Class 5 and 6 Pupils in Kenya Cannot do Simple Math - Report

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Class 5 and 6 Pupils in Kenya Cannot do Simple Math - Report
  • By Eddy Mwanza on 12 July 2020 - 1:59 pm

    Students pictured during a lesson.

    Students pictured during a lesson.
    File
A report titled International Common Assessment Numeracy (ICAN), released on July 9, ranked Kenya's Grade 5 and 6 students last in the world when it came to foundational numeracy tasks.

According to the survey carried out by People’s Action for Learning (PAL), 36.6% of that particular group of Kenyan pupils could not tell simple data display, time and day and date on the calendar.
"Eight percent found it harder to read the calendar and tell what day or date it was," the assessment report published by Chief Executive Officer of PAL, Sarah Ruto, who also serves as the chairperson of the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), reads in part.

ICAN 2020 was carried out in 2019, where one district/county was picked from each of the 13 countries under review.

File image of a teacher and students in class

File image of a teacher and students in a class
File

The 13 regions were listed as: Kenya, Bangladesh, India, Mali, Mexico, Mozambique, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda.
Some of the tasks the pupils were tasked with included geometry on position and direction, shapes and figures, measurement on length and capacity, time and calendar and data display on retrieving simple information.

From the Grade 2 and 3 pool, only 4.5% of learners managed to meet the international numeracy criteria, with Kenya's neighbours leading the group after Tanzania recorded a 53% score, while and Uganda attained 56.8%, the highest score among the 13 countries.
In Kenya, Only 36.6% of learners in grades 4, 5 and 6 were found able to tackle foundational numeracy tasks. Once again, the country fell well behind Tanzania, which scored 72.4%, and Uganda which led the 13 countries with 81.4%
"The evidence we have shows children around the world are not learning enough to improve their own and their countries' and communities’ lives," Sarah noted within the report.

Notably, in the aforementioned group, only India (77.3%), Pakistan (76.4%) and Nepal (80.4%) achieved the 75% pass mark.
Interestingly, although the research team picked it sample students from Mwala, Machakos County, the mean numeracy score for children aged 6-16 years in Mwala is 56.3% as compared to the national score of 56.2%, according to the 2015 Uwezo Kenya assessment.

The report comes just a week after Education CS George Magoha suspended plans to reopen schools on September 1, 2020, as the number of Coronavirus cases continued to spike.
He announced that all basic learning institutions would be reopened in January 2021, adding that the KCPE and KCSE exams slated for 2020 had been cancelled.
CS Education Prof George Magoha while releasing 2019 KCPE results at Mitihani House in Nairobi on Monday November 18, 2019

CS Education Prof George Magoha while releasing 2019 KCPE results at Mitihani House in Nairobi on Monday November 18, 2019
Simon Kiragu
Kenyans.co.ke



this is very sad news.
we are spending so much on infrastructure (roads), yet our kid's arent learning even the basics in school.
we don't even have enough classrooms let alone teachers

if Africa wants to grow, we should invest more on Education.
 
And then you find our leaders talking about BBI and other politics yet there's some places where pupils study outside in the field because there're no enough classrooms.
 
we are spending so much on infrastructure (roads), yet our kid's arent learning even the basics in school.
I doubt this is about money but about teaching methodology and objectives. I asked one of the leaders of the SMASSE (now CEMASTEA) project in the ministry of education what the project has achieved in it's 20 years plus and he wasn't happy...only mumbling that the program is ongoing.
 
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children from public schools ndio hawajui anything but private school wako sawa.
A very sad misconception. Nao watoto wa academy huinuliwa juu juu huenda wapi in the four years of secondary? Academy is drilling to pass to raise the name of the school, public school more oriented to developing discovery skills.
 
Class 5 and 6 Pupils in Kenya Cannot do Simple Math - Report
  • By Eddy Mwanza on 12 July 2020 - 1:59 pm

    Students pictured during a lesson.

    Students pictured during a lesson.
    File
A report titled International Common Assessment Numeracy (ICAN), released on July 9, ranked Kenya's Grade 5 and 6 students last in the world when it came to foundational numeracy tasks.

According to the survey carried out by People’s Action for Learning (PAL), 36.6% of that particular group of Kenyan pupils could not tell simple data display, time and day and date on the calendar.
"Eight percent found it harder to read the calendar and tell what day or date it was," the assessment report published by Chief Executive Officer of PAL, Sarah Ruto, who also serves as the chairperson of the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), reads in part.

ICAN 2020 was carried out in 2019, where one district/county was picked from each of the 13 countries under review.

File image of a teacher and students in class

File image of a teacher and students in a class
File

The 13 regions were listed as: Kenya, Bangladesh, India, Mali, Mexico, Mozambique, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda.
Some of the tasks the pupils were tasked with included geometry on position and direction, shapes and figures, measurement on length and capacity, time and calendar and data display on retrieving simple information.

From the Grade 2 and 3 pool, only 4.5% of learners managed to meet the international numeracy criteria, with Kenya's neighbours leading the group after Tanzania recorded a 53% score, while and Uganda attained 56.8%, the highest score among the 13 countries.
In Kenya, Only 36.6% of learners in grades 4, 5 and 6 were found able to tackle foundational numeracy tasks. Once again, the country fell well behind Tanzania, which scored 72.4%, and Uganda which led the 13 countries with 81.4%
"The evidence we have shows children around the world are not learning enough to improve their own and their countries' and communities’ lives," Sarah noted within the report.

Notably, in the aforementioned group, only India (77.3%), Pakistan (76.4%) and Nepal (80.4%) achieved the 75% pass mark.
Interestingly, although the research team picked it sample students from Mwala, Machakos County, the mean numeracy score for children aged 6-16 years in Mwala is 56.3% as compared to the national score of 56.2%, according to the 2015 Uwezo Kenya assessment.

The report comes just a week after Education CS George Magoha suspended plans to reopen schools on September 1, 2020, as the number of Coronavirus cases continued to spike.
He announced that all basic learning institutions would be reopened in January 2021, adding that the KCPE and KCSE exams slated for 2020 had been cancelled.
CS Education Prof George Magoha while releasing 2019 KCPE results at Mitihani House in Nairobi on Monday November 18, 2019

CS Education Prof George Magoha while releasing 2019 KCPE results at Mitihani House in Nairobi on Monday November 18, 2019
Simon Kiragu
Kenyans.co.ke



this is very sad news.
we are spending so much on infrastructure (roads), yet our kid's arent learning even the basics in school.
we don't even have enough classrooms let alone teachers

if Africa wants to grow, we should invest more on Education.
I totally disagree
 
I doubt this is about money but about teaching methodology and objectives. I asked one of the leaders of the SMASSE (now CEMASTEA) project in the ministry of education what the project has achieved in it's 20 years plus and he wasn't happy...only mumbling that the program is ongoing.
we can still find an explanation to money.
do we have good teaching facilities for the teachers?
are we compensating the teachers well?
do the teachers have all necessary facilities to teach the children?
do we have enough teachers to teach the children?
 
Upuzi. Kenyan school children are among the most literate in any developing country. You don't have to rely on a fake report to know it, just talk to them................
 
why is that?
Where are these research done or they just cook figures to please this masters ,we have KICD, ,Quality assurance dept within the parent ministry and many other stakeholders. Are all these parties involved before publishing such uncouth news ?
Ngoja uone kale kamzungu ka infotrack or whatever they call it as we approach general elections, katajitokeza in all mainstream media peddling similar falsehood everywhere in the world ! Idiots
 
Where are these research done or they just cook figures to please this masters ,we have KICD, ,Quality assurance dept within the parent ministry and many other stakeholders. Are all these parties involved before publishing such uncouth news ?
Ngoja uone kale kamzungu ka infotrack or whatever they call it as we approach general elections, katajitokeza in all mainstream media peddling similar falsehood everywhere in the world ! Idiots
agree with that.
everyone has there own agendas.

but the reality on the ground is we aren't investing enough in the education sector.
we have children reading under trees, a class with over 70 pupils with one teacher.........
we don't need outsider information to know all is not well.

the same pupils will one day be our leaders and we will always complain they aren't making sound and wise judgments. yet we know where the problem is.
 
agree with that.
everyone has there own agendas.

but the reality on the ground is we aren't investing enough in the education sector.
we have children reading under trees, a class with over 70 pupils with one teacher.........
we don't need outsider information to know all is not well.

the same pupils will one day be our leaders and we will always complain they aren't making sound and wise judgments. yet we know where the problem is.
The individuals MCA, mp ,and parents are to blame .basic education is not devolved, the should keep the national government on its toes. No child should be attending classes under a tree !
 
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