If you are a middle-class child in Kenya, you are more likely to complete your education and have better basic numeracy and literacy skills than a rich child in Uganda or Tanzania.
However, if you are a poor student in Kenya, you will be worse educated than a similar child in Uganda or Tanzania. These are the stark findings of a survey by East African education think tank Uwezo conducted in June, which evaluates the state of literacy and numeracy in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
For example, in Kenya, 31 per cent of children from poor households in Standard 3 passed the numeracy test, as compared with 28 per cent of children from the wealthiest of households in Uganda who passed this test.
At least 19 per cent of Kenyan children from the poorest households passed the English test, as compared with 16 per cent of children from the wealthiest households in Tanzania who passed this test.
Starker still than the disparities between countries and between rich and poor is the revelation that educational quality is alarmingly low. Poor quality education is steadily eroding East Africas skills base, severely undermining the hopes of industrialisation in the next few decades.
Despite a steady increase in primary school enrolment across the region, the majority of children do not gain even Standard 2 level skills until they are almost finished with primary school. Many never learn these skills at all.
Even though Kenya is ahead, as a whole the region is doing quite badly. Its like a house with a hopelessly weak foundation, said Dr Sara Ruto of Uwezo, adding that urgent measures need to be taken to improve the basics of numeracy and literacy.
The study did not cover Burundi and Rwanda, the new members of the East African Community, whose education systems are not yet as similar as those in the other three EAC nations.
The study on the state of primary schools found that Kenyas schools impart the most knowledge. And in the three tests Kiswahili, English and numeracy Kenyas pupils came out on top, followed by pupils in Uganda.
Soma zaidi hapa
However, if you are a poor student in Kenya, you will be worse educated than a similar child in Uganda or Tanzania. These are the stark findings of a survey by East African education think tank Uwezo conducted in June, which evaluates the state of literacy and numeracy in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
For example, in Kenya, 31 per cent of children from poor households in Standard 3 passed the numeracy test, as compared with 28 per cent of children from the wealthiest of households in Uganda who passed this test.
At least 19 per cent of Kenyan children from the poorest households passed the English test, as compared with 16 per cent of children from the wealthiest households in Tanzania who passed this test.
Starker still than the disparities between countries and between rich and poor is the revelation that educational quality is alarmingly low. Poor quality education is steadily eroding East Africas skills base, severely undermining the hopes of industrialisation in the next few decades.
Despite a steady increase in primary school enrolment across the region, the majority of children do not gain even Standard 2 level skills until they are almost finished with primary school. Many never learn these skills at all.
Even though Kenya is ahead, as a whole the region is doing quite badly. Its like a house with a hopelessly weak foundation, said Dr Sara Ruto of Uwezo, adding that urgent measures need to be taken to improve the basics of numeracy and literacy.
The study did not cover Burundi and Rwanda, the new members of the East African Community, whose education systems are not yet as similar as those in the other three EAC nations.
The study on the state of primary schools found that Kenyas schools impart the most knowledge. And in the three tests Kiswahili, English and numeracy Kenyas pupils came out on top, followed by pupils in Uganda.
Soma zaidi hapa