Discuss how schools enhance equality in Kenya

Schools have been assigned- the responsibility of giving every child the means to a `decent life.' In Kenya, attempts have been made to in-crease access to education through schools. It is believed that if every child has equal access to schools, then every child has equality of achievement. However, there are different categories of schools catering for learners from varied backgrounds.
Schools are categorized as private and public; urban and rural, day and boarding. These schools are differentiated by the fees charged, facilities owned, clientele, teachers employed and the immediate surroundings. There are public and private schools which are attended largely by learners from high socio economic backgrounds. These schools have many activities geared at boosting additional knowledge and skills for learners. They have programmes such as swimming, field trips and clubs, 'these activities expose students to knowledge related to education. Such activities are lacking in most low cost public/private schools. Majority of students attending such schools have limited resources. Some of the schools are located in un-conducive learning environments that are noisy and insecure. This is likely to affect education negatively. The students cannot perform as well as those in a conducive learning environment. Most low cost public and private schools lack resources like laboratories, libraries and textbooks.
Some Kenyan schools are also referred to as national; others as provincial and district schools. Categorizing schools in this manner gives some schools advantage over others. As a rule, national schools are the first to recruit secondary school students. They select the best students countrywide. These schools are likely to have few cases of indiscipline and highly motivated teachers. Provincial schools carryout their selection after the national schools. They too get highly qualified students.
They attract teachers of a high calibre since they are well established and known. District schools, particularly those in rural areas and `poorly equipped commercial' private schools, are the last to recruit secondary school students. In reality, there is no selection but simply admitting those who have failed to secure a place in national and provincial schools. The main qualification for joining district schools is the ability to pay. This partly explains their poor performance; most learners in these schools are demoralized. They never bond with the school and spend most of the time looking forward to being transferred to other schools. This harms their performance. Most of these learners have discipline problems since some have been expelled front other schools. Teachers also internalize the concept of handling these students. They do not teach with any hope of getting good results. There is little preparation by teachers and minimal monitoring by administrators.
Schools also perpetuate superiority and inferiority complexes among students and teachers. In Kenya, schools are further classified as rural and urban. Although in both urban and rural areas one finds schools that are referred to as being for the rich, middle and low class - based on learners' socio economic backgrounds - urban schools are generally regarded as more prestigious than rural ones. This is mainly because most schools in urban centre’s are better equipped than those in rural or slum areas. This is explained by the fact that parents in most urban areas have a higher socio-economic status than their counterparts in rural/slum set-tings. Accessibility to textbooks and school stationary is easier for learners in urban schools. Some learning equipment such as computers, projectors and photocopying machines cannot be used in most rural schools due to lack of electricity. While majority of urban schools have well lit and ventilated classrooms, mud walled classrooms are the norm in some rural schools. In some, particularly in remote areas like Budalangi in Western province and Wajir in North Eastern province, pupils still learn under trees, especially the lower classes. Learning is therefore badly affected during rainy seasons.
The motivational levels of teachers vary depending on the type of school one is posted to or employed in. In some schools, particularly those catering for learners from high socio economic backgrounds, teachers have more opportunities for professional career advancement. This boosts teacher morale. Workshops and seminars are held to assist teachers improve in their careers. These exposures help the beneficiaries to improve their skills. As a result, they have a better approach to teaching than their counterparts in schools where teachers' advancement or skills improvement is not reinforced.
Schools are expected to provide a common set of cultural values and skills that will allow all members of society to take advantage of occupational, economic and political opportunities. Laves concerning mandatory education or free education for all are aimed at ensuring that all citizens have equal access to education. However, most schools have not achieved equality. Boy’s schools still dominate in overall student performance in Kenya. Inequality in schools is further reflected in subject selection. In mixed co-educational schools, boys tend to dominate the sciences while girls dominate art related subjects, particularly Home Economics. Another educational inequality that exists in schools is the differential treatment between disabled and able-bodied students. Physically handicapped students are sometimes denied participation in school activities such as sports, drama and visiting neighboring schools. A1-binos too suffer discrimination, particularly avoidance, in many schools,
From these observations, it is apparent that there are differences in the type of schools in Kenya. These differences are reinforced through quality of school facilities and availability highly motivated and qualified teachers. It is therefore difficult to attain equality in Kenyan schools unless disparities facing the school system are addressed.

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francis1897 answered the question on August 19, 2022 at 11:18