The education divide, bridging the gap between Kenya’s urban and rural schools

By Robert Mutasi

The Kenyan education system, the backbone of the country's development, faces one constant and obvious problem: the difference between urban and rural schools.

While cities like Nairobi and Mombasa boast well-equipped educational institutions with modern facilities, rural schools still lack resources, resulting in significant gaps in learning outcomes.

This is not just a statistic but a missed opportunity with thousands of children and an obstacle to the development of Kenya. Urban schools are very lucky, enjoying infrastructure, modern educational resources accessible, and an adequate supply of competent, well-trained teachers.

Contrariwise, schools in rural areas experience overcrowding of classes, building deterioration, lack of textbooks and teaching materials, low national examinations achievement, poor job opportunities, and an escalation of a vicious cycle of poverty and inequality.

The role of the state in eradicating this imbalance cannot be overestimated. It is rural education that should be emphasized as a priority pillar of national policy.

Investments in infrastructure are necessary-the building of several educational institutions, their equipping with modern technology, and assured supply of electricity and the Internet are basic measures.

However, infrastructure without human capital is worthless. Teachers are the backbone of any education system, and such incentive programs by the state would retain experienced teachers in rural areas.

It can include better salaries for the teachers, housing benefits, and professional development opportunities in order to have teachers work in dissatisfied areas.

Digital learning platforms are one opportunity for change that might reduce this gap in education. With the increasing level of Telecommunications in Kenya, digital tools may provide even a high level of education even to the remotest villages.

This may also enable activities like e-learning centers or mobile libraries, which enable the students to have access to contents similar to the urban counterparts and hence allow balanced learning.

This will, in addition, go a long way in ensuring that these efforts are consistent and sustainable with the involvement of the private sector representatives in the field of technology.

Finally, closing this unit is not about equality; it is about opening up the potential of the nation. A child from Turkana or Wajir deserves just the same opportunity to realize their dream and make a success, just like the child from Nairobi.

Bridging these gaps can have one potential consequence wherein Kenya can actually develop a generation of leaders, innovators, and change seekers who will not refrain from moving it forward.

The time to act is now, since each single day of inaction adds more disagreement, leaving behind many great minds to dream of building a better future.