NGO reports shows major gaps in primary education

A majority of pupils in Nyandarua County do not get adequate and quality education – this is according to research released on Saturday, May 6 by a non-governmental organization.

According to the Twaweza East Africa report, over 54% of class three pupils are unable to tackle class two course work, despite having passed through the system.

The gaps occur all the way to class 8, with about 95% of students failing to tackle some class two questions.

“If you go to any random child of class three in Nyandarua and give them class two work, you’ll find that only 46 % are able to do it. That means that 54% of pupils were promoted to class three, yet they were not able to complete class two work,” said Dr. John Mugo, who is an educationist and researcher at Twaweza East Africa.

However, the report ranks Nyandarua fourth after Nyeri, Nairobi and Mombasa among counties with above the average learning levels in the country.

Nyandarua County Education Officer, George Karangu, who was at the launch on Ol Kalou trading center, said that the report is timely coming at a time when the Ministry of Education is developing initiatives such as the ‘Tusome Literacy Programme’ that aims to improve the learning standards of lower primary pupils.

“The program will show learners on the way to go in terms of Kiswahili and English pronunciations and how to tackle mathematical problems,” said the County Education officer.