A new report by Usawa Agenda has painted a dark picture of primary education system in the country.
The report reveal that overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages and stark inequalities continue to undermine learning outcomes despite recent government efforts to bridge staffing gaps.
Findings from the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (FLANA) show that nationally, there are 41 learners for every teacher in primary schools, a ratio that rises sharply in public institutions.
Public primary schools record an average learner-to-teacher ratio of 42:1, compared to 34:1 in private schools, highlighting persistent disparities between the two systems.
The pressure is most pronounced in urban public schools, which post the highest learner-to-teacher ratio at 44:1. In contrast, rural private schools enjoy the lowest ratio at 31 learners per teacher.
These averages mask even deeper challenges when the focus shifts to permanently employed Teachers Service Commission (TSC) staff.
According to the report, there is one permanently employed TSC teacher for every 45 learners in rural public primary schools, but the situation worsens significantly in urban public schools, where one TSC teacher serves as many as 68 learners.
Nationally, public primary schools have one permanently employed TSC teacher for every 53 learners enrolled.
“These ratios show that while urban schools may appear better resourced, they are in fact carrying a heavier burden due to high enrolment,” the report notes, adding that wide gaps exist between national averages and what is observed at individual school levels.
The strain on teachers is reflected in learning outcomes. In Grade 3, girls slightly outperform boys in reading comprehension, with 42.1 per cent of girls able to read and understand a Grade 3-appropriate English story compared to 40.1 per cent of boys.
However, the trend shifts in numeracy where Grade 3 boys in public schools (20.8 per cent) and refugee community schools (9 per cent) outperform girls (20.7 per cent and 4.6 per cent respectively) in solving a Grade 3-appropriate numeracy problem.
By Grade 4, only 49.6 per cent of learners can read and comprehend a Grade 3-level English story, while just 33.8 per cent can solve a Grade 3-level numeracy problem. Alarmingly, only 29.8 per cent of Grade 4 learners can do both.
Gender gaps persist, with Grade 4 girls generally outperforming boys in reading comprehension (51.5 per cent versus 47.8 per cent) and marginally in combined literacy and numeracy skills (30.6 per cent versus 29.1 per cent), except in refugee community schools where boys perform better.
The learning deficit deepens by Grade 6. The report shows that 34.9 per cent of Grade 6 learners cannot read and comprehend a Grade 3-appropriate English story, 42.5 per cent cannot solve a Grade 3-appropriate numeracy problem, and nearly half—49.9 per cent—cannot do either.
Structural inequalities further compound the problem. Urban schools generally have more streams per grade than rural schools, with an average of 1.7 streams in Grade 1 rising to 2.2 streams by Grade 6. Rural schools average between 1.2 and 1.3 streams across grades.
Class sizes also vary sharply. Private schools consistently have smaller classes, with an average Grade 6 class having 10 fewer learners than a similar class in a public school.
Refugee community schools face the most extreme overcrowding, with classes nearly three times larger than the average Kenyan class and almost four times larger than those in private schools.
In early childhood education, public ECDE teachers handle an average of 35 learners compared to 22 in private centres. Nationally, ECDE learner-to-teacher ratios stand at 35:1 in rural areas and 34:1 in urban areas.
The report also highlights why primary schools struggle to deliver quality education to learners with special needs. Three in 10 head teachers cited inadequate government
funding as the most pressing barrier, while two in 10 pointed to shortages of specialised personnel. Inadequate infrastructure, high costs of learning materials and parents’ reluctance to contribute were also flagged as key constraints.
The findings come as the government insists it is addressing teacher shortages with Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba saying that over the last three years, more than 100,000 teachers have been employed by the TSC.
“We have also enhanced pre-service teacher education and school-based teacher support, in addition to piloting school meals provision through clean-cooking approaches and undertaking sector-wide reforms,” Ogamba said.
“Our system transformation journey shows how partnerships deliver scale, equity and learning gains.”
