Schooling Questions

Take this as a ratio; 1:100 -the average pupil teacher ratio in a government school in Mombasa. In the photo above, this is only half the class.

When visiting a couple of schools in the area, the noise level of 2400 pupils is deafening. Resources are few. Three or four kids on a bench is common. Sometimes there are school books to share but oftentimes the books are locked away, to ‘keep them new’.

Frequently classes are left unattended. Children roam.

The soccer pitch at one school more resembled a small crater.

It is hard to know the level of education being achieved. I hear of kids coming out of school, barely literate. Others don’t make it to the last year, and drop out rates are high.

For the teachers who do make the effort, who remain dedicated and committed, I have unending admiration. And for the kids who turn up, day after day, eager to learn, I hope, really hope, that school does at least serve them some benefit.

This is the reality of education in this country; a reality which has to change if the country is to prosper. ‘When’ and ‘How’ are the questions which urgently need to be asked. And not soon enough in my view.

tags: Education, Africa, School, Kenya, Teaching, Travel