How education privatization is deepening inequality

Education Cabinet Secretary Migos Ogamba.[FILE] The growing privatisation of education in Kenya is exposing deep cracks in the public education system and threatening to widen inequality across the country. As the number of learners rises each year, parents are increasingly turning to private schools-often at great financial cost-amid government struggles to provide adequate, affordable, and quality education. Speaking during the first National Conference on the Privatisation of Education, Ministry of Education Deputy Director for Quality Assurance and Standards Dora Kitala acknowledged the government's limitations, calling for cost-sharing among all stakeholders. "The rise in students seeking education and the evolving needs of 21st-century learners have increased demand for quality and inclusive education," Kitala said. "This calls for cost-sharing because the government cannot manage alone. With the number of children seeking education, it is not possible to fully cater for ECDE to university and TVET levels." Kitala defined privatisation as transferring ownership, management, and funding of education from public to private entities, which was initially meant to fill gaps in public education. However, she warned that unchecked privatisation could "hinder accessibility, equity, and compromise quality" where the focus shifts from learning to profit. The government estimates that over 30,000 private learning institutions now operate across Kenya, from high-end international schools in cities to affordable faith-based and community schools in rural areas. While this expansion has improved access in some regions, education experts say it also reflects a retreat of the state from its constitutional obligation to provide free, quality basic education for all. "Privatisation can attract resources and innovation, but it can also exclude vulnerable learners-those with disabilities, refugees, children in ASAL regions, and those from poor rural backgrounds," Kitala said. The surge in private schooling has intensified debate over whether education in Kenya is becoming a privilege of the few rather than a right for all. Florence Anan, Vice Chairperson of the Centre for Human Rights, expressed concern that the proliferation of private schools signals the government's failure to invest adequately in public education. "I had the option of taking my child to a private school despite two public schools nearby," Anan said."But that decision wasn't about luxury-it was about survival. Parents are being forced to choose between overcrowded, under-resourced public schools and expensive private institutions. This is not a privilege; it's a crisis." Anan warned that the current system risks turning education into "a private commodity rather than a public good," deepening inequality and weakening state accountability. National Parents Association Chairman Silas Obuhatsa shares similar frustrations, saying he had to transfer his two children to a private school after teachers in their public school went on strike due to delayed salaries. "We are paying over Sh50,000 a term in school fees, yet I still pay taxes. The government has abandoned parents. Education is becoming a luxury for those who can afford it," he said. Obuhatsa said as Kenya moves toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 agenda, the challenge is ensuring that no child is left behind in pursuit of education. The future, stakeholders insist, depends on strengthening public education systems so that access to learning is not determined by wealth, but by the simple right of every child to learn. According to the Ministry of Education, Kenya's public schools face massive deficits in infrastructure, teaching staff, and learning materials. The Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms recently called for major investments to align school infrastructure and teacher training with the new Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC). However, resource gaps persist, especially in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), sports, and arts pathways. "We are continuously retooling teachers through agencies like TSC, KICD, KISE, and KEMI," Kitala said. Education experts argue that chronic underfunding and a weak regulatory framework have pushed parents into private schooling while exposing them to exploitation. Private school fees are unregulated, allowing institutions to increase tuition at will. Mercy Mutinda of ActionAid Kenya warned that this trend is driving inequality and forcing many children to drop out."When governments underfund public education, private actors step in-not out of charity, but business opportunity. Many low-income families cannot afford these fees, leading to higher dropout rates, especially in rural areas and informal settlements," Mutinda said. The rising privatisation of education in Kenya mirrors global trends where shrinking public budgets, debt pressures, and foreign aid cuts have weakened public systems.Kira, Global Education Lead at Oxfam, said that when governments fail to invest adequately in education, private companies begin to shape national priorities. "When government systems are weak, private actors grow stronger. They start to influence curriculum and policy not for the public good, but for profit," Kira warned."Education must remain a public service governed by the state, not a marketplace commodity." She added that education is not only about literacy and numeracy but also about shaping democratic citizens."If education decisions shift away from public control, we risk eroding democracy itself," she said. Stakeholders agree that while private schools play a role in expanding access, the state must remain the guarantor of equitable education."The government has left a big room for private schools to thrive, exploiting parents at all costs," she said. The Kenyan Constitution guarantees free and compulsory basic education for every child, a right that experts warn could be undermined if privatisation continues unchecked."Education has the power to lift families from poverty and transform nations. But when it becomes the privilege of a few who can pay, it stops being transformative and becomes a mirror of inequality," Kira said.

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