Kenya

Students attend school in Nyanza, Kenya.

credit: GCE Kenya

There is little point in children attending school if they are not able to receive a quality education. Many factors affect school quality, such as overcrowded classrooms, untrained teachers and a shortage of learning materials. When children must attend school in these environments, they are more likely to drop out and not gain necessary life skills.

Quality education begins with having adequate school facilities, books, learning materials and trained teachers. The curricula and materials used must also be relevant to children’s lives. Children must be able to acquire not only basic skills in literacy and numeracy, but also skills and knowledge in areas such as gender, health, nutrition, HIV/AIDS prevention and conflict-resolution.

Did you know…

• Studies show that for parents with limited resources, the quality of education is an important deciding factor in whether or not to put or keep their children in school.

• Despite high levels of access to primary education in Latin America and the Caribbean, fewer than 83% of students who enroll in 1st grade complete primary school in most countries.