Kenyan Education System

Kenyan education is based on an 8-4-4 system: eight years in primary school, four years in secondary and four in tertiary education;

Primary Age level from: 6 to: 14
Certificate/diploma awarded: Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE)

Secondary Age level from: 14 to: 18
Certificate/diploma awarded: Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE)

Secondary education is extremely expensive and few can afford to move into Form 1. As in primary education the standard of schools varies enormously, from the well-funded and equipped national and provincial schools to the desperately under-equipped and under-staffed street schools which we are trying to help.

Kenyan textbooks are very good - in many cases better than their English equivalents since they are designed for use by less educated teachers. But they are comparatively expensive, and consequently most schools have either none at all or a very small number. The vast majority of children cannot afford to buy their own textbooks.

The official languages of Kenya are English and Kiswahili, but the first language is the local tribal language. This means that, since English is the official language of education, children are being taught in their third language.

Although Education in Kenya from Primary (Class 1-8) is perceived to be free, many students still do not go to school for a number of reasons. e.g. disabled students lack mobility equipment such as wheelchairs, inaccessibility to school, sick parents mean the children must stay at home or work.