More strides in Kenya's learning sector after devolution

There has been increased funding and rising enrolment in schools since a new constitution was unveiled in 2010.PHOTO: COURTESY

There has been increased funding and rising enrolment in schools since a new constitution was unveiled in 2010.

A socio-economic audit report released by the Auditor General's office says the Government has done well in terms of funding the education sector even as enrolment soared.

The number of education institutions has increased, access to education avenues expanded and higher transition in learning achieved.

"There has been tremendous improvement in access to basic education since 2010. Various policy, legal and administrative measures have been put in place to implement the constitutional obligation," reads the report.

But corruption continues to eat into the sector at the county level, with award of education bursaries rated top three after employment, procurement and tender.

The 2016 document cites increase in the budgetary allocations for education as one of the measures undertaken.

However, the development share remained above 10 per cent since 2010 but with a sharp initial drop in 2013/14 – when some resources were directed to county governments.

LITTLE RESOURCES

The analysis, however, shows the county-level pre-primary and technical functions consistently received comparatively little resources.

The national framework for education and training was formulated in 2012 to align education to the Constitution and Vision 2030.

The report shows Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) enrolment rose from 1.7 million in 2008 to 2.7 million by 2012, reflecting a rapid growth in the transition to the new Constitution.

It attributes the consistent rise to the county governments' oversight of ECDE.

The report further says counties have hired an additional 25,101 teachers, and 5,291 ECDE centres have been built, while another 235 have been rehabilitated.

And secondary school enrolment rose consistently throughout the 2010-2014 transition into devolution, even as the enrolment gap between boys and girls at both levels also narrowed marginally.

It further says between 2010 and 2014, pre-primary teacher training colleges and primary teacher training colleges grew, by 19 and 34 respectively, to close at 140 and 267 in that order.

And on higher education, the total number of universities grew by 54 per cent during the period under review.

There was also a 20 per cent growth in technical and vocational institutions, from 627 to 755.