Education is highly valued in Kenya; it is seen as an important avenue towards economic opportunities and social mobility as well as an indicator of social status. Although the economic regression of recent years has meant that education is no longer an automatic passport to employment, the value placed on education by most social groups in Kenya has remained high.
The current system of education was meant to have students spend 8 years in primary 4 years in secondary and 4 years in the university. There was the introduction of free primary education that encountered teething problems in the beginning.It has had implications to the system two most important ones being, the rate of retention and completion and the quality of education has been compromised because the student teacher ratio is very high.
Enrollment to secondary is also a great challenge for the teachers and the government. The number of students to the number of schools available is not sufficient.There are claims that there is usually unfair selection where school principals are pressured by senior ministry education officials to slot in sons and daughters of the rich and powerful.
There are proposals for the change of the system it remains to be seen whether this will be the remedy to the current challenges facing Kenya's 8-4-4 system. What are your thoughts? Do you think The 8-4-4 system should stay in place or do we need a new system?
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