Mulunga, Charles John Indongole (1987) The New 8.4.4. Education System and Its Implications for Educational Policy and Practice in Kenya. Masters thesis, University of Lancaster.
![[img]](http://thesisbank.jhia.ac.ke/style/images/fileicons/application_pdf.png) |
PDF (The New 8.4.4. Education System and Its Implications for Educational Policy and Practice in Kenya)
Indongole_Education and human resources development in Kenya.pdf - Accepted Version Restricted to Repository staff only Download (4MB) | Request a copy |
Abstract
At the end of 1984 Kenya launched a new education system designated as 8.4.4. since it provided for 8 years of primary education followed by 4 of secondary and, for some, 4 years of post-secondary education. The country abolished forms five and six, in the secondary cycle, which had been in operation since 1961, extended primary education from seven to eight years and restructured the curriculum in primary, secondary, technical and university education. These reforms were aimed at: a) Increasing access to primary education for all children of school age; b) Solving unemployment problems through introduction of prevocational courses in the primary schools to equip primary school leavers with relevant skills for self and wage employment; c) Making secondary education terminal by diversifying the secondary school curriculum through the teaching of vocational courses in Industrial, Commercial and Agricultural subjects; d) Expanding post-school training programmes for primary and secondary school leavers; e) Improving quality at all levels of the education system; and f) Ensuring equitable distribution of educational resources. As similar reforms have been tried out in other developing Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America the Kenya reforms are examined in the context of some of these experiences in two countries: Tanzania and Zambia in Sub-Saharan Africa and in the context of the current policies and practices in Kenya itself and the implications of the reforms highlighted. The study is divided into two parts. Part One examines the basic issues in curriculum reforms in developing countries while part two examines the implications and relevance of these issues to educational practice and policy in Kenya. In Part One, Chapter One discusses theories of educational reforms and expansion of education in Sub-Saharan Africa with special reference to the human capital theory. Chapter Two introduces the historical development of curriculum reforms in Sub-Saharan Africa which led to structural changes in education systems and discusses the finance and cost implications of educational programmes, equity, quality, curricula and examinations based on the experiences gained from educational reforms in Third World Countries. Kenya reforms are discussed in detail in Chapter Three while the reform experiences in Tanzania and Zambia are discussed in Chapter Four. Kenya and Tanzania share a historical past, use the same top- down model of education reforms but operate on two opposite ideological leanings, which makes the approaches to educational reforms striking. Chapter Five deals with internal efficiency of the new educational system; school quality and inequality are handled together with issues relating to the financing of education. Wastage and repetition as manifestations of educational inefficiency are highlighted. External efficiency is examined in Chapter Six and the need for new approaches to educational planning and the need for coordination of post-secondary training to avoid duplication of training and over supply are stressed. In conclusion it is suggested that the Kenya reforms are unlikely to go beyond what other developing countries have experienced especially with regard to rural-urban migration which can only be contained through structural changes in the economy to support curriculum changes.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Masters) |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB2361 Curriculum |
| Divisions: | Africana |
| Depositing User: | Geoffrey Obatsa |
| Date Deposited: | 26 Sep 2016 08:23 |
| Last Modified: | 26 Sep 2016 08:25 |
| URI: | http://thesisbank.jhia.ac.ke/id/eprint/1005 |
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |