Study reveals Kenya’s class sizes challenge effective competency-based teaching
Kenya's 2017 shift to competency-based education aims to develop broad skills in learners but faces challenges in practice. A study by the African Population and Health Research Centre found that large class sizes and lack of diverse teaching materials prevent teachers from applying learner-centred methods effectively. As a result, many grade 3 students struggle with basic literacy and numeracy. The research highlights the gap between policy and classroom realities, emphasizing the need to address class size and resource shortages to improve foundational learning.
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Kenya introduced a competency-based education approach in 2017 to equip learners with skills ranging from basic literacy and numeracy to critical thinking and digital literacy. However, a recent study by the African Population and Health Research Centre in Nairobi reveals that large class sizes and shortages of teaching materials hinder teachers from implementing this learner-centred framework effectively.
The research involved observing 398 grade 1 and 3 teachers across 200 schools in 11 counties. Findings show that teachers rely heavily on blackboards and print materials, with limited use of creative instructional materials as recommended by the framework. This over-reliance and the challenge of managing large classes mean many students do not receive the individual attention needed to develop foundational skills.
Consequently, six out of ten grade 3 learners cannot read and understand an English story, and eight out of ten struggle with basic numeracy problems. The study underscores the gap between the competency-based education policy and classroom realities, emphasizing the importance of addressing class sizes and resource availability to improve learning outcomes in Kenya.