The US government has awarded Kenya Ksh3.2 billion through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to support the country’s education sector. According to a statement shared during President William Ruto’s third day of his visit to the US, the funds will be directed to the Ministry of Education for the Kenya Primary Literacy Program (KPLP).
The KPLP is designed to enhance educational activities and meet staff requirements for learners in grades one through three. A key focus of the program is to reintroduce digital literacy at the formative stages of schooling, aligning with the competency-based education curriculum.
The statement highlighted, “USAID intends to provide $24.5 million for the Kenya Primary Literacy Program (KPLP), a new nationwide early-grade literacy activity implemented in close partnership with Kenya’s Ministry of Education.”
Currently, there are 223,296 primary school teachers in Kenya. The new program aims to increase this number significantly, projecting a rise to 390,000 teachers by 2024.
This funding announcement comes shortly after the Ministry of Education initiated a comprehensive census to map all school facilities and collect students’ biometric data. The 2024 school census will encompass all learning institutions, including those providing basic education such as pre-primary, primary, junior, secondary schools, special needs education units, and all international schools. The census will also evaluate school facilities, staff, and equipment.
Amidst these developments, Kenya’s secondary school heads have raised concerns about the impact of delays in capitation releases on critical school activities. They have also reported challenges in paying suppliers, which they fear could compromise the quality of education, particularly in day secondary schools that rely entirely on capitation.
The Kenya National Union of Teachers has warned that school programs might come to a halt due to delayed disbursements and has demanded immediate release of funds to prevent a crisis in schools.
