Policy Learning for Universal Secondary Education

In 2022, the Ministry of Education collaborated with Zizi Afrique Foundation to implement the Policy Learning for Universal Secondary Education. PLUS aimed at documenting the levers of 100% transition in Kenya and designing a community accountability intervention through the Policy Learning for Universal Secondary (PLUS) education project. Adopting a different approach, the PLUS initiative sought to understand the potential for driving change by focusing on policy enforcement and accountability, rather than plugging gaps. The two-year initiative aims to achieve this through two objectives: I) generating evidence on the drivers and barriers to implementing Kenya's existing 100% transition policy and community accountability; ii) co-creating with the Ministry of Education and stakeholders and testing a community accountability intervention that tests identified successful drivers of 100% transition.

In the last one year, Zizi Afrique worked closely with the Directorate of Secondary Education (DSE) to codesign a survey to generate evidence on the 100% transition to secondary school in Kenya and actively track enrolment into secondary school for the 2022 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education to observe the levers in action. The initiative is taking place in four sub-counties that were selected based on existing evidence from the MoE on the transition to secondary. The sub-counties include Kahuro in Muranga County, Sololo in Bungoma County, Sololo in Marsabit County and Dagoretti in Nairobi County.

In total 96 schools were sampled from the four sub-counties and had an enrolment of 6409 candidates enrolled for the 2022 Kenya Certificate of Primary Examination. Of these about 40% (2843) were sampled and included in a cross-sectional survey that involved their households, schools, and community leaders to understand potential levers of transition to secondary school.

The cross-sectional survey was followed by active tracking of all 6409 learners between January and March 2023 to monitor their transition to secondary school and document the enablers and barriers to secondary schools. The results of the tracking were compared with NEMIS for validation and to establish areas of improvement. The following key findings emerge from both the cross-sectional survey and tracking as well as from evidence synthesis from literature and secondary data analysis to provide lessons and recommendations that can guide the implementation of the 100% policy guidelines.

Apparent data gaps on secondary school retention and completion: From the review of evidence and secondary data analysis, evidence on retention and completion in secondary school is scarce and inconsistent. However, relying on the Kenya Economic Surveys (2014 to 2023) as well as form 1 admissions and subsequent candidature at form 4 shows almost 10% of the learners enrolled do not sit for their KCSE.

Higher transition observed during tracking than in NEMIS: The active tracking of the 6409 learners showed higher transition across the sub-counties than in NEMIS (Figure 2). For instance, overall, 95% of the students from the tracking had joined secondary school by April 2023, while NEMIS indicated 80%. Transition increased from 47% in Sololo in 2022 to 91% in 2023. Conversations with some of secondary school heads during data validation and dissemination underscored various challenges including but not
limited to lack of birth certificates, workload, and internet connectivity as some of the reasons for not registering learners in NEMIS.

Barriers to secondary school transitions: Despite FSDE, schooling cost was underscored as the leading barrier to secondary school (Table 2). The cost included school meals and boarding costs for day scholars and boarders respectively as well as school uniforms - and this was consistent across the four participating sub-counties. Other barriers included substance use and peer pressure, cultural practices, and lack of interest in schooling by both parents and children.

Enablers of transition: The major enablers of secondary school transition were facilitation and support by parents or household members (over 91%) and financial support from existing national and county government bursaries and scholarships as well as from corporations. The NCDF and county government bursaries through common, but either benefited fewer learners or the amounts given were small to significantly reduce the schooling cost.

Multisectoral approach: The involvement of National Government Administration Officers (NGAO) at the community, sub-county and county levels was underscored as critical in marshalling learners to transition. Particularly, the chiefs and their assistants were said to hold power that when fully tapped can ensure all children transition. However, this power could be harnessed when connected with opportunities that address specific barriers that result in non-transition.