Policy Brief No. 14 of 2006 on Policy Options for Financing Secondary Education in Kenya

Abstract

Secondary education is important in generating opportunities for social and economic development. Besides being a transitional level between primary and tertiary education, secondary schooling provides a base for acquiring insights, skills and competences required at the higher levels of education and in the labour market. However, Kenya has low secondary school participation rates. Net enrolment rate is estimated at 17 percent and transition rate from primary to secondary school level at 52 percent in 2004. In year 2004, Kenya had 4,042 secondary schools (12% of them private) with an enrolment of 923,000 students (8% enrolled in private schools) compared to the secondary school age population of 3 million youth.