The Republic of Kenya and the Republic of South Sudan present very different pictures when looking at how the two countries provide education for their children. Factors like money, political stability, and even traditions play a part in shaping the educational systems of the two countries.

Kenya

Below: a photo of Kenyan school children According to the CIA Factbook, Kenya’s national literacy rate was about 78% in 2015. The Kenyan government has made improving education a priority. Below: a photo of Kenyan school children

Above: School children in Mombasa, Kenya’s city at the coast. The Kenyan government has started a number of government programs for building schools and eliminating fees for the children who want to go to school. Kenya has a Ministry of Education whose motto is “Quality Education for Development.” Above: School children in Mombasa, Kenya’s city at the coast.

About 84% of Kenya’s school-age children attend elementary school About 84% of Kenya’s school-age children attend elementary school. The Ministry of Education instituted a “free education for all” program in 2003 which increased secondary enrollment from 46% to 67% between 2003 and 2012. Above: the school children of Thugunui https://wenr.wes.org/2015/06/education-kenya

Left: Thugunui school children Kenya currently spends about 5% of their national budget on education. They’ve also gotten some help from organizations like the United Nations and the World Bank to offer more educational opportunities to the Kenyan children. Left: Thugunui school children https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ke.html

Above: Kabarak University In recent years there has been a huge expansion of the higher education sector in Kenya. Where there were just five public universities in the country in 2005, in 2015 there were 22 with plans for as many as 20 new universities.  Along with growth in the number of universities has come huge growth in enrollments.  The latest enrollment figures for 2014 show that there were more than double the 2012 enrollment number. Above: Kabarak University https://wenr.wes.org/2015/06/education-kenya

Left: Female students in Kenya Unfortunately, the Kenyan literacy rate of 78% doesn’t show the gap that exists between boys and girls in Kenya. The literacy rate of boys is about 81%, while the rate for girls is 75%. The wide gap can be explained by several factors. Literacy and school attendance rates are higher in urban areas than in rural areas, but are still much lower for girls. Left: Female students in Kenya https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ke.html

Above: A traditional Kenyan Wedding Teachers in Kenya still have to work to get many rural families to see the importance of education for girls. The traditional view is that boys need education to get better jobs, but girls only need to prepare for marriage. Early marriages are very common in rural parts of Kenya, and a marriage brings a dowry to the bride’s family. A dowry is money or gifts the groom and his family gives to the bride and her parents as a wedding present. Above: A traditional Kenyan Wedding

South Sudan

South Sudan Since independence on 9 July 2011, South Sudan has struggled with good governance and nation building and has attempted to control opposition forces operating in its territory. In January 2012, the government shut down oil production after disagreements with Sudan. In December 2013, conflict between government and opposition forces killed tens of thousands and led to a dire humanitarian crisis with millions of South Sudanese displaced and food insecure. In August 2015, the warring parties signed a peace agreement and created a transitional government. In July 2016, fighting broke out, plunging the country back into conflict.

Left: Bringing education to the children of Pibor, South Sudan. Unicef The already fragile education system has deteriorated and is characterized by poor educational outcomes and high numbers of out-of-school children. Enrollment Rates in 2016 were 10% at the pre-primary level (pre-school and Kindergarten) and 57 per cent at the primary level (1st – 8th grade).* Left: Bringing education to the children of Pibor, South Sudan. Unicef *https://www.unicef.org/southsudan/education.html

South Sudan has a national literacy rate of about 27%, but with a wide gap between boys and girls. South Sudan’s boys have a literacy rate of about 40 % while girls have a rate of only 16%.* Only 1.8% of South Sudan’s GDP was spent on education in 2016 Left: Oxfam International Oxfam volunteers teach children the importance of hygiene in Juba, South Sudan *2009 numbers https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/od.html

Above: photo of a Sudanese girl South Sudanese girls face many of the same problems as girls throughout Africa who live in rural or traditional communities. Many parents are concerned that allowing girls to go to public schools will result in their learning bad behavior. Above: photo of a Sudanese girl

Above: traditional Sudanese wedding Parents also feel that if there is money to be spent on education, it should go to their sons who will have to learn a living. Daughters are often see as needing only to prepare for marriage. A married daughter means wealth for both families with dowry money for the bride’s family and a new household worker for the groom’s family. Above: traditional Sudanese wedding

Above: photo of the Wadi Halfa mosque in Sudan Historically, Many girls who are allowed to go to school are sent to religious school where they mainly study the Quran. Above: photo of the Wadi Halfa mosque in Sudan

The Girls Education South Sudan (GESS) organization is using radio programs and community outreach to change traditional feelings about female education. They also work to improve the quality of education given to girls. http://girlseducationsouthsudan.org/activities/

It’s working! According to the World Bank, 2016 literacy rates were Literacy rates: 40% girls and 60% boys