Elisheba Khayeri, is the head teacher of Ayany Primary School in Kibera.
''While Kenya’s free primary education policy has obvious benefits, the influx of new students since the programme was implemented in 2003 has put considerable strain on available facilities. Here at Ayany, the average class size is 98 pupils, a daunting task for any teacher. The sheer numbers have certainly affected the quality of education,” he said.
The headteacher said teachers normally have a hard time trying to socialise with some of these children because the school has a total of only 28 teachers for 2,022 pupils, far short of the recommended minimum of 40 teachers. A teacher-to-pupil ratio of 1 to 50 would be tolerable, according to teachers in the school.
In a bid to lessen the burden of teaching so many children in such crowded settings, teachers at Ayany have come up with creative teaching methods, which vastly differ from the regimented teaching style still used in most schools around the country.
"We encourage them to talk in class, as they discuss what they may not have grasped during the lesson at their own level and pace using their different mother tongues. We do not consider this noisemaking," said Mary Macharia, a first-grade teacher.