Meet Maureen Akinyi a 14-year-old girl who had earlier dropped out of school after she lost her parents in succession four years ago but is now back in school thanks to the free primary education initiative by the government.
“I would still be at home, because my aunt who took me in after my parents died could no longer afford to pay for my fees,'' said Akinyi.
After spending a year out of school, Akinyi is now in class seven at the Ayany Primary School in Kibera, together with 70 other students. Her story is similar to that of many children who were forced to leave school because their parents were too poor to pay the fees.
While Kenya’s free primary education policy has obvious benefits, industry players see the influx of new students since the programme was implemented in 2003 putting considerable strain on available facilities.
At Ayany School, for example, some 1,055 girls share 10 toilets. Average class size is 98 pupils, a daunting task for any teacher. The sheer numbers have certainly affected the quality of education. The school has 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.
Although this is a big challenged, the students, as well as teachers, are very focused on what they are there to do. They are not deterred at all.