Kenya could adopt American school model

Kenya is considering adopting an American model of managing education following the changes brought by a new constitutional order.

In America, each state manages its schooling system at all levels, but curriculum development is left to the federal government.

With the restructured provinces and districts into regions and counties, Kenya will need major changes in running the education sector.

Decisions will have to be taken on whether to retain the single national examination body, how free schooling money will be distributed and who will be responsible for school inspection.

Posts such as the current provincial directors of education and district education officers will have to be restructured to comply with the new system.

Under the new constitution, counties may now have to manage their education, but curriculum development and exams become the preserve of the central government.

This is among items a team led by Education PS John ole Kiyiapi, and composed of experts and officials from the US will be looking at to provide a new way of running the education system.

“We are currently engaged in making sure that all adjustments in the education sector are done to align with the new constitution,” Education minister Sam Ongeri said yesterday in Nairobi.

He said the process would entail looking at all education policies such as the Sessional Paper 1 (2005) and the Education Act to amend them to conform with the new law.

Education secretary George Godia said a pilot system will be developed for two years until 2012 and soon after fully rolled out if found tenable.

“We will look at how the devolved education system will work and put in place provisions for the new era,” said Prof Godia at the Kenya Educational Staff Institute.

Prof Godia forecast that it may take up to five years for the country to comprehensively carry out the plan. “Not only shall we be studying the current policies but we shall also develop new ones to fit in with the new constitutional framework,” he said.

He allayed fears that education officials at the provincial and district levels will lose their jobs. “Just like the provincial administration, they will have new supervisory roles,” he said.