This is where Tembo-Kenya comes in to help young people and families in rural Kenya to improve their economic situation and put food on the table. We are trying to supply computers to High Schools and to Elementary Schools to improve English, Math and Thinking Skills. Read for the Top is highly successful and more 'story books' are needed. One computer can be purchased in Kenya for $150

Education in Kenya

In 2003 the government of Kenya made Primary Education "free" but not compulsory. Thus by 2004 there were about 1.5 million children still out of schools, the majority of these girls, despite a huge increase in enrollment . The school year runs from January to December with three months in school, followed by one month's holiday.

The education system is very competitive in Kenya with each child receiving a "position" (or ranking) in the class as a result of the continuous and final exams. No slack is given for illness or other absences. These positions are used in selecting students for further studies. At the end of Grade 8 they write a national examination called the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE). Students take their studies very seriously because they are lucky to be in school. Because most homes have no electricity students can be seen reading and studying on the school grounds during their breaks... While there is still daylight.

The results of the primary school exams are posted immediately after Christmas and lists of the top performing students nationwide are published in the national newspapers. The "best" secondary schools choose the students with the highest marks for their Grade 9 classes; the schools with lower standings choose from the students remaining after the best schools have made their choices. Of course students have to not only have good marks but their families must also be able to meet the required school expenses. Many bright young people have to drop out of school, especially at the secondary level, not because of academic difficulties, but because there is no more money for school expenses.

Most Secondary Schools are boarding schools so there are many costs a family faces before a student can enter the first year. Schools hand out a list of required items to their new pupils: everything from a mattress, bedding, a plate, cup and cutlery, calculator, exercise books, gym clothes, textbooks, to a trunk for these belongings. When the young scholar arrives on registration day, these items are checked off and if things are missing the student is not admitted until that list is complete.

AIDS has drastically compounded the problem of receiving an education. According to the Stephen Lewis Foundation over 20 million children in Africa are without one or both parents due to this epidemic. Some orphaned children end up living with their grandmothers. Others lose their childhoods, becoming heads of households. Because of this some villages have started orphan feeding programs. Sometimes they are taken in by extended families whose resources for their own children are already strained.

In recent years secondary education also became 'free'. This means that tuition is covered, but parents must still cover costs of boarding, books, uniforms and infrastructure (dormitories, furniture and equipment) This still puts secondary school beyond the reach of many rural families.

Last year a scandal erupted when it was found that donor money to support these programmes had been diverted by government and education officials

1m Kenyan children out of school

Written By:KNA , Posted: Tue, Jun 29, 2010

Approximately one million Kenyan children do not attend school despite the introduction of free primary education by government a local council for children has reported.

The National Council for Children Services (NCCS) chairperson Hellen Waweru Tuesday said that poverty has heightened the situation making children to drop out of school, while blaming parents for lack of responsibility in the up bringing of their children.

Waweru said that though a lot had been done to protect children, they still suffered due to neglect, trafficking, child labour, poverty and sexual exploitation but expressed optimism that the council was addressing such problems.

She said that at least 40 percent of Kenyan children who completed their primary education did not proceed to high school while most of them have fallen prey to cases of child trafficking and harmful and cultural practices.

Waweru said that it was time that the role of bringing up children was taken up by not only the parents who seem to have forgotten their role, but the community at large.

She reiterated that the government was committed to ensuring that the rights of children were protected by enacting laws that protected the children adding that the community should be involved as whole in the raising up of children.

She said that at least 900,000 children in the country were being used to provide cheap labour in different sectors of the economy "Let us stop engaging children in child labour which causes their delay and discontinuation in education. We need to stop mistreating the children," she said.

Waweru said, "The children's act is currently under review to address any possible gaps that may jeopardize the full realization of children's rights".

To get children back to classrooms, she said that schools should device new ways of keeping children in school by through school feeding programs and other ways of encouraging them to remain in school.

"We need to entice our children maybe with food so that they can stay in school and the law enforcers should join hands with ordinary citizens to ensure children go to school" she said.

The secretary of the NCCS Ahmed Hussein called upon the government to address the pushing factors towards children staying out of school such as poverty to ensure that they benefit from education.

Hussein also said that the organization was developing a child protection system database to help monitor instances of child abuse.

He said that the community will be involved in child protection through the establishment of toll free numbers that the public could access to give information of violation for legal action to be taken against violators.

He further added that the government, through (NCCS) has created structures at the District and grassroots levels called Area Advisory Councils(AAC's) that will enhance the welfare of children and ensure that their interest are protected.

"The rise in rape cases, especially by the relatives and teachers has been a major setback towards ensuring the welfare of children and they should be addressed. What we as the council expects to be done more vigilantly is the prosecution of defilement which I term as the worst form of violation" he said.

According to the report The NCCS also revealed that Turkana, Kisii, Kuria and Northern Kenya were the hotspots for Female Genital Mutilation and early child marriages.

Meru region was however commended for the declining instances of FGM and early marriages

Language Skills:

Kenya has 42 tribal languages and two official languages : English and Swahili. The language of instruction in upper elementary school and throughout secondary school is meant to be English. School leaving exams in both elementary and secondary school are in English. Unfortunately, poor rural children are disadvantaged compared with those in urban communities in that they rarely hear English speakers other than their teachers (who often prefer to speak in the vernacular). Simple reading books in either language are too often unavailable to them. Their understanding of the language and ability to perform well in examinations is thus compromised.

The Read for the Top project is aimed at encouraging rural elementary school students to read and improve their abilities in both English and Swahili languages and thus help to overcome some of their disadvantages. To do this, a competition is organized by the teacher of a selected class, the children are divided into teams and each team is supplied with the same series of books to read. Each member of a team must read all book titles. On the appointed days, teams must answer questions about the stories they have read and compete to answer before the opposing team. The top two teams are awarded prizes.

This format has been greeted enthusiastically by the children, teachers and principals of two elementary schools used as a pilot?project. Teachers have found that the children who participated have subsequently improved performance in all subjects. Other classes within the schools and other schools in each district have requested to participate in future.

The funds used for this pilot project to purchase books and prizes were directly controlled by the Tembo-Kenya agent. All books were donated to the school for future competitions and general student use. An expansion of this project to other rural schools is anticipated, again with books and prizes purchased directly by the agent.