The dynamics of female access to formal schooling among pastoralist communities in Kenya: a case of turkana district in northwestern Kenya
type: CreativeWork
description: Abstract In the Kenyan government’s Sessional Paper No. 1 of 1965, entitled African Socialism and its Application to Planning in Kenya, it was clearly stated that “Education must serve the needs of national development and prepare Kenya’s youth with the knowledge, skills, and the expertise required to enable the young population to collectively play an effective role in the life of Kenya while at the same time, ensuring that opportunities are provided for the full development of individuals advancement.” The objectives of educational opportunities for the population of Kenya outlined in the Sessional Papers are well defined but are not enjoyed by the nomadic pastoralists of Northwestern Kenya. On the whole, Kenya has achieved an impressive national literacy rate of 86% for men and 70% for women since gaining independence in 1964. However, regional and gender disparities exist, and of concern are the high dropout rates of girls compared to boysThe national completion rate for girls in primary school is 35%, while it is 55% for boys. The rate is lower in pastoralist districts such as Turkana, where the completion rate for girls stands at 3% and 4% for boys. Of the 35% of girls who complete primary school in Kenya, only 22% go on to secondary school compared to 45% of boys. In Turkana district, the dropout rate is about 94%. Several factors exist for this gender disparity. There is a serious need to address the dropout rate, particularly since education for women and girls correlates with fertility rates, health and nutrition as well as a general wellbeing for the whole family. Special emphasis should be made in education for girls coming from pastoralist communities like Turkana, especially in the prevailing difficult economic times where most families must invest their limited resources in education for their sons at the expense of their daughters. In addition, in regions such as Turkana, the costs of educating the girl child is higher than educating the boy child. T…
abstract: Abstract In the Kenyan government’s Sessional Paper No. 1 of 1965, entitled African Socialism and its Application to Planning in Kenya, it was clearly stated that “Education must serve the needs of national development and prepare Kenya’s youth with the knowledge, skills, and the expertise required to enable the young population to collectively play an effective role in the life of Kenya while at the same time, ensuring that opportunities are provided for the full development of individuals advancement.” The objectives of educational opportunities for the population of Kenya outlined in the Sessional Papers are well defined but are not enjoyed by the nomadic pastoralists of Northwestern Kenya. On the whole, Kenya has achieved an impressive national literacy rate of 86% for men and 70% for women since gaining independence in 1964. However, regional and gender disparities exist, and of concern are the high dropout rates of girls compared to boysThe national completion rate for girls in primary school is 35%, while it is 55% for boys. The rate is lower in pastoralist districts such as Turkana, where the completion rate for girls stands at 3% and 4% for boys. Of the 35% of girls who complete primary school in Kenya, only 22% go on to secondary school compared to 45% of boys. In Turkana district, the dropout rate is about 94%. Several factors exist for this gender disparity. There is a serious need to address the dropout rate, particularly since education for women and girls correlates with fertility rates, health and nutrition as well as a general wellbeing for the whole family. Special emphasis should be made in education for girls coming from pastoralist communities like Turkana, especially in the prevailing difficult economic times where most families must invest their limited resources in education for their sons at the expense of their daughters. In addition, in regions such as Turkana, the costs of educating the girl child is higher than educating the boy child. T…
author: Johannes, Mary E.
language: en
keywords: Turkana, Pastoralists, marginalized womne, Kenya education policy
date published: 2010-05-14T20:44:33Z
date modified: 2026-07-22T22:25:08Z
provider: University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/2142/15536