THE CHILDREN'S EDUCATION FOUNDATION

Education in the unofficial settlements of Nairobi

Some 36% of Nairobi's population live in unofficial settlements unrecognised by government, meaning that there is no requirement to provide schooling. In response local teachers often set-up Low-Cost Private Schools (LCPS) in order to provide education to their community.

Problems Faced by Low-Cost Private Schools

School Fee Collection:

School fees are typically $20-$50 per term but the collection rates are usually only 60%-70%. This is for a number of reasons:

Parents are simply unable to afford the school termly fees.

Parents under financial pressure attempt to avoid paying their fees by producing fake bank transfer receipts.

Parents give their children cash to give to their teachers but the money never reaches the school bank account.

This means the schools frequently struggle to pay teachers in full and on-time each month, and have no funds to invest in classroom facilities, teacher training or educational materials.

Text Books and Learning Resources:

Due to lack of funding the schools are unable to provide proper learning resources for the students. With the new Kenyan curriculum these schools are in need of new textbooks, ICT and science labs. The lack of learning resources puts the teachers at a profound disadvantage as they attempt to prepare the children for their national examinations which they need for secondary school entry.

Food and Water:

Schools struggle to afford proper feeding programmes meaning that either the parents pay for breakfast porridge and rice & beans for lunch, or the child simply goes hungry. At the poorest schools we work with many of the children have no food at all during the school day meaning they struggle to concentrate and often fall asleep as their bodies conserve energy. Additionally, these schools typically cook on an open fire in small premises with no proper ventilation, and the smoke generated is extremely harmful to the cooks and students alike. One of the schools we are helping, Shining Bright Minds, was about to be closed down by health inspectors before we installed a fuel-efficient stove with a proper smoke flue. This inexpensive solution was a small price to pay for keeping 1,300 children in primary school and is a reminder of how tenuous these schools existence really is.