Guaranteeing the future of Kenya through education

The horrific death of 14 school children and the injuries of over 40 others in the Kakamega Primary School stampede took us all by surprise. The death of anyone in unforeseen accidents is tragic, let alone when these are youngsters on their way home from school. The safety and security of pupils in our schools has been a long-standing problem. We all remember the Precious Talent Top School collapse last year. 

What is important, however, is that our government is aware of these issues and is doing its best to improve the safety of students. As Education Minister Magoha said during his investigation into the Precious Talent Top School collapse, "This is just a start and we are going to crack down on all schools in the country”.

The Kenyan people are some of the most educated on our continent, with literacy rates a full ten percent above the continental average. Enrolment in education has continued to improve and is currently at an all-time high, at close to 80 per cent. This stands in stark comparison with the almost 30 per cent enrollment rate in our country in the early 1980s. 

It therefore makes sense that one of Uhuru’s first pledges as a presidential candidate was to work to improve the quality of our education system as well as revamp its infrastructure. This has included the construction of new modern schools alongside the improvement of existing facilities.

Uhuru’s education plan has and continues to wield concrete results. Always seeking to outperform, the government in 2019 implemented a programme aiming to bring up student transition rates from primary school to high school. Although these already stand at a whopping 94 per cent, the government wants to ensure that all of our children are provided with equal opportunities. 

Always striving for excellence, the government has been working to bring this up to 100 per cent. In order to facilitate this and accommodate the growing number of pupils, Uhuru’s government in 2017 allocated a significant portion of the budget to expanding existing school infrastructure and improving national school standards. This included a promise to grant each country Sh25 million for education purposes alone.

Uhuru’s pledge to improve the quality of education is comprehensive. Pertinent issues being dealt with include book shortages, recruiting and training teachers particularly in rural areas, as well as consistently keeping the curriculum up to par with international standards. 

Our country’s future is of course contingent on its human capital being the best that it can be. Education is the way to ensure that. As the old saying goes, “education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today”. 

Education is a fundamental part of any country’s economic development. Direct correlation has been shown between education and a rise in a country’s GDP but also with productivity, health and even environmental protection. As such, our government recognises the education of our children as a worthwhile investment in the future of the Kenyan people. 

As with any investment, we are already seeing the payoff. It is no coincidence that Kenyan GDP per capita is up 20 per cent since Uhuru took office in 2013, as he has implemented vast reforms in our country’s education system. 

Tragedies, such as the ones that took place in both the recent Kakamega Primary School stampede as well as the Precious Talent Top School collapse, are saddening and regrettable beyond expression. They also serve as a wakeup call to anyone feeling complacent at the progress that so much more remains to be done. Chief amongst this is ensuring the safety of our children, without which all of our other hard work will have been in vain. 

Safety procedures will be enhanced, government oversight extended. Furthermore, the commitment of our government to provide a safe and healthy environment for our children includes better training teaching staff to handle such scenarios. Teacher training, which the government has already provided to thousands of educators, will undoubtedly prove instrumental in preventing similar tragedies in the future.