
Academic Gains In Private Schools Exaggerated – Report.
The debate in Kenya over the true value of private schooling is likely to heat up as new evidence suggests that academic gains associated with private primary schools are exaggerated.
Do Private Schools Improve Learning Outcomes?, a study led by the University of Cambridge, claims that they do.
After controlling for family background, evidence from Within-Household Comparisons in East Africa and South Asia published in November last year found no positive effect of private schooling in Kenya, Uganda, and other countries studied.
“We found that much of the performance difference between private and public schools was simply a reflection of the more advantaged family background of private school pupils, rather than of differences in school management or teaching practice, ” stated a study led by Pauline Rose, a professor of international education and the director of the University of Cambridge’s Research for Equitable Access and Learning Centre.
In this regard, questions are being raised as to why many poor Kenyan parents are willing to pay exorbitant fees to send their children to private primary schools when the average learning gains their children experience are modest and public primary education is free.
According to Kenya National Bureau of Statistics data, the number of private schools has steadily increased since the introduction of free primary education, rising from 6,839 in 2004 to 9,191 in 2020, accounting for roughly 30% of the total number of primary schools in the country.
But, in reality, what is unfolding is a complex interplay of issues involving parents, particularly those living in urban slums and other informal settlements, attempting to balance limited access to schooling facilities and the unfounded belief that private schools provide high-quality education.
Moses Oketch, a professor of international education, policy, and development at the Institute of Education, University College London, highlights the issue, arguing that, despite efforts to provide education for all, pockets of education exclusion remain.
He noted that, since the re-introduction of free primary education in 2003, there has been greater use of low-cost private schools due to a lack of public schooling facilities in urban slums and other informal settlements, where the majority of poor people live.
In this context, a study led by the University of Cambridge attributed parental choice of private schools not only to a perception of academic advantage in terms of expected high scores in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examination, but also to a variety of non-academic benefits such as proximity to their homes, security, local networks, and social status.
According to one of the researchers, Rob Gruijters, private schools were found to be more directly accountable to parents and even more responsive to their concerns than public schools.
Academic Gains In Private Schools Exaggerated – Report.