The free education policy in Kenya: A critique

Abstract

Educational reforms are crucial in a country if the reforms benefit the intended target group. One of the educational reforms in Kenya was the introduction of Free Primary Education. This was informed by the need to improve access and equity in provision of education. Informed by the need to eradicate ignorance, poverty and disease, the independent Kenya government took to finance education soon after independence with Free Primary Education being fully realized in 1978. Later following the introduction of structural adjustment programme in 1990s and the World Bank recommendations, cost sharing in education was instituted. This saw a big number of children drop out of school due to poverty and other pressures from the education managers who were charging school levies. The national rainbow coalition government which came to power in 2003 instituted Free Primary Education to actualize one of the campaign pledges. This article critically discusses the Free Primary Education policy in Kenya articulating the benefits and the challenges thereof within the policy formulation framework. Suggestions are made on the best way to develop and implement policies to tackle challenges which emanate from implementing policies in haste.