Kenya Enhances Education in Underprivileged Areas with World Bank Support

NAIROBI—Kenya is making significant strides in education reform, receiving global recognition and support for its efforts to improve learning outcomes in disadvantaged regions. The World Bank has recently extended its support for the Kenya Secondary Education Quality Improvement Project (SEQIP), an initiative aimed at bolstering education in the nation’s most challenged districts.

According to Kenya News Agency, the World Bank’s decision to prolong its involvement in the SEQIP until the end of 2024 reflects a commitment to addressing educational disparities in Kenya. The project, valued at Sh20 billion, targets regions that are both educationally and economically marginalized, with a particular focus on aiding the poorest and most vulnerable children.

Elijah Mungai, the projects director at the Ministry of Education, articulated the government’s dedication to providing quality secondary education. This initiative is essential for equipping the working-age population with necessary skills and aligns with the Kenya Country Partnership Strategy’s aim to bolster human capital via education and training.

The SEQIP project coordinator, Jane Mbugua, elaborated on the project’s objectives during a briefing in her office. She highlighted the commitment to enhancing the transition rates from primary to secondary education and ensuring that students remain in the educational system until at least age 18. These efforts are part of a broader strategy to foster critical thinking, communication, problem-solving, digital literacy, and other vital competencies among students, as mandated by the Kenyan Constitution.

Furthermore, the World Bank’s Africa development strategy, through SEQIP, intends to facilitate a demographic transition, aiming to leverage the demographic dividend by increasing secondary school attendance among girls in impoverished areas. Addressing issues such as high dropout rates and low transition rates from primary to secondary education, particularly among girls, is crucial to this endeavor.

The initiative operates across 135 sub-counties in vulnerable and marginalized zones, aligning with the objectives outlined in Kenya Vision 2030 and the National Education Sector Plan 2018. These plans collectively aim to eradicate illiteracy, enhance individual well-being, and ensure inclusive, high-quality education, which are integral to the World Bank’s mission of reducing extreme poverty and fostering shared prosperity.