer good quality education, often even better than in public schools. Despite the financial support by individual organizations, the school fees are too high for many families and cannot be covered.
We believe in the power of high quality education and therefore transfer all our students to these organizational schools. We want to make sure that every child has the opportunity to exploit its full potential. This is why we focus on fewer children and quality instead of quantity.
Our mentorship program ensures that our students get supported outside school throughout the year. Our Kenyan team meets once a week with our 15 students and 20 other children at St. Johns School in Korogocho. During this time various topics from the kids’ everyday life are discussed, individual career aspirations are dealt with and visions for their future are strengthened. With the mentorship program, we are able to recognize problems quickly and react to them as soon as possible.
East African countries are among the most developed ones in Africa. They are nevertheless affected by the ever widening gap between rich and poor. Kenya in particular is currently suffering more and more economically, because terrorism is drastically decreasing the number of tourists each year.
Nairobi, capital of Kenya, is home to the most famous slum in the world Kibera and many others at the border of the city Among them is Korogocho, the third largest slum of the country, surrounded by the municipal landfill. Due to the size of this slum, many different projects, initiated by the residents themselves have made positive changes within the slum. Smiles Africa Charity also supports these initiatives by providing education and information with the aim to contribute to an improvement and change of life circumstances.