Comparing Kenyan and US schooling systems

By Fred Bosire Moegi

I was born in Kenya and I am a proud Kenyan citizen. When I was four, my father got a scholarship to go for further studies in the United States. My family and I went to live in the US in 2000 and returned in 2007.

In the US, people try to make life and education easier through the use of technology. People do not even have to sweep their houses or wash clothes by hand because they have special machines to do that for them.

In Kenya, pupils wear school uniforms, but in the US, the school principals of private schools decide whether uniform is to be worn or not. In the US, the academic year begins in early September and ends in early June. The pupils do not learn as much as we do in Kenya. Only mathematics is almost the same. In the US, pupils study English as a subject and do not learn foreign languages. It is up to their parents to pay extra money if they want their children to learn a foreign language.

Also, they do not have national examinations as we have in Kenya. They have small quizzes after a topic.

In the US, students have an annual science fair and schools compete against each other. One time, my school made bridges out of spaghetti and a model volcano that could erupt!

Teachers in US schools are kind and relate well with their students.

Although there is no corporal punishment (caning) in American schools, I would rather study in Kenya and later get a scholarship to university in the US.

There are many more universities in the US than in Kenya.