Comparative Study of Education in Kenya and Japan: What Can Kenya Learn?

 

 

SHIMANE UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL SCIENCES

COMPARATIVE STUDY OF EDUCATION IN KENYA AND JAPAN

What can Kenya learn from Japan? Dullu Amos / Professor Funaki Kenji

2008-2009 

 

COMPARATIVE STUDY OF EDUCATION IN KENYA AND JAPAN Background Information Kenya Kenya reconstituted its education system in 1963 under the Ominde Commission to 7 7-4-2-3 -4-2-3

system in order to suit Kenyans who had just gained independen independence ce from the British. 7 years y ears Elementary, Element ary, 4 years Junior High School, School, 2 years High School and 3 years University. University. This mode of education was practiced for 21 years until 1984 when the governme government nt formed The Presidential Working Party on the Second University (Mackay Report) Commission. The mandate was to advise the government on how she can increase the number of un universit iversities ies from one to two in order to accommodate the increasing number of qualifying students (since the country had only one university: University of Nairobi). The commission recommended recommended for the changing of the educational system from 7-4-2-3 system to 8-4-4 system. Elementary learners would would take eight years rather than seven; Junior and High Schools were merged and consolidated to four years while university is increased to four from three years. The basis of this change was to impart learners with skills of entrepreneurship entrepreneurship and hence making them self-reliant. self-reliant. Though the system changed, the total number of schooling years remained remained the same at a t sixteen years. The new system was adopted immediately in 1985 with only a year upon recommendations recommendations of its rolling out. It was neither put on trial as is the rule for any new system nor literature developed for its implementation. implementation. There was no comprehensive comprehensive policy put in place to address the needs of neither the nation nor no r briefing to stake holders of the mode, scope, content and evaluation parameters to both learners and teachers. This led to overloading o verloading of the curriculum with content that was not matching with the cognitive levels of learners in Element E lementary ary and High School. The university was not affected because more time was available and lecturers had ample time to cover more in-depth. Though the system had a rocky start and lots of o f hiccups, but it has likewise proved very successful successful as was the previous. More schools were built making more Kenyans to have a fair opportunity to benefit from formalized education. The number of universities universities has been increasing ever since making the nation to have literacy levels of 77%, making it second to South Africa at 80%. Since its inception in 1985, the system has been b een able to making Kenya have the highest literacy rate of its middle class in Africa of 90%. Now this is a proof of people’s taking benefits of

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educational opportunity opportunity that was advocated for by the government when she took the gamble of changing the system. The overload that was experienced at inception is now a thing of the past since literature review and assessment was done and mechanism mechanismss were put in place to offer the right cognitive cognitive content to both Elementary and High School learners. Lack of sufficient access and availability availability of textbooks for instructional use is a thing of the past for publishing companies have overseen very competent competent up to date books that are thoroughly vetted and certified by the Ministry of Education through through the Kenya Institute of Education (K.I.E) and Kenya Literature Bureau (KLB) before being recomm recommended ended for school use. u se. Japan Japan launched its formalized school system in 1872. However, the modern school system of the

present day was first enacted in 1947. This enactment was called The School Law of 1947 whose basic principle was equal opportunity to education for all of 6-3-3-4 system. 6 years Elementary, 3 years Junior High School, 3 years High School and 4 years in the University. Though different from the Kenyan model, the Japanese system of education is still 16 years in cumulative form as is Kenya. Japan as a nation had had high h igh literacy rate from the late 1950’s of 42.5% to 99.9% current. current. This has enabled her as a country to have a mark in the technology technology world and thus propelling the nation to being the second biggest economy in the world. Since 1947, the educational system has undergone numerous reviews in order to make it competitive competit ive in the 21 2 1st century and beyond. The nation na tion through the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) has invested into research work that will make her to remain competitive competitive and improving on the areas a reas that deem it fit. Currentlyy the ministry is making teaching of English to be of mandatory requirement in the Currentl elementary school to grade 5 and 6 from 2011. Currently Currently from the year 2009 the ministry is rolling out the English program on trial basis ba sis before implementation implementation in 2011. This shows a progressive undertaking by the government in making her citizens effectively compete in the world forum and be in a position to acquit them of other o ther people’s educati educational onal quest.

Comparisons in Education between Kenya and Japan Vision: This is the guiding principle of the reason to a country embarking embarking on educating its citizen citizen

commonly referred to as the main objective/goal.

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Both Kenya and Japan have ha ve clearly spelt out the reason/objective/goal as to why the country should spend in educating its citizen as follows: Kenya

To have a globally competitive quality education, training and research for Kenya’s sustainable development

Kenya takes education as global initiative. initiative. She aspires asp ires to make her citizens compete effectivel effectivelyy through training and research so that as a country she would attain and sustain internal development. This goal has been met at the global field, for Kenya has been able to export human resource in all fields to countries that are in shortage; Madagascar, Madagascar, Comoro, South Africa, Southern Sudan through government-government government-government agreements. agreements. Europe, America and Asia have also benefited by hiring Kenyan personnel directly through competitive application and vetting even the United Nation has hired Kenyans to work in their missions. The country in return gets foreign revenue through remittances of the Kenyans working in the Diaspora through tax as they support their families back home.  Japan

Education, foundation, for better society and life

The country takes education as requirement requirement to its citizens. When undertaken then the p pillars illars of the individual are laid down to effectively fit into society. The individual adds value to society and strives to make life better for him/her h im/her and the immediate neighbor. Japan has actually a ctually achieved achieved this objective, in that individual service is highly esteemed and each person aspires to serve the other o ther better and society satisfaction is of great importance. The country is credited to have the lowest of nearly 0% crime rate and hence the most peaceful country to live in the world. Many parts of the world society do not co-exist harmoniously as is the case in Japan. High walls separate neighborhoods for fear of crime but in Japan society co-exist with mutual respect for each other. The countries educational goal, since it has been achieved then it should continue to be maintained. maintained. Mission Statement: This is the basic ba sic principle underlying education education and both Kenya and Japanese educational system

has so that the nation is guided to realizing its set educational objective.

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This principle is hereby stated below for both countries: countries: Kenya “To provide, promote, co-ordinate quality education, training and research for empowerment of

individuals to become caring, competent and responsible citizens who value education as a lifelong process.”

This implies that, for the Kenyan, education does not end after graduation but rather continues after school life and only on ly ends when the individual dies. Kenya aspires to make society benefit from education directly through service delivery and expects its citizens to be accountable for every service he/she renders to other Kenyans.  Japan

“Education shall aim at the full development de velopment of personality, striving for the rearing of people, sound in mind and body, who shall love truth and justice, esteem individual value, respect labor, have a deep sense of responsibility, re sponsibility, and imbed with an independent spirit, as builders of the peaceful state and society.”

The nation expects an individual to be b e responsible in whatever he/she does and ensure that his/her actions do not jeopardize the peace of o f the nation and society. Education Education to Japanese is a holisticc venture that prepares him to be ready to meet challenges and this provides an opportunity holisti to invest for the common good of the society.

 Administrati  Administrative ve Both Kenya and Japan have their education sector being managed by the Ministry of Education. In

Kenya the education sector falls under two parent ministries: Basic Education and Higher Education, culture and sports are in different ministries as opposed to the Japanese model where they fall under und er education. In Kenya sports is taken as a recreational undertaking undertaking and not as a component of education hence that is why it is in the co-curric co -curricular ular activities and hence done after classes but in Japan it is part of education component hence taught during school hours. The educational administrative structures of the two countries are shown in the following charts below;

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Kenya

Minister/ Assistant

Permanent Secretary

Education Secretary S ecretary

Directorate Basic Education

Quality Assurance and

Agencies

Personnel

Kenya Literature Bureau Kenya National Examination Council

Standards

Teachers Service Commission

Policy and

Kenya Institute of Special Education

Planning Kenya Institute of Education

School Equipment Production Unit

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Japan

Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology

STATE

Minister Agency for Parliamentary Secretary (2)

Cultural Affairs

Vice Minister (2) Deputy Minister (2)

Internal Divisions D ivisions

Administrative Administrati ve ViceMinister

Commissioner

Internal

for Cultural Affairs

Divisions

Local Organs under Ministry of

Special Instituti Institutions ons

Education jurisdiction, etc

Special Institutions

Local Branch Officers

Prefecture Governments and Municipal Governments

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Budget and Funding

Both Kenya and Japan assign a ssign their budgetary and funding allocations from the Ministry of Finance to the ministry of education education for their yearly operations on educational matters. Upon analysis of the two countries ministries ministries of education budgetary allocation and expenditure, the following trend is observed in comparison comparison to the two countries population growth trends over the same period of time:

Kenya Year

Expenditure in billion ksh

Population growth rate

2006/2007

94.8

2.57

2007/2008

96.1

2.79

2008/2009

110.9

2.76

2009/2010

120.8

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Figure 1: Ministry Of Education Expenditure in Comparison with the National Population Growth Rate.

From the above data we are able to see that Kenya is on the right path of increasing its budgetary allocation to education since its population is on a steady increase and this implies that more school age going children are joining school every year. Though this increase does not go well with her donor partners due to the huge financial burden to the government as it seeks more funds to finance its education programs, the country needs an effective approach approach to provide quality education that does not require additional cost / co cost st effective in order to respond to the limit limited ed share of the nation’s pie.

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Japan Year

Expenditure in billion yen

Population growth rate

FY 2005

3,578

0.05

FY 2006

3,809

0.02

FY 2007

5,270.5

0.088

FY 2008

3,570.8

0.139

Figure 2: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Expenditure with Comparison to the National Population Growth Rate.

From this data we are a re able to see that though the national population of Japan declined between 2005 and 2006, the budgetary allocation to education was increased with the highest budgetary allocation for the fiscal year 2006/2007. As opposed to the Kenyan scenario, Japan is not under pressure as is Kenya to warrant massive increase increase since its pop population ulation is fairly static or almost declining with a higher older generation as opposed to young school going children. The nation’s social system is in stress since the nation has to provide social security to its ageing population and not its education sector that is seeing a decline to the n number umber of school going pupils; hence both its facilities and resources are not in straight constraint as opposed to Kenya. Japanese expenditure increase increase is driven d riven by the need for more research research and giving other countries a chance to come and to train using its facilities facilities thus being able to support 300,000 scholarships every year but Kenya cannot afford a fford direct funds to research since its facilities and resources are strained in trying to cope with the increasing number of children. Kenya allocates 98% of its funds to education in remuneration of the personnel in the ministry of education thus leaving only 2% for developme developmental ntal and research based work while Japanese ministry of education allocates 55% of its funds to recurrent while a whopping 45% is d dedicate edicated d to research and other developmental developmental projects. The funding allocation leaves Kenya grappling with un-finished business every end of its fiscal year while Japanese ensures what is allocated is spent in full before the fiscal year comes to an end thus creating bureaucratic bureaucratic spending where projects are initiated even though not planned for. Institutions do this so that budgetary allocation is not reduced in the next fiscal year yea r as a result of un-utilized funds returned to the treasury.

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Enrollment and Transition Rate Japan has an enrollment enrollment and transiti transition on rate as of 2005 of 97.6% for both Elementary and Junior

High School while for High School is at 94.4% and for Higher Institutions Institutions of LLearning earning is at 51.5% and at the kindergarten the enrollment is at 58.4% respectively. e lementary and junior high school in enrollment enrollment in Japanese schools is Note: the drop of 2.4% at elementary attributed to increase in separation rate that is not registered. Parents hurting in tough economic times are also finding it difficult to take their children to school. The lunch program in school is not for free but parents pay for it and compounded by the fact that taking your child to school is a duty and not an obligation. After Afte r high school, many seek employment first and hence that’s why few go to the university knowing that they can do it later in life after financial stability.

Kenya on the other o ther hand at the Element E lementary, ary, the enrollment as of 2005 was at a t 91.6% with a transition transiti on rate of o f 67.4% it should be noted that the low rate of transition is because of limited limited number of High Schools. In Kenya 98% of the high schools o offer ffer boarding to learners hence the limited vacancies to pupils graduating from elementary elementary school thus the low transition rate to high h igh school being reflected. At the high school level the enrollment en rollment is at 67% and the transition transition rate is 60% of which only 30% are enrolled to higher institutions of learning. Note: from the above figure 8.4% of the Kenyan child does not enter into school for formalized education. Majority of Kenyans still consider schooling not very important since they have other pressing needs of providing food at their tables, parents encourage their children to working as child laborers. On this the government government has failed because education at the elementary e lementary is fully catered for hence the need to underscore that every child must attend formalized education. There is no any justification for the government to allow almost 9% of the children not to attend school yet it is footing the entire bill of elementary school including school lunch.

The low enrollment rate of Kenya at a t the university is not a attrib ttributed uted to low grades scored at the high school level since only 7% of the students enrolled in high school fail attaining grades sufficient to pursue higher education. Normally from high school 60% qualify to join the university yet only 30% (10,000) get admission leaving out 70% (72,000) of the student’s population. population. This is due to limited limited number of public universities universities in the country: there are twelve national universities that have the capacity of admitting admitting 10,000 students for every academic year. Currently the government has increased the number of admissions by almost double (17,000) and has encouraged universities universities to offer pa parallel rallel degree courses courses to students who qualify but cannot be admitted with the regular students who have ha ve residence.

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It should be noted no ted that Kenya has twenty two private p rivate universi universities ties like those in Japan, the private universities universiti es are given charter by the government to operate and they number twenty two. Even with those universities, when when compared to the large numbers of students qualifying every year it is still not adequate. ad equate. The government needs to turn the teacher training colleges that offer certificate and diploma into universities. universiti es. When these colleges were built, they were meant to supplement the few numbers of qualifying students to the university by then who could cou ld become teachers. Now this need is no longer there since many are now qualifying qua lifying for higher education, the government needs to change this policy to address this urgent need. Already the country has trained enough teachers that even employing them even if funds are a re available it will be impossible. The colleges co lleges in question number 32 and surely if they could be converted since the structures converted structures are in place and running, then additional 32 universities to the already twenty two making the country to have fifty four fou r universities. The number of admissions will increase to 50,000 students going leaving only around 24,000-30,000 that will be comfortably accommodated accommo dated by the private universities.

Expenditure per Child Kenya spends 33% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (GDP) on education, education, and 25% of o f its GDP per

capita for every school going age a ge child at the elementary elementary school and $130 $ 130 (ksh 10,400 ¥13,000) ≈

per student at the high school level while 7% is spent sp ent for university education. This is considered the highest in Africa and even as compared to emerging Third World countries; Indonesia, Malaysia and South Africa. The ministry of education as of 2006/20 2006/2007 07 fiscal year had a total recurrent expenditure expenditure of ksh 94.8billion. 94.8bil lion. The allocation to teacher’s teacher’s salaries in the same fiscal year was ksh 44.4billion 44.4billion this translates to 46.83% of the recurrent expenditure of the ministry with the rest being allocated as follows:

         

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Ksh 28.1 billion for the ministry office staff and personnel

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Ksh 7.5 billion for basic ba sic education (elementary (elementary and secondary)

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Ksh 163.2 million for monitori monitoring ng and evaluation

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Ksh 14.4 billion for higher institutions of learning and

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Ksh 290.1 million for policy and planning. p lanning.

The trend was no different for the fiscal years 2007/2008 and 2008/2009 where teachers teachers won a salary increase. This led to incre increasing asing the wage bill of o f salaries from ksh 44.4 billion to ksh 50 billion. The country strives to pay its teachers well though compared to the cost of living it is not enough.

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The government can offset this by allowing a llowing teachers teachers to have part-time pa rt-time jobs to supplement their salaries though this is a highly controversi controversial al issue. The society argues that such an arrangement will will lead to teachers concentrating concentrating with their other duties and not teaching. However with proper planning this fear is not justified for in other o ther countries it does happen and yet no conflict of interests interests occur. Japan spends 8.5% of its GDP on education; 3.5% at the elementary, 3.0% for junior and high h igh school while higher education takes 1.1%. The remaining funds go to developmental developmental programs and research and also at the elementary, junior and high school each Japanese child is allocated $6,016 (¥601,600  ksh481, 280) while the higher institutions of learning the student is allocated a llocated $4,862 $4,862 per fiscal year. ≈

As of the fiscal year FY 2007 the ministry ministry of education total recurre recurrent nt expenditure was 5,270.5 5,270.5 billion yen. The ministry allocated 1,665.9 billion yen for educational expenses for teachers. This translates to 31.6% of the total recurrent expenditure and the remaining 68.4% was allocated to developmental development al programs p rograms in the ministry. ministry. The Japanese teacher takes home after taxation a salary that compares with the cost of living hence able to effectively effectively live and afford a fford basic amenities. This enables him/her to concentrate with teaching since the income given is modesty. As we look at these figures, we can clearly see that more funds are allocated to the child for education in Japan than in Kenya. Consider the case of a secondary student student from Kenya who gets $130 per fiscal year while the Japanese secondary school student gets a whopping $6,016 per fiscal year a total difference of $5,886. The donor community complains that Kenya is allocating too much funds to the education ministry to run its affairs; surely Kenya should not only increase its funding to education but also strive to allocate more money for research not to the level of  Japan for the country’s economy cannot allow her to do so but rather rather to average moderate moderate levels. This can be done by involving the private sector, collaborations with other institutions within Africa and the world.  Japanese schools are are being merged and hence for them it is reduc reduction tion of cost. Kenya can ask for the facilities being disposed e.g. desks, computers and office equipments. The government should also ask for more funds from organizations like UNESCO, UNICE UNICEF, F, JICA, ODA to keep on  funding its educational educational programs.

For Kenya to be able to pull herself and make a mark in the world, then educational funding per child should continue to increase with improving economic growth in order for her to be able to realize the country’s goal of education for all by the year 2015.

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Policy

Both countries, their educational policies are formulated by the ministry of education as mandated by parliament and anchored in their constitutions. These educational policies are normally reviewed reviewe d from time to time depending on the needs affecting a ffecting the nation at the time, and both long term and short term policies are formulate fo rmulated d by stakeholders and they are executed by the teachers on the ground. Both countries normally formulate 10 year policy plans that keep on being reviewed from time to time checking on their impact and this is done through assessments, monitoring and evaluation but school/educational school/educational affairs are a re normally run by Boards of Education either for the Province/Prefecture, District, City and School level. The ministry of education in both countries state the code of conduct for teachers, size of the educational instructional instructional rooms, security measures to be adhered to b byy every institution of learning and the society mandate to education. Currently Japan has come up with a policy of making English learning compulsory in grade 5 and 6 at the elementary school. This, the ministry argues that when implemented it will enable the Japanese child master the language and be able to compete globally. Note: though it is good undertaking, the duration duration I feel is too short for any future fu ture meaningful meaningful English learning. More time should be allocated especially from elementary to junior high school where a total of 9 years will be used for instruction. This will hel help p the learner to fully understand and comprehend the diverse d iverse vocabulary involved in English. Kenya on its part p art has formulated a policy where high schoo schooll teachers will be required to teach three subjects up from the current two. The government government is of the opinion that since it is not financially able to employ more teachers then she needs to utilize those available to the maximum. maximum. Note: this policy does not address the problem of the a already lready burdened burdened teacher with a heavy workload. Already teachers are severely strained and adding more teaching subjects will not only prove unproductive but lower the quality of education. The government should seek to hire interns as it is doing d oing now rather than increase the number of subjects.

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Personnel In both countries, two forms of personnel p ersonnel are hired to execute educational matters: government (ministry) personnel and teachers.

Kenya

The ministry personnel are hired h ired by the government government through the Public Service S ervice Commission Commission and are answerable to the ministry of education; however the teachers are hired by a SemiAutonomous Autonomo us Agency: Teachers Service Commission (TSC). The Teachers Service Commission Commission was enacte enacted d by an Act of parliament CAP 212 of the laws of Kenya and its mission and vision is as follows;

  “to establish and maintain a sufficient, professional, teaching service for educational

•

institutions”  e ffective service for   “to be an institution of excellence in the provision of efficient and effective

•

quality teaching” 

This agency is normally headed by a Board of Commissioners Commissioners whose Chief Executive Officer is the Secretary Secret ary normally appointed by the Minister of Education. Teachers directly report to the TSC and not the ministry of education as it is charged with the responsibil responsibility ity of employing, posting, remuneration remuner ation and promotion of teachers. Though boards of education are mandated to manage and run school affairs, they have no authority to ca carry rry out direct supervision of teachers. It is intended to ensure teachers freedom to focus on their teaching duties. When there are cases of o f discipline and misconduct affecting teacher teachers, s, they are d discusse iscussed d by the board of education in the school and then forwarded to the TSC for action. The TSC only acts if there is enough proof leveled against the teacher. This has helped in unnecessary victimization for no matter the action taken the teacher is given a chance to defend him/herself at the TSC Headquarters before a panel. Because of this job security, teachi teaching ng is the most sought after profession in Kenya. Once employed it is hard to be victimized victimized at the place of work or segregated in terms of promotion. promotion. This is because there are clear cut guide lines for every process and all teachers are a re aware of. Apart from being the most secure job in the country it is the second most well paying job in the government. Though the salary given does not fully cushion the teacher with the high cost of living and hence teachers have labor unions un ions that engage the government government in salary negotiations.

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Teachers in Kenya since 1957 they have one of the largest and strongest labor unions in the country that keeps on negotiating with the government every five years for better services for its members. Currently Currently there are two labor unions representing representing teachers in Kenya: Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) and Kenya Ke nya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET).

Both elementary and secondary teachers in the country employed by the TSC as a s of 2007 are 217,462 (173,157 (173,157 for Elementary and 44,305 for High School) and you must have a Certificate Certificate of Registration Registrati on to Teach after graduation from college to teach in any educational educational institution unless part time and it is issued by the TSC after small fee payment.

 Japan

The system is more less like in Kenya though here the Ministry has its employees and also hires teachers for the National schools. However, mostly the teachers are hired by Prefectural and City governmentss that post them in their respective schools that fall within their jurisdiction. government The teachers are partly paid by the central governme government nt and the prefectural prefectural / city governments, but their returns of their employment are filed with the ministry for records and payment. Since it is one of the most secure jobs in Japan like in Kenya it is h highly ighly sought after and the terms of service are good though it is not the most highly paid jobs. Note: the Japanese teacher takes home a modest salary after taxation as opposed to his Kenyan counterpart. He is able to meet the basic amenities while his Kenyan colleague cuts spending to make ends meet. The Japanese teachers have labor unions that negotiate for their terms of service but generally the central government government sets the bar ba r that is very reasonable to the daily living standard o off a teacher. They need certificates for them to engage in teaching and it is normally offered by the universities universities or college and a certain criteria criteria must be met for one to qualify q ualify for certification. This certificate quality keeps on increasing with the number of years in service and promotion is on merit and age is a factor hence seniority. Note: the Japanese teacher, yearly continues to sit for exams where he/she earns credit that adds value to the certificate. The Kenyan teacher does not sit for fo r an examination examination but upon graduation he seeks registration and once obtained it is final. Japan has a teacher’s population as of 2007 of 917,000 (173,157 for Element Elementary, ary, 249,000 for Junior High and 251,000 for High school), this shows a very high teacher proportion proportion a ass compared to Kenya of 4.5:1. 4 .5:1.

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Similarities

They have boards of education that are charged with the day to day running of affairs a ffairs of the educational institutions. They keep an updated register of their teachers thus helping in educational planning, policy formulation and management. management. Their teachers have very secure job security and remunerated well thus making the profession to be the most sought after job within the government. They pay for their teachers salaries and post them to schools to teach and aspires that students are taught and there are enough teachers. However as for Kenya the government takes the entire bill but in Japan it is just in part and the rest goes to the regional governments and cities. Elementary Element ary teachers are required to teach all subjects offered in the school curriculum.

Differences

 

In Kenya teachers are employed by a central agency and posted within the country where

they teach, while in Japan, it is in three levels; central government, prefecture and cities.   In Kenya once employed, the entire country is your work station while in Japan it is within the boundaries of the region you are employed by. This has served Kenya right since unlike in Japan where if you have to change stations then you reli relinquish nquish your position and seek a fresh mandate wherever you go.  

Japan has a higher h igher teacher teacher population than Kenya and the ratio is 4.5:1 this enables the Japanese teacher to effectively teach and have closer supervision to his/her learners as opposed to the Kenyan counterpart where teacher shortage in schools is the norm hence have high subject allocation to offset the shortage.

 

In Japan a junior and high school teacher teaches teaches only one subject though at junior high they also teach computer and moral studies but in reality even the other subject he volunteers there is a teacher employed employed to teach the same and qualified while in Kenya he/she is required to teach two subjects and now the government is in the process of making it mandatory to three : unless the stake holders do not want to realize meaningful education then they can go ahead to implement this proposal but it is not unwise but rather un-productive to the already overburdened Kenyan teacher. 

 

Kenyan teachers oversee large classes as opposed to the Japanese teacher. In Kenya the ratio is 43.5:1 while Japan is 17.3:1 and 14.6:1 respectively for both elementary and secondary. This scenario in Kenya encourages the fast learner lea rner while the slow learner is left behind while in Japan the slow learner is taken into consideration and the fast learner is left out thus leading to the formation of Cram Schools (JUKU).

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 

Though boards in Kenya manage school affairs but internal school administration is entirely teachers teachers business. No one who is not no t a teacher can be appointed to such a position while in Japan sometimes sometimes even the private p rivate sector is tapped into managerial positions.

Student Populations In Kenya the entire student population population as of 2007 was 8.78million (7.6million (7.6million for elementary elementary and

1.18million for secondary) while in Japan it is 14.4million (7.2million 1.18million (7.2million elementary elementary and 3.6million 3.6million for  junior and high high school respectively). respectively). The Kenyan student population population is on the increase while while in Japan it is on the decline. This makes classes continue to grow big every year in Kenya while in Japan they continue to decrease. It makes the Kenyan condition even more difficult for Kenya needs n eeds more substantial funding to build new schools. The increase in the number of students in Kenya has resulted into a lot of strain in the physical facilities and resources hence pushing up the cost of o f education and ministry of education budget every year to meet the increasing demand. demand. For Kenya this is worthy because the population is continuing to increase annually by roughly 2.5%. Japanese population is not increasing, but the ministry of education budget is on the increase for the purpose of maintaining maintaining the standards and more research.

Co-curricu Co-curricular lar Activities/ Sports Though these activities activities are found fo und in Kenyan schools, their their importance is not like in Japanese

educational calendar. Kenya does not add them to integrate as learning component that the student can depend on and even undertake in the future but rather it is purely for competitive purposes. Participation to such activities Participation activities is voluntary, hence they are not allocated a llocated time within within the instructional instructio nal hours of o f the day but rather done after classes entirely for refreshing and let out after a day’s hard work. This has led to Kenyan schools not wholly putting emphasis on sports and other activities activiti es but rather ra ther emphasis is on examination subjects that actually count for the academic progress of the learner to higher h igher institutions institutions of learning after school and not sports. In Japan, sports are part of the core of o f education since it is part and component of the education system. This is envisioned in the ministry of education mission concerning sports that spells as;

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“striving to promote sports and a healthy mind and body, and a wholesome upbringing.” 

From this statement we learn that sports entail a wholesome upbri upbringing nging of the learner. It is for promotional promotion al purposes seeking to make the mind and body healthy. h ealthy. That is why it is factored within the normal classroom instructional instructional hours and considere considered d learning (the principle of bun bu ryodo/mon bu). The Japanese learner is encouraged and given opportunity opportunity to exploit one’s on e’s talent. This makes them have value to the entirety of education. They are encouraged to take sports for studies since he is still assured of employment even as a teacher for arts. For a Japanese learner it both counts in one’s academic progress, while in Kenya it is only what you score in the examination results that will ensure your progress.

Science Education In both countries, students tend to lean towards on humanity related subjects as they perceive

them to be “easy” as opposed to the science subjects. Generally Generally the science subjects do not attract a large and enthusiastic enthusiastic student population for the fear of failing. The irony behind it all is that in Kenya you cannot get any well paying job or even be admitted to the university if you score poorly in the sciences. sc iences. This trend has led in both countries to have very few students taking science related subjects. Both countries have come up with measures to address the issue. In Kenya, science teachers yearly come together for brainstorming brainstorming workshops where they exchange ideas on how to make the learning of science interesting to learners without diluti diluting ng neither content nor no r using unconventional convention al means to teach the sciences. This method has not on only ly produced results but seen the numbers increase drastically drastically and grades have ha ve been on the increase ever since it was incepted 11 years ago. Japan on the other o ther hand has team teaching and forums where teachers are able to observe fellow colleagues teaching. They offer constructive criticism where the improved lesson is taught and finally the new method of teaching adopted after being seen successful, successful, thereafter introduced to the entire nation. Also teachers are rewarded for every innovation they come up with in their teaching of science. This has enabled to not only make science interesting to learners but also a forum for innovation to the teachers.

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Conclusions The educational systems of both Kenya and Japan have proved efficient and successful. They have been able to educate and enhance higher levels of literacy to their citizens; however there is still room for improvement. During the course of my study the following issues arose that a are re worth mentioning to both countries as they seek to improving and maintaini maintaining ng the standards to their educational systems and they are:  

Kenya should keep on improving its educational educational system and no nott seek to change it. Although stake holders are proposing proposing for its change but the nation has ach achieved ieved a lot through its inception. The government should continue to address the challenges that arise. A new system is expensive and not worthy for the current system has proved

successful in increasing the countries literacy levels.   Kenya should continue to invest more in proportion to its economic growth in educational programs. She should aspire to not just remaining at 2% for development and research, but rather move to at least 40% in the next ten years. It is only through continuous continuous research that a country is able ab le to develop both economically and technologically. This is the key to the countries realization realization of the education for all by 2015  and accomplishin a ccomplishing g vision 2030. The country has already achieved a lot since it is a able ble to export her teaching teaching labor force to other o ther countries countries in need n eed in Africa like South Africa without the country having a shortage of the same when it comes to employment. employment.   Both countries need to come-up with modalities of how they can demystify science subject’s content without watering down the scope but rather encouraging learners with th e other subjects so incentives if they perform well. However this must be inclusive of the that students do not feel segregated.   

Kenya should aspire to both bo th increase the number of contact hours between the student and the teacher, by improving its student-teacher ratio. Kenya’s student-teacher student-teacher ratio is very high today, and it is difficult to ensure meaningf meaningful ul learning. More schools should be be built and more teachers be employed to curb the ever widening gap if the country wants

to attain the vision of education for all by b y 2015. The government can divert resources especially from the military in order to fund educational programs.   Currently the government in Kenya is embarking on hiring teachers on part-tim pa rt-time e basis (interns) to fill the gap of teacher’s shortage. This concept is not a new one since a similar proposal was once abolished before. Now its re-introduction re-introduction has been met with stiff challenge and opposition. This is the way wa y forward for Kenya since even Japan has reserve teachers who fill the gap for full time teachers who are either sick or away so that learning

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is continuous. The government should continue to sensitize sensitize the public on the importance importance of these services.   Japan can learn from the Kenyan scenario where the teacher becomes the property of the state and is required to move within the country wherever his/her services are required. Though this sometimes sometimes brings a lot of stress in staff balancing but it can be made in a way that especially those who want to join their spouses they can do so without resigning as they do now and later seek fresh hiring but rather be transferred to those areas.   To both countries the teacher is viewed and endeared as a role model not only to learners but also the society. This has called on the teaching frate fraternity rnity to be morally upright upright and hence being commonly referred to as the “noble professi p rofession,” on,” so teachers should should realize that society values and honors them and hence must keep it up.   Kenya should aspire to pay her teachers well not like the Japanese government for them their economy and standard of living gives them no choice but to pa payy their teachers as they do. Kenya however should strive to make teachers’ salaries be in comparison with the cost of living in the country. Though it is expensive but it is the only on ly sure way of maintaining the standards and discouragin d iscouraging g teachers from leaving the classroom to seek employment in other better paying jobs leading to problems of serious shortage in schools. I have to point it here that the Kenyan teacher is the second most highly paid governme government nt employee but the salary given cannot compare with the high h igh cost of living.   Both countries the teaching force is the biggest work force and the ministry of education receives the biggest allocation more than any other government ministry, but it is justified for the future of any society is having a thoroug thoroughly hly educated and equipped people ready to meet the challenges before them.   Both countries have administrative structures that are well suited to formulate and articulate policy with an equally well trained teaching work force that is well placed in implementing impleme nting the laid down policies.   Kenya should enhance re-training of its teachers and encourage them to study. Though it is expensive but it is an undertaking that the nation cannot a afford fford to neglect for knowledge is power.

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WHAT CAN KENYA LEARN FROM JAPAN? During the course of my research I came to following parameters that Kenya as a nation can learn from Japan in order o rder to make her education system better and more competitive competitive even though already it is competitive both in the world and more so in Africa. Her achievements in the education center is manifested by the large number of very able and competitive competit ive well trained work force in all a ll the fields who keep on securing well paying jobs abroad and being able to supply manpower to other African countries with shortages. Here outlined are some of the issues that I believe Kenya can learn from Japan to better her education system and they entail; I. 

As a country she needs to better remunerate her teachers in order to stop the exodus. Kenya cannot afford to pay her teachers like Japan due to her weak economy, but she can do so by b y gradual upgrading of the scheme of service of teachers. This the government is achieving by spreading out salary increase within a time frame of o f 2-3 years since 10 years ago. The strategy has worked both to the labor unions and the country’s economy growth

II. 

hence not putting pressure to other levers of the economy. I urge the government to continue exploiting exploiting this mutual understanding that it has developed with the teachers labor unions. The country through now the ministry of higher h igher education education should put into emphasis the need of research; on this the government for the first time this financial year 2008/2009 2008/2009 allocated funds specifically for research work. This kitty should be increased and Kenyan scholars be encouraged to take up internal research research rather than external research they have been doing since funds were coming from donors hence research proposals were tailored to suit the donors and not the country. The ministry should seek collaborations

III. 

with other African countries and/or developed nations on the need of joint research. research. This is cheaper and affordable a ffordable to the government to undertake. The country needs to involve the private p rivate sector in educational research funding as is the

IV. 

case in Japan and establish collaborati collaborations ons with other institutions since the government cannot shoulder all the bill of education for it is expensive. Though in Kenya the law requires that all school going age children should be taken to school, this has not been followed through by the government by ensuring it is a adhered dhered to by every parent. The government can make it work wo rk by involving the p provinci rovincial al administration in enforcing the law especially now that since 2003 elementary education is administration fully funded by the government government and parents are a re required only to take their children to school. The Japanese system is designed in that it is the duty of every parent to take the child under his care to school. Though it has worked so far but bu t it proving difficult to

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parents especially during these tough economic times. This is captured in the increase of children not being taken to school thus the drop from 99.9% to 97.6% enrollment rate at both elementary and junior high school. Kenya, on the other hand cannot afford to let parents decide for the country has too many obstacles to clear unlike in Japan therefore V. 

the law should be applied in the education of children. The government should increase the number of teachers and reduce the student-teacher ratio since it is quality qu ality that matters and not quantity. The government government should move forward in realizing quality grades and not just figures of o f the increased number of students going to school.

Note: the government has commissioned a policy of hiring h iring 28,000 28,000 teachers in the next 3 years by 2012. It has also initiated initiated another policy of redeploying 5,000 teachers from the elementary elementary to high school starting this year 2009 May. They Th ey also want to hire 1 16,000 6,000 interns this fiscal year of 2009/2010 2009/20 10 as a s part-time teachers. All this is the right step in the right direction for the country currently needs 49,000 49,000 teachers to deal with the acute shortage affecting schools. After 3 years the number will reduce to only 5,000 teachers of which the government will will be able to employ at once. (New p plan lan to hire more th teachers- The Daily Nation by Samuel Siringi, March 10  2009. TSC to deploy 5,000 teachers: The Standard by Sam Otieno, March 11th 2009).  2009).  www.nation.co.ke www.nation.co.ke  ,www.eastandard.net. www.eastandard.net.  The government should lift the ban on teachers so that they can work part-time. This will make more people be interested interested in joining teaching.

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Concluding Discussion 2nd Stage Proposition The following points are worth consideration for future research and how ways can be explored explored in achieving them: The government should increase the number of universities universities from the current twelve to twenty four. This is very possible po ssible by the government just committ committing ing itself to b building uilding on 1 university every three years and in twenty four years the country will have doubled the current number to 24. The government should fund and complete the many stalled university expansion projects that were initiated. I have to commend the government for the positive steps it is taking tak ing address this problem by converting already built colleges into universities and turning others into colleges of universities this has seen the number of university admission go up from 10,000 to 17,000 1 7,000 as from 2008 September. 

Qn. What mechanisms can the government put into place in order to achieve the above proposal p roposal while still being able to be cost-effective cost-effective undertaking? Though the government has initiated parallel degree program, this has run into stiff opposition by stake holders. They argue that it is only going to benefit those who are able in society since the poor cannot afford it. The primary role of the program is to create more chance for the Kenyan child who misses out admission to the public university due to capacity to do so when the regular term goes to recess. The governme government nt wanted to a also lso create an opportunity for instituti institutions ons to generate income through private tuition charged as levies to students who register as private. The system has proved very popular among a mong the working people who missed out to join university but now are able to do so through distance learning. Qn. how can the government government continue with the program by being inclusive and not exclusive as being argued by the stake holders? Education is a progressive venture that requires upgrading and constant review so that it will continue to remain relevant in the ever changing society, and be able to equip and prepare an individual to offer constructive input to the society. If we fear to make ourselves that agent of change be it the government, stakeholders or teachers then we should be ready to be reneged to the abyss of wastefulness wa stefulness and rotting. Governments will try to wake up but b ut society (the world) will have made such great strides and yet we have not done. Failure to act is a seed planted in the fertile ground of failure and surely it will bear fruits of disaster and wreckage: do we want to plant this seed?

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS  

To my beloved wife Lilly and son Inori, thank you for your understanding and encouragement I thank God for you both. encouragement bo th.

 

My supervisor, Professor Funaki Kenji thank you sir for fo r allowing me to be under your supervision indeed I ‘am proud of you hontoni. Professor Ohitani thank you I remember the lesson you took me to witness for the first time time:: paramecium (microscopy).

 

Professor Makito Yurita, words alone cannot explain how grateful to me and your assistance to me during the entire period period of my research. Thank you for the time spared to listen and guide me; I cannot forget to thank Professor Nishiyama who took the trouble to

link me up with Professor Makito.   Professor Scott Menking and your wife Carmella Lieske, thank you to me your more than friends the little things that make life easy you provided to me and today it is all joy. C ommission ion for approving my study leave that enabled   My employer the Teachers Service Commiss me to come and pursue p ursue this research study.   CEMASTEA that saw the potential in me and shortlisted shortlisted me for the interview and also the SMASSE family that through her made it possible for me to train and facilitate at the District level level during the yearly workshops of science teachers in North Eastern Province (NEP).   

Shurie Secondary School teachers who encouraged me to undertake this study seriously since I was the ambassador of Kenya and the school.   The Japanese Government for offering this scholarship, thank you Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.   

Friends and relatives both here in Japan and in Kenya of which their support and encouragement encourageme nt for me to continue, it would have been difficult d ifficultyy to undertake.

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References i. ii.  

Ministry of Education (KENYA);  (KENYA); www.education.go.ke  www.education.go.ke  Mars Group/ Government of Kenya;  Kenya; http://government.marsgroupkenya.org  http://government.marsgroupkenya.org  –recurrent –recurrent expenditure for the ministry of education from 2006/2007-2009/2010. 2006/2007-2009 /2010.

iii. 

MEXT’s General Budget from 2005-2008;  2005-2008; www.mext.go.jp/english/yosan/001.htm www.mext.go.jp/english/yosan/001.htm.. 

iv. 

Kenyan universities and colleges-Ads by Google;  Google;  www.4icu.org/ke/kenyanuniversities.htm   universities.htm

v. 

Teachers and student population in Kenya; Factbook for UNESCO National Education E ducation Support strategies pp 51-61.

vi. 

Business Daily Africa Wednesday, March 4, 2009 [NAIROBI]; JAB to admit 17,000 17 ,000 to public universities by Mwaura Kimani.  Kimani.  www.bdafrica.com. www.bdafrica.com. 

vii. 

Education at a Glance: G lance: Expenditure on Education pp 50-58.

viii. 

Kenya/ Japan –Population growth rate – Historical Data Graphs G raphs per year;  www.indexmundi.com/g/g.aspx?c=ke&v=24  year; www.indexmundi.com/g/g.aspx?c=ke&v=24  www.indexmundi.com/g/g.aspx di.com/g/g.aspx?c=ja&v=24 ?c=ja&v=24  . and  www.indexmun and

ix. 

–Teachers Schem Scheme e of Service and The Teachers Service Se rvice Commission;  Commission; www.tsc.go.ke  www.tsc.go.ke  –Teachers teachers register.

x. 

The EFA 2000 Assessment: Country Reports- Japan Complete report pp 112;  www.unesco.org/ 12; www.unesco.org/education/wef/countryre education/wef/countryreports/japan/rapport_1.h ports/japan/rapport_1.html tml 

xi. 

An article: Access to Education 2002 (pulling Apart 20) (KENYA).

xii. 

An Article: The Common Good by Lynn Lynn Olson Vol. 18, Is Issue sue 17, and pp 25-31 published: January 27, 1999;  1999; www.edweek.org/ew/articles/1999/01/27/20a www.edweek.org/ew/articles/1999/01/27/20a  

xiii. 

An Article: Are Students ‘Consumers’? by David F. Labaree published: September 17, 1997;  www.edweek.org/ew/articles/1997/09/17/031  1997; www.edweek.org/ew/articles/1997/09/17/031 

xiv. 

SCIENCE FOR ALL AMERICANS by Oxford; American association For the Advancement of Science: PROJECT 2061 pp 102-104. 102-104 .

xv. 

Report on Japanese Educational Administration and Finance pp 27-73.

xvi. 

Education in Japan 2000: A Graphic G raphic Representation Ministry of Education, Science, Technology, Sports and Culture (13 th Edition) Tokyo: gyosei corporation pp 2-131. 2 -131.

xvii. 

List of universities and colleges in Kenya- Wikipedia, the free niversities_and_colleges_in_kenya eges_in_kenya   encyclopedia;  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_u encyclopedia; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_universities_and_coll

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