This archive report was first published on 1 October 2019.
On October 1, 2019, a tragic incident occurred at Nairobi's Precious Talent Academy, where eight pupils lost their lives when their classrooms caved in. The incident sparked a heated debate about the role of informal schools in low-income neighborhoods.
However, what struck me as odd was the tone of the requiem mass held for the victims. Unlike the hostile media coverage, the speeches at the Telcom Grounds in Dagoretti were surprisingly subdued, with some even calling for the release of the school owner, Moses Wainaina, from police custody.
While it is true that Wainaina should be held accountable for his role in the tragedy, the community's residual goodwill towards the school suggests that the education authorities should take a closer look at the issue. The government's plan to close informal schools and enroll their pupils in neighboring schools may not be the solution, as it fails to address the root cause of the problem.
According to the government, the growth of informal schools is due to a lack of public schools in low-income neighborhoods. However, this argument is flawed, as informal schools have been around since the implementation of the free primary education (FPE) programme in 2003. In fact, a 2013 survey by Uwezo Kenya found that more than 70% of pupils in Class Three could not read Class Two work, highlighting the quality issues in public primary schools.
The truth is that informal schools are fulfilling a need that parents believe they cannot get in public schools. The reasons for this are multifaceted, including rampant teacher absenteeism, national exam mean score-driven rote learning, and corrupt management cultures in public primary schools. Household poverty and weak inspection by the Ministry of Education have also rendered the FPE programme meaningless for many Kenyans who need it.
It is time for the Ministry of Education to take responsibility for the rot in public primary schools. Closing informal schools without addressing the underlying issues will only push the problem further underground. The government must fix the rot in public primary schools before it's too late.
