IntroductionThe Nurturing Care Framework (NCF) describes “nurturing care” as the ability of nations and communities to support caregivers and provide an environment that ensures children's good health and nutrition, protects them from threats, and provides opportunities for early learning through responsive and emotionally supportive interaction. We assessed the extent to which Kenyan government policies address the components of the NCF and explored policy/decision makers' views on policy gaps and emerging issues.MethodsA search strategy was formulated to identify policy documents focusing on early childhood development (ECD), health and nutrition, responsive caregiving, opportunities for early learning and security and safety, which are key components of the NCF. We limited the search to policy documents published since 2010 when the Kenya constitution was promulgated and ECD functions devolved to county governments. Policy/decision-maker interviews were also conducted to clarify emerging gaps from policy data. Data was extracted, coded and analyzed based on the components of the NCF. Framework analysis was used for interview data with NCF being the main framework of analysis. The Jaccard's similarity coefficient was used to assess similarities between the themes being compared to further understand the challenges, successes and future plans of policy and implementation under each of the NCF domains.Results127 policy documents were retrieved from government e-repository and county websites. Of these, n = 91 were assessed against the inclusion criteria, and n = 66 were included in final analysis. The 66 documents included 47 County Integrated Development Plans (CIDPs) and 19 national policy documents. Twenty policy/decision-maker interviews were conducted. Analysis of both policy and interview data reveal that, while areas of health and nutrition have been considered in policies and county level plans (coefficients >0.5), the domains of early learning, responsive caregiving and safety and security face significant policy and implementation gaps (coefficients ≤ 0.5), particularly for the 0–3 year age group. Inconsistencies were noted between county level implementation plans and national policies in areas such as support for children with disabilities and allocation of budget to early learning and nutrition domains.ConclusionFindings indicate a strong focus on nutrition and health with limited coverage of responsive caregiving and opportunities for early learning domains. Therefore, if nurturing care goals are to be achieved in Kenya, policies are needed to support current gaps identified with urgent need for policies of minimum standards that provide support for improvements across all Nurturing Care Framework domains.

Replication Data for: Preprimary Education and Early Childhood Development: Evidence from Government Schools in Rural Kenya by Pamela Jakiela, Owen Ozier, Lia C. H. Fernald, and Heather A. Knauer Stata format

Education for Marginalized Children in Kenya (EMACK) is an initiative of the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) and is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The original EMACK project was initiated in 2006 to increase quality educational opportunities for pre-primary, primary, and lower secondary school children who had been historically marginalized by cultural practices and poverty in Coast Province (CP), North Eastern Province (NEP), and informal settlements of Nairobi. From 2006 to 2012, as a part of the EMACK project, AKF developed and implemented a package of interventions focused on learner engagement and achievement at the classroom level in order to improve learning outcomes and learner transitions from pre-primary to lower secondary school. By 2012, EMACK had reached 767 informal and formal schools in 23 districts across Nairobi, CP, and NEP, benefitting nearly 425,000 people, including 400,000 children (215,426 boys and 183,706 girls), 4,000 teachers, and 11,000 orphans and vulnerable children. In 2012 EMACK refocused its interventions towards building improved readiness of children (before and as they enter primary school) and ensuring schools, especially the lower primary standards (standards 1 through 3) are ready to support children’s learning and development. This refocus, EMACK II, complements the USAID education strategy (April 2011 – 2015) and has been developed by AKF in collaboration with USAID. The overall goal of the re-aligned EMACK II (Oct 2012-Sept 2014) program is to “enhance equitable access and improve learning outcomes in Kiswahili, English and Mathematics for children in primary grades 1, 2 & 3. To achieve the re-aligned EMACK II goal, AKF identified the following four revised strategic objectives (SOs): Improved teaching and learning in Kiswahili, English and mathematics in primary grades1, 2 and 3 in target areas of CP, NEP and the informal settlements of Nairobi directly benefiting over 269,000 children attending 800 schools (formal and informal). Improved effectiveness, efficiency and accountability of school management, and improved parents’ and communities’ participation to support reading outcomes in primary grades1, 2 and 3 in CP, NEP and the informal settlements of Nairobi in 800 schools (formal and informal). Strengthened MOE delivery systems at the cluster and district levels to enhance learning outcomes in Kiswahili, English and mathematics in primary grades1, 2 and 3 at the national level, in 8 counties [4 in CP, 1 in Nairobi, and 3 in NEP], and in 28 districts [14 in CP, 2 in Nairobi, and 12 in NEP]. Increased equitable access to education for 120,000 children in crisis and conflict environments in specific areas of CP, NEP, and the informal settlements of Nairobi. AKF plans to achieve these through improving the quality of teaching and learning in the classroom, establishing a cadre of trained trainers, and education officials as well as increasing the engagement and participation of the parents and communities so they become more accountable, effective and efficient in providing sustained support to the lower primary (grades 1, 2 and 3) education.

Abstract

The Service Delivery Indicators (SDI) are a set of health and education indicators that examine the effort and ability of staff and the availability of key inputs and resources that contribute to a functioning school or health facility. The indicators are standardized allowing comparison between and within countries over time.

The Education SDIs include teacher effort, teacher knowledge and ability, and the availability of key inputs (for example, textbooks, basic teaching equipment, and infrastructure such as blackboards and toilets). The indicators provide a snapshot of the learning environment and the key resources necessary for students to learn.

Kenya's Service Delivery Indicators Education Survey was implemented in May-July 2012 by the Economic Policy Research Center and Kimetrica, in close coordination with the World Bank SDI team. The data were collected from a stratified random sample of 239 public and 67 private schools to provide a representative snapshot of the learning environment in both public and private schools. The survey assessed the knowledge of 1,679 primary school teachers, surveyed 2,960 teachers for an absenteeism study, and observed 306 grade 4 lessons. In addition, learning outcomes were measured for almost 3,000 grade 4 students.

Geographic coverage

National

Analysis unit

Schools, teachers, students.

Universe

All primary schools

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The sampling strategy for SDI surveys is designed towards attaining indicators that are accurate and representative at the national level, as this allows for proper cross-country (i.e. international benchmarking) and across time comparisons, when applicable. In addition, other levels of representativeness are sought to allow for further disaggregation (rural/urban areas, public/private facilities, subregions, etc.) during the analysis stage.

The sampling strategy for SDI surveys follows a multistage sampling approach. The main units of analysis are facilities (schools and health centers) and providers (health and education workers: teachers, doctors, nurses, facility managers, etc.). In the case of education, SDI surveys also aim to produce accurate information on grade four pupils’ performance through a student assessment. The multistage sampling approach makes sampling procedures more practical by dividing the selection of large populations of sampling units in a step-by-step fashion. After defining the sampling frame and categorizing it by stratum, a first stage selection of sampling units is carried out independently within each stratum. Often, the primary sampling units (PSU) for this stage are cluster locations (e.g. districts, communities, counties, neighborhoods, etc.) which are randomly drawn within each stratum with a probability proportional to the size (PPS) of the cluster (measured by the location’s number of facilities, providers or pupils). Once locations are selected, a second stage takes place by randomly selecting facilities within location (either with equal probability or with PPS) as secondary sampling units. At a third stage, a fixed number of health and education workers and pupils are randomly selected within facilities to provide information for the different questionnaire modules.

Detailed information about the specific sampling process conducted for the 2012 Kenya Education SDI is available in the SDI Country Report (“SDI-Report-Kenya”) included as part of the documentation that accompanies these datasets.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

The SDI Education Survey Questionnaire consists of six modules:

Module 1: School Information - Administered to the head of the school to collect information on school type, facilities, school governance, pupil numbers, and school hours. It includes direct observations of school infrastructure by enumerators.

Module 2a: Teacher Absence and Information - Administered to the headteacher and individual teachers to obtain a list of all school teachers, to measure teacher absence, and to collect information on teacher characteristics.

Module 2b: Teacher Absence and Information - Unannounced visit to the school to assess the absence rate.

Module 3: School Finances - Administered to the headteacher to collect information on school finances (this data is unharmonized)

Module 4: Classroom Observation - An observation module to assess teaching activities and classroom conditions.

Module 5: Pupil Assessment - A test of pupils to have a measure of pupil learning outcomes in mathematics and language in grade four. The test is carried out orally and one-on-one with each student by the enumerator.

Module 6: Teacher Assessment - A test of teachers covering mathematics and language subject knowledge and teaching skills.

Cleaning operations

Data entry was done using CSPro; quality control was performed in Stata.

Sampling error estimates

At the national level, an anticipated standard error of 1.6 percentage points for absenteeism, and 4.4 percentage points for pupil literacy were calculated. At the county level, an anticipated standard error of 3.1 percent for absenteeism and 9.0 percent for literacy were estimated.

BackgroundGlobally, 350 million under-5s do not have adequate childcare. This may damage their health and development and undermine societal and economic development. Rapid urbanization is changing patterns of work, social structures, and gender norms. Parents, mainly mothers, work long hours for insecure daily wages. To respond to increasing demand, childcare centers have sprung up in informal settlements. However, there is currently little or no support to ensure they provide safe, nurturing care accessible to low-income families. Here, we present the process of co-designing an intervention, delivered by local government community health teams to improve the quality of childcare centers and ultimately the health and development of under-5 children in informal settlements in Kenya.MethodsThis mixed methods study started with a rapid mapping of the location and basic characteristics of all childcare centers in two informal settlements in Nairobi. Qualitative interviews were conducted with parents and grandparents (n = 44), childcare providers, and community health teams (n = 44). A series of 7 co-design workshops with representatives from government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), community health teams, and childcare providers were held to design the intervention. Questionnaires to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of community health volunteers (n = 22) and childcare center providers (n = 66) were conducted.ResultsIn total, 129 childcare centers were identified −55 in Korogocho and 77 in Viwandani. School-based providers dominated in Korogocho (73%) while home-based centers were prevalent in Viwandani (53%). All centers reported minimal support from any organization (19% supported) and this was particularly low among home-based (9%) and center-based (14%) providers. Home-based center providers were the least likely to be trained in early childhood development (20%), hence the co-designed intervention focused on supporting these centers. All co-design stakeholders agreed that with further training, community health volunteers were well placed to support these informal centers. Findings showed that given the context of informal settlements, support for strengthening management within the centers in addition to the core domains of WHO's Nurturing Care Framework was required as a key component of the intervention.ConclusionImplementing a co-design process embedded within existing community health systems and drawing on the lived experiences of childcare providers and parents in informal settlements facilitated the development of an intervention with the potential for scalability and sustainability. Such interventions are urgently needed as the number of home-based and small center-based informal childcare centers is growing rapidly to meet the demand; yet, they receive little support to improve quality and are largely unregulated. Childcare providers, and government and community health teams were able to co-design an intervention delivered within current public community health structures to support centers in improving nurturing care. Further research on the effectiveness and sustainability of support to private and informal childcare centers in the context of low-income urban neighborhoods is needed.

Abstract

African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) had from 2005 to 2010, conducted a longitudinal survey in two formal settlements (Harambee and Jericho) and two informal (slum) settlements (Korogocho and Viwandani) in Nairobi to understand the uptake and patterns of school enrolment after the introduction of the Free Primary Education (FPE) in Kenya. The results of the study showed increased utilization of private informal schools among slum households as compared to the formal settlements.

That is, by 2010, almost two thirds of pupils in the slum settlements were enrolled in private informal schools while in Harambee and Jericho, more than three quarters of the pupils were enrolled in government primary schools with the remaining portion attending high-end private schools.

In 2012, ERP conducted a cross-sectional survey across six major urban centers to investigate, within the context of FPE, if the pattern of school enrolment observed in Korogocho and Viwandani slums could also be observed in other urban slums in Kenya. Below are some key facts from this study. Data is manly disaggregated by school type - government schools (FPE schools), and non-government schools, specifically the formal private schools and low-cost schools.

The study tried to answer four broad questions: What is the impact of free primary education (FPE) on schooling patterns among poor households in urban slums in Kenya? What are the qualitative and quantitative explanations of the observed patterns? Is there a difference in achievement measured by performance in a standardized test on literacy and numeracy administered to pupils in government schools under FPE and non-government schools?

Geographic coverage

Kenya - in six urban slums of Nairobi spread across 6 towns - Nairobi, Mombasa, Nyeri, Eldoret, Nakuru and Kisumu. In total 5854 households and 230 schools were covered.

Analysis unit

A cross-sectional survey focusing on households with individuals aged between 5 and 19, as well as schools and pupils in grades 3 and 6. Data therefore exits at household, individuals, schools and student levels.

Universe

This is a cross sectional study that was conducted in seven slum sites spread across six towns namely Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret, Nakuru and Nyeri and targetted hoseholds with individuals aged between 5 and 19 years and schools located within the study site or within a 1KM radius. For the schools to be included in the study they had to have both grade 3 and 6, which were target grades for this study.

Sampling procedure

This was a cross-sectional study involving schools and households. The study covered six purposively selected major towns (Eldoret, Kisumu, Mombasa, Nairobi, Nakuru and Nyeri) in different parts of Kenya (see Map 1) to provide case studies that could lead to a broader understanding of what is happening in urban informal settlements. The selection of a town was informed by presence of informal settlements and its administrative importance, that is, provincial headquarter or regional business hub. A three-stage cluster sampling procedure was used to select households in all towns with an exception of Nairobi. At the first stage, major informal settlement locations were identified in each of the six towns. The informal settlement sites were identified based on enumeration areas (EAs) designated as slums in the 2009 National Population and Housing Census conducted by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS). After identifying all slum EAs in each of the study towns, the location with the highest number of EAs designated as slum settlements was selected for the study. At the second stage of sampling, 20% of EAs within each major slum location were randomly selected. However, in Nakuru we randomly selected 67% (10) EAs while in Nyeri all available 9 EAs were included in the sample. This is because these two towns had fewer EAs and therefore the need to oversample to have a representative number of EAs. In total, 101 EAs were sampled from the major slum locations across the five towns. At the third stage, all households in the sampled EAs were listed using the 2009 census' EA maps prepared by KNBS. During the listing, 10,388 households were listed in all sampled EAs. Excluding Nairobi, 4,042 (57%) households which met the criteria of having at least one school-going child aged 5-20 years were selected for the survey. In Nairobi, 50% of all households which had at least one school-going child aged between 5 and 20 years were randomly sampled from all EAs existing in APHRC schooling data collected in 2010. A total of 3,060 households which met the criteria were selected. The need to select a large sample of households in Nairobi was to enable us link data from the current study with previous ones that covered over 6000 households in Korogocho and Viwandani. By so doing, we were able to get a representative sample of households in Nairobi to continue observing the schooling patterns longitudinally. In all, there were 7,102 eligible households in all six towns. A total of 14,084 individuals within the target age bracket living in 5,854 (82% of all eligible households) participated in the study. The remaining 18% of eligible households were not available for the interview as most of them had either left the study areas, declined the interview, or lacked credible respondents in the household at the time of the data collection visit or call back.

For the school-based survey, schools in each town were listed and classified into three groups based on their location: (i) within the selected slum location; (ii) within the catchment area of the selected slum area - about 1 km radius from the border of the study locations; and (iii) away from a selected slum. In Nairobi, schools were selected from existing APHRC data. During the listing exercise, lists of schools were also obtained from Municipality/City Education Departments in selected towns. The lists were used to counter-check the information obtained during listing. All schools located within the selected slum areas and those situated within the catchment area (1 km radius from the border of the slum) were included in the sample as long as they had a grade 6 class or intended to have one in 2012. The selection of schools within an informal settlement and those located within 1 km radius was because they were more likely to be accessed by children from the target informal settlement. Two hundred and forty-five (245) schools met the selection criteria and were included in the sample. Two hundred and thirty (230) primary schools (89 government schools, 94 formal private, and 47 low-cost schools) eventually participated in the survey. A total of 7,711 grade 3, 7,319 grade 6 pupils and 671 teachers of the same grades were reached and interviewed. All 230 head teachers (or their deputies) were interviewed on school characteristics.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]; Focus groups; Assessment; Filming (classroom observation).

Research instrument

Five survey questionnaires were administered at household level:

(i). An individual schooling history questionnaire was administered to individuals aged 5 - 20. The questionnaire was directly administered to individuals aged 12 - 20 and administered to a proxy for children younger than 12 years. Ideally, the proxy was the child's parent or guardian, or an adult familiar with the individual's schooling history and who usually resides in the same household. The questionnaire had two main sections: school participation for the current year (year of interview), and school participation for the five years preceding the year of interview (i.e. 2007 to 2011). The section on schooling participation on the current year collected information on the schooling status of the individual, the type, name and location of the school that the individual was attending, grade, and whether the individual had changed schools or dropped out of school in the current year. Respondents also provided information on the reasons for changing schools and dropping out of school, where applicable. The section on school participation for previous years also collected similar information. The questionnaire also collected information on the individual's year of birth and when they joined grade one.

(ii). A household schedule questionnaire was administered to the household head or the spouse. It sought information on the members of the household, their relationship to the household head, their gender, age, education and parental survivorship.

(iii). A parental/guardian perception questionnaire was administered to the household head or the parent/guardian of the child. It collected information on the parents/guardians' perceptions on Free Primary Education since its implementation, household support to school where child(ren) attends and household schooling decision.

(iv). A parental/guardian involvement questionnaire was strictly administered to a parent or guardian who usually lives in the household and who was equipped with adequate knowledge of the individual's schooling information (i.e. credible respondent). The questionnaire was completed for each individual of the targeted age bracket (5-20 years). The information on the child comprised questions on the gender of the child, parental/guardian aspirations for the child's educational attainment, and parental beliefs about the child's ability in school and their chances of achieving the aspired level.

(v). A household amenities and livelihood questionnaire was administered to the household head or the spouse or a member of the household who could give reliable information. The questionnaire collected information on duration of stay in the

Changing The Way We Care (CTWWC), launched in 2018, is an initiative designed to promote safe, nurturing family care for children. This includes reforming national systems of care for children, including family strengthening, family reintegration, preventing unnecessary child-family separation, development of alternative family-based care, and influencing and promoting family strengthening and care with other actors around the globe. CTWWC implements within a context of growing global interest in family care and care reform and as a result of an increased understanding that residential care of children is a significant problem that will be best addressed through collaboration between national, regional, and global stakeholders to develop care systems that strengthen families, prevent family separation, and promote family-based alternative care options. In 2021, a household survey was implemented as part of CTWWC’s Year 3 Review. It was designed to address the following research questions: 1. What aspects of family strengthening support do caregivers think have affected (negatively and positively) their ability to care and provide for their children? 2. What proportion of children and caregivers report selected protective factors in their life? 3. What proportion of children at risk of separation from their families, as well as children and young people who have been reunified or placed in family-based care or in independent living, are experiencing positive well-being?

Abstract

This was a prospective population based study comparing education outcomes and education services among slum and non-slum settlements in Nairobi. The study was being conducted in two slum settlements of Korogocho and Viwandani, and two non-slum settlements of Jericho and Harambee. Korogocho is situated within Korogocho administrative location, Viwandani in Viwandani administrative location, and Jericho and Harambee in Makadara administrative location. The study identified households who had children aged between 5 and 19 years old and living within the boundaries of the study sites. The households were followed untl 2010. New households fitting the inclusion criteria were enrolled each year, while the upper age limit increased by a single year for each additional year. By 2010, the study wa following about 16400 individuals aged bewteen 5 and 24 years. The study targetted also schools where the idenfied pupils attended. Several questionnaires were administered and included schooling history to capture schooling information for the current schooling years and 5 years backwards. Afterwards, an update questionnaire was introduced to capture prospective schooling information. The second questionnaire captured information from the parents on their perceptions towards free primary education and support for their children schooling. In addition, individuals who were 12 years and above responded to a behvaior questionnaires. In the schools, a school characteristics questionniare was administred.

The objectives of the ERP I were:

· What is the impact of free primary education on school enrolment patterns and dropout rates among urban slum and non-slum children?

· What factors are associated with school participation (enrolment, attendance, repetition, performance and dropout) among urban slum and non-slum children?

· What are the (causal) linkages between school participation and the onset and extent of indulgence in risky behaviors in children?

Geographic coverage

Two slums of Nairobi (Korogocho and Viwandani) and two non-slums of Nairobi (Harambee and Jericho)

Analysis unit

1. HOUSEHOLDS

2. INDIVIDUALS WITHIN THE AGE OF STUDY. AVERAGE OF 2.7 INDIVIDIDUALS PER HOUSEHOLD

3. SCHOOLS

Universe

The data covers individuals aged 5 and 19 years in 2005 who were by 2010 aged between 5 and 24 years. It also covered primary schools within Nairobi, where majority of the pupils were reported to be enrolled.

Sampling procedure

Selection of study sites

Using the Kenya 1999 housing and population census, and the 1997 Welfare Monitoring Survey III collected by the Central Bureau of Statistics (Government of Kenya 2000), all the 49 locations of Nairobi were ranked into five groups according to the percentage of the population below the poverty line. NUHDSS slum locations of both Viwandani and Korogocho were in the poorest percentile (ranked 48th and 44th, respectively). Those in the richest quintile were excluded because most children in the wealthy communities go to formal private schools which are scattered all over the city. The majority of the locations in the 4th quintile have a mixture of formal and informal settlement features. In order to have a formal residential area in the middle income category where most children are likely to go to public schools, three locations were explored in the second quintile (i.e. the second richest set of locations). During discussion of the project's design, participants, who were mainly Kenyans with comprehensive knowledge of the areas, recommended carrying out the study in Bahati, as opposed to Umoja or Kariokor, the other locations in the second quintile. APHRC researchers visited the three communities to assess their suitability as a comparison site for the project. Bahati (Harambee and Jericho) was chosen because it is relatively stable, is mostly inhabited by middle-income parents with school-going children who mostly go to public schools in the area. In Bahati, 26% of the population lived below the poverty line while in Korogocho and Viwandani, the corresponding percentages were 60% and 76%, respectively. Having Bahati as the comparison area was therefore to enable the study to assess factors affecting schooling among some relatively poor households that did not reside in slum settlements.

Sampling of households

All households included in the NUHDSS database and with individuals aged between 5 and 19 years in 2005 were included in the study. thereafter they were followed until 2010. In between those who entered into the system or reach the aged of 5 years were also included and followed prospectively.

Sampling of schools

Schools were the pupils under serveillance were reported to be enrolled formed part of the sampling frame for schools. The inclusion criteria for the schools survey was that the school should be located within Nairobi and that it should have a minimum of five pupils in oyr household survey enrolled in it.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]; FGD

Research instrument

The Questionnaires

The questionnaires hereafter are referred to as modules. There are several modules since the beginning of the education project:

1) Household module

2) Primary school module

3) Parent guardian module

4) Education child update (schooling history) module

5) Child school status update questionnaire

6) Education child update module

7) Primary school questionnaire

8) Child Behavior Questionnaire

9) Supplementary primary school module

The household module

The household module served as a starting point of the interview. It identified the respondent's household. The module was administered to the owner of the household or any other adult who was credible and who usually lives in the household. It served to identify individual households and its occupants and thus served as a basis for the other modules to be administered. It contains a complete list of the household members and some basic information on age, sex, parental survivorship, education, and labor force participation.

For each of the household, information on water source and trash disposal methods, type of toilet facility used by the household, materials for the house (roof, floor, and walls), fuel for lighting and cooking, and ownership of assets was collected.

The Primary schools module:

This module serves to generate indicators on schooling participation. The module is meant for headmasters or teachers knowledgeable enough to provide information on the school. It comprises of the following sections:

Background

This serves to identify the name of the school, the date and time of the interview and the location of the school.

Particulars of respondent

This section of the module collected information on the respondent and establishes the respondent's full names, position held by respondent in the school and how long the respondent has been working in the school.

School background

This section sets to establish whether the school is registered, if registered under which ministry the school is registered(ministry of culture or ministry of education), its registration number, the type of curriculum followed by the school and the management of the school. The understanding is that the name of the school being used maybe different from the one under which the school is registered. The information is important especially if we are to link the school to the Ministry of Education or Ministry of Culture records. This information will most probably be obtained from the school records (if they exist).

School facilities

This section sets to collect information on the school facilities, such as textbooks provided by the school to the pupils in each grade they include Mathematics, Science ,Kiswahili and English, a library, science lab for pupils use ,a playground for outdoor sports pupils use and inventory of all school's equipment e.g. desks. For purposes of this project, a library is considered to be a room which has reference books where pupils can go to read.

This section also offers information on the school ownership of a toilet facility for use by the pupils and whether there are separate toilets provided for boys and girls. It also offers information on the school's water source and the availability of electricity in the school.

In addition the module in this section probes the respondent on whether the inspector of schools has visited the school in the current schooling year and requests for the date and year of visit. The inspector of school is from the City Council education department or from the Ministry of Education.

Enrollment for the current school year

Enrollment refers to children who are current registered for specific grades/classes in the school.

The objective of this section is to provide information on the number of boys and girls in each of the streams in the school in the current school year. It also sets to establish whether there were any pupils who were turned away during enrollment in the current year and the approximate number of pupils who were turned away from enrolling in the school.

Expenditure on schooling

The module here asks questions on the school fee structure, it seeks to establish whether the pupils are required to pay fees and how much (Kenya shillings) they pay for the following: tuition, construction fund, Parents Teachers Association (PTA), extra classes, examination fees, school meals and other items.

This was required to be filled for all grades in the school and whether paid annually, termly, monthly and weekly.

It also provides information on whether the pupils are required to wear uniform in order to be allowed in class and the source of purchase of the

Kenya KE: Children Out of School: % of Primary School Age data was reported at 16.881 % in 2012. This records a decrease from the previous number of 21.129 % for 2009. Kenya KE: Children Out of School: % of Primary School Age data is updated yearly, averaging 28.706 % from Dec 1999 (Median) to 2012, with 12 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 38.687 % in 2002 and a record low of 16.881 % in 2012. Kenya KE: Children Out of School: % of Primary School Age data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Kenya – Table KE.World Bank.WDI: Education Statistics. Children out of school are the percentage of primary-school-age children who are not enrolled in primary or secondary school. Children in the official primary age group that are in preprimary education should be considered out of school.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of youth population) in Kenya was reported at 18.73 % in 2021, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Kenya - Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Background Nutrition and stimulation interventions may promote early childhood development, but little is known about the long-term benefits of such interventions, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. We now conducted a follow-up study on a cluster-randomized maternal education trial that was conducted when their children were 6–8 months old, to assess the sustainability of the developmental benefits eight years after the intervention. Methods and findings The intervention consisted of education in nutrition, hygiene, oral sanitation and child stimulation. In the current study, we assessed child processing and cognitive abilities using the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children Second Edition (KABC-II) and attention and inhibitory control using the Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA). Using Stata version 17.0, t-tests and multi-level regression were employed to compare scores from KABC-II and TOVA tests in the two study groups adjusting for clustering effect. The data were analyzed by intention-to-treat. The original trial included 511 mother-child pairs (intervention n=263, control n=248), whereas in the current study, 361 (71%; intervention n=185, control n=176) pairs were available for analyses. The intervention group scored higher than the controls (all P-values<0.001) on all five KABC-II sub-scales, as well as on the KABC-II global score (mean difference: 14, 95% CI: 12–16; P<0.001). Furthermore, for all five TOVA variables, the intervention group scored higher than the controls in both the visual and auditory tasks (all P-values <0.05). The main limitation is that we were unable to determine the exact individual contribution of each component (nutrition, hygiene and stimulation) of the intervention to the developmental benefits since they were all delivered as a combined package. Conclusions The intervention group consistently scored markedly higher on both psychometric tests. Thus, even eight years after the original maternal education intervention, the developmental benefits that we observed at child age of one, two and three years, were sustained. Methods The data was collected through field-work where we approached the study participants in their home communitites. We then cleaned the data, analyzed them statistically and finally interpretated the findings. More details can be found in the Method-section of the paper.

School age population, secondary education, both sexes (number) in Kenya was reported at 7686730 Persons in 2020, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Kenya - Population of the official age for secondary education, both sexes - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Contains data from the World Bank's data portal. There is also a consolidated country dataset on HDX.

Education is one of the most powerful instruments for reducing poverty and inequality and lays a foundation for sustained economic growth. The World Bank compiles data on education inputs, participation, efficiency, and outcomes. Data on education are compiled by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Institute for Statistics from official responses to surveys and from reports provided by education authorities in each country.

Abstract

1.1 Preambule

This study was funded by Google.org. The study began in 2008 and will end in 2011. Field work was done between May and July 2009 for the first round and February and March 2010 for the second round. The purpose of this field report is (1) to document how the data was collected; (2) to act as a reference to those who will be writing scientific papers, processing, and analyzing the data; and (30 consolidate the findings for purposes of sharing with key stakeholders including teachers and Ministry of Education. The report has five sections: Section 1 presents the study background. Section two presents data collection issues. Section three outlines the district and individual school reports. Section four captures the challenges experienced. Section five outlines the lessons learnt and recommendations for future classroom-based studies.

1.2 Purpose of the study

The purpose of this study was to examine the teaching process and generate information relevant to objective policy advice on the quality of teaching and learning. The intention is that by sharing the evidence generated by this study with policy makers, it is hoped that it will lead to the improvement of the quality of teaching in primary schools in Kenya. It sought to understand whether classroom interactions, including how aspects such as 'Opportunity to Learn' explain learning achievement.

1.3 Research questions guiding the study

The following are the main research questions guiding the study. However, the data collected is rich on teaching practice information and will make it possible to answer several other research questions.

a). What are the differences and similarities in teaching practice among teachers in high and low performance schools?

b). Does the observed teaching practice explain student achievement?

c). Do teacher attributes explain student's learning achievement?

d). What policy recommendations on teaching practices can improve the quality of teaching in primary education?

Based on the guiding research questions, the following research papers have been conceptualized and are being finalized for publication as publicly available and accessible APHRC Working Papers.

a) Do teachers who have a good understanding of maths demonstrate better teaching practice in the classrooms?

b) Does teaching practice explain differences in learner achievement in low and high performing schools?

c) Social relations as predictors of achievement in maths in Kenya primary schools.

Other questions that the data may help to answer

a) Do opportunities to learn (measured by teacher absenteeism, curriculum completion, and bullying and class size) explain learning gains.

b) To what extent do student characteristics, classroom sitting arrangements and classroom participation explain learning gains?

c) Assess whether female and male teachers differ in mathematics teaching and content knowledge, and whether this is reflected in pupils' mathematics performance.

Geographic coverage

Six districts in Kenya: Embu, Nairobi, Gucha, Garissa, Muranga and Baringo and 12 schools in each district

Analysis unit

Pupils

Schools

Universe

Grade 6 pupils in the selected schools, the headteacher and Math, English and Science Teachers

Sampling procedure

The target was districts that had consistently perfomed at the bottom, middle and top for 5 consective years. The selection of the best and poor performing districts and schools, the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) results of the last five years available were used to rank districts (nationally) and schools (at district level). School performance in national examinations (a proxy indicator for student achievement) in Kenya varies by geographical and ecological regions of the country. Based on the distribution of school mean scores in a district, schools were categorized as low performing and high performing schools in any given year.

Specifically, six districts in Kenya, two that have consistently been ranked in the bottom 10% of the KCPE examinations over the past 4 years, two that have been consistently ranked within the middle 20% and another two that have consistently been ranked in the top 10% over the same period were selected for the study. A total of 72 schools, 12 in each of the six districts were randomly selected for the study. The schools selected for the study included six that had consistently been ranked in the bottom 20%, and six that had consistently been ranked in the top 20%. A further selection criterion for the schools ensured a mix of rural, peri-urban and urban schools in the sample. While taking a national representation in to account, the sample size was influenced by resource availability.

In the selected schools, grade six pupils were included. In case of multi-streams one grade was randomly selected.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

Survey instruments:

· Head teacher questionnaire: This instrument solicited information on school management, staffing, enrolment and parental participation in school affairs, among others.

· Teacher questionnaire: This solicited for information on biodata, qualification and training, discipline and syllabus coverage. The questionnaire was administered to grade six Maths, English and Science teachers.

· Learner questionnaire: The questionnaire solicited information on social economic background of the grade six learners and the school environment. This questionnaire was administered to grade six pupils in the selected schools.

Assessment tools:

· Mathematics teacher assessment tool, for grade six math teachers.

· Learner mathematics assessment tool, for pupils in the selected grade six streams.

Classroom observation and checklist tools:

· Classroom observation checklist: The checklist solicited information on availability of relevant textbooks, teacher and student made teaching and learning materials, other teaching resources, enrolment, learner absenteeism and lesson preparation.

· Opportunity to Learn (OTL) form: This form collected information from grade six exercise books that a learner used between January and November 2009. The information collected included date when the lesson was taught, and the main topic and subtopic as defined in grade six subject syllabus. In the absence of a main topic or subtopic, some contents of the lesson were recorded. These were later to be matched with main topic and subtopic from the s

Cleaning operations

Data editing took place at a number of stages throughout the processing, including:

a) Office editing and coding

b) During data entry

c) Structure checking and completeness

d) Secondary editing

Response rate

Total of 72 schools, all the head teachers interviwed, 2436 pupils, 213 teachers

A seven-year randomized evaluation suggests education subsidies reduce adolescent girls' dropout, pregnancy, and marriage but not sexually transmitted infection (STI). The government's HIV curriculum, which stresses abstinence until marriage, does not reduce pregnancy or STI. Both programs combined reduce STI more, but cut dropout and pregnancy less, than education subsidies alone. These results are inconsistent with a model of schooling and sexual behavior in which both pregnancy and STI are determined by one factor (unprotected sex), but consistent with a two-factor model in which choices between committed and casual relationships also affect these outcomes. This data was collected as a part of the study "Education, HIV, and Early Fertility: Experimental Evidence from Kenya." Details on sample construction and data collection for this survey data can be found in the paper. The 2012 version of the paper is available here: http://www.stanford.edu/~pdupas/DDK_EducFertHIV.pdf. Note that all sections of data collected for the study are not currently available and will be released in the future.

Abstract

Abstract Over the years, Kenya has made progress in promoting gender access, equality, and equity in education through policy and legislative reforms that target empowerment for effective participation and contribution to national development. The overall outcome of this is increased representation of women in various institutions. However, evidence indicates that women continue to face systemic barriers and challenges that inhibit fair access, equality, and equity in education. Some of these challenges emanate from shortcomings in the education system; such as the curriculum, teacher training, and ineffective pedagogical approaches that consequently exacerbate the systemic barriers and challenges faced by women and girls. There is a dearth of empirical evidence on gender mainstreaming practices being implemented in classrooms in Kenya as part of efforts to promote gender access, equality, and equity in education. Therefore to address the research gap, this exploratory study seeks to examine three issues: 1) how gender mainstreaming practices are implemented in the teacher training programs; 2) how gender mainstreaming is practiced in primary and secondary classrooms in Kenya (pedagogy, instruction, and interactions), and 3) to explore how the basic education curriculum implementation promotes gender equity. We will utilize a mixed-methods sequential exploratory design to explore the effect of observed gender mainstreaming practices in classrooms, teacher-training programs, and in the basic education curriculum as well as the relationships between the aspects. Data for the study will consist of both qualitative (focus group discussion, key informant interviews) and quantitative (institutional questionnaire, assessments, classroom observations). The data will be collected at the school level (250), as well as among education managers at both county and national education offices. The data analysis is expected to generate evidence on the impact of gender mainstreaming practices on learners' outcomes in Math, English, and Sciences as well as a deep understanding of the nature of the gender mainstreaming practices. The study will provide implications and recommendations for effective gender mainstreaming policies and practice responses.

Geographic coverage

National coverage covering 10 counties (Busia, Garissa, Mandera, Marsabit, Tana River, Turkana, Samburu, Wajir, Nairobi, and West Pokot)

Analysis unit

The unit of analysis for the institutional questionnaire was the schools The unit of analysis for the student questionnaires was the students The unit of analysis for the classroom observation rubric was the class The unit of analysis for the teacher training college tutor knowledge skills and attitude survey was the tutor The unit of analysis for the teacher trainee knowledge skills and attitude survey was the teacher trainee

Universe

10 counties in Kenya comprised of 9 counties with the highest rates of child poverty and Nairobi county because it has high concentration of informal urban settlements.

Sampling procedure

Sampling Procedures and Participants Primary data was collected from students in pre-primary, primary, and secondary schools (mixed gender day schools) (primary grade 6, and secondary form 2), in-service teachers, headteachers and principals, pre-service teachers, teacher training tutors/lecturers, county/national education curriculum support officers, and quality assurance officers, and officials at the Ministry of Education and the Teacher Service Commission. We targeted 250 schools (125 primary and 125 secondary) spread in 10 counties in Kenya with the highest rates of child poverty - above 60% (KNBS, 2018). The counties include (Busia, Garissa, Mandera, Marsabit, Tana River, Turkana, Samburu, Wajir, Nairobi, and West Pokot). We chose these counties because children, girls in particular girls in these areas, encounter some form of marginalization, due to child poverty levels. Additionally, vulnerable boys and girls have diminished chances of access to inclusive education because they belong to schools that serve poor households in a low-resource context. Hence may require targeted actions in mainstreaming gender issues in education.

Our overall sampling strategy took into consideration school performance in the most recent national examinations - the Kenya Certificate for Primary Education (KCPE) for primary schools and Kenya Certificate for Secondary Education (KCSE) for secondary schools. In particular, we grouped schools into three categories based on their performance - low, medium, and high performing. In each of the 10 counties, primary, and secondary schools were listed according to the league tables (best performing to worst performer). Thereafter, we created quintiles with schools falling in the lower two (40%) quintiles constituting low performing schools; those in the 3rd quintile forming the middle performing schools; while those in the upper two quintiles (top 40%) forming the best performing category. A similar procedure was followed to identify day secondary schools - day secondary schools admit the majority of students and are located in almost all parts of the country/county). After our sample size was identified, they were proportionately distributed in the three groupings taking the number of schools in a county into consideration.

Out of the 250 schools sampled for the study, 125 schools were sampled for classroom observations, that is, 62 primary and 63 secondary schools. At the primary school level, 21 observations in mathematics, 21 in science, and 20 in English were done. An equal distribution of 21 observations for mathematics, English, and science were done for secondary schools. We observed a total of 147 teachers. A further random selection was employed to distribute the science classroom observations at the secondary school level, translating to 7 observations each for physics, chemistry, and biology. An illustration of the classroom observation distribution is provided below. The grade to be observed in a subject was randomly selected, such that we had only one subject observed per school. In the case of secondary school where there are several science subjects, we focused on physics, biology, and chemistry. The subject observeded in a particular school was randomly selected. Once a subject was observeded in a selected school, it was not observeded in a subsequently selected school until all the other subjects in question were observed. It is worth noting that in Kenya, traditionally, girls perform better in English while boys perform better in Math). KNEC assessment data was collected from the school head teacher/principal for each of the observed grades. All head teachers and principals of selected schools responded to an institutional questionnaire. The questionnaire collected information on the school background, facilities, enrollment, schooling charges, staffing, and governance. Twenty (20) students from all selected schools and from the targeted grade (except in PP2) completed a student questionnaire that gathers information on individual student's background, homework engagement, school background, and subject choices

We conducted qualitative interviews that shed light on how the teacher-training curriculum responded to gender mainstreaming policies, gender-inclusive teaching practices inside the classroom, and strategies implemented by the Government and private sector to mainstream and promote gender issues in the curriculum. The KIIs targeted a total of 40 in-service teachers - 4 teachers in each county - categorized by type of school (public, private, day, boarding, primary, secondary, single/mixed gender; 6 pre-service tutors from 4 teacher training colleges (TTCs) and 2 Universities; 10 curriculum support officers and 10 quality assurance officers from each county; 2 officials from the Ministry of Education (Directorate for basic education and gender officer); and 1 official from the Teacher Service Commission (in-charge of teacher training). In addition, we conducted 6 FGDs with pre-service teachers from 4 TTCs. 10 FGDs were conducted with students - one in each county; five in primary schools (3 with girls and 2 with boys), and five in secondary schools (3 with boys and 2 with girls). Each FGD was held with 6 participants. The KII guides and FGD guides were pilot tested and revised accordingly to ensure the reliability and clarity of the tools. The KII and FGD guides were sent to the selected respondents before the interviews for familiarity purposes and adequate preparation for the actual interviews. The KIIs lasted a duration of up to 1 hour whereas the FGDs up to 2 hours.

Sampling deviation

N/A

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

Institutional questionnaire: targeting School heads/administrators in each of the school sampled and collected data on school background information, school facilities, enrolment for the current school year, school charges, staffing, and governance.

Student questionnaires: targeting Grade 6 and Form 2 students in each of the sampled school and collected data on Student background information, social-economic status, homework, and homework support, choice of subjects, school environment, absenteeism, and extra tuition.

Classroom observation rubric: targeting PP2, grade 6 and Form 2 teachers and tutors in teacher training colleges (TTCs) and collected data on Gender and inclusion equitable practices in the classroom: language use, lesson planning, teaching, and learning materials, asking questions, group work, demonstration or practical lessons, feedback to students, classroom set up and

Feed the Future Northern Kenya Interim Survey in the Zone of Influence: This dataset contains records for all children under 5 years of age in the sampled households (n=1,435, vars=217).

Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 programmes, both sexes (number) in Kenya was reported at 10215 Persons in 2019, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Kenya - Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 programmes, both sexes - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

This dataset is produced from the randomized controlled trial (RCT), which was conducted to test for a causal impact of aflatoxin exposure on child growth. Participants were recruited from among households containing women in the last 5 months of pregnancy in 28 maize-growing villages within Meru and Tharaka-Nithi Counties in Kenya. Households in villages assigned to the intervention group are offered rapid testing of their stored maize for the presence of aflatoxin each month; any maize found to contain more than 10 ppb aflatoxin is replaced with an equal amount of maize that contains less than this concentration of the toxin. They are also offered the opportunity to buy maize that has been tested and found to contain less than 10 ppb aflatoxin at local shops. Clusters (villages) were allocated to the intervention group (28 villages containing 687 participating households) or control group (28 villages containing 536 participating households) using a random number generator. Data collection at baseline and follow-up were done at participants’ homes through face-to-face interviews. A pre-coded survey was administered to the expectant mother immediately after enrollment, her height and weight were measured, and self-reported month of pregnancy was recorded. Expectant mothers were also asked to provide a venous blood sample to be analyzed for serum aflatoxin. A similar survey was repeated during follow-up data collection at 24 months after enrollment. Participants enrolled in the fourth through sixth waves were additionally followed-up 24 months after the third enrollment wave. At each follow-up visit, the length and weight of the child in utero at baseline (reference child) were recorded, and a venous blood sample was taken from this child for serum aflatoxin analysis.