A closer look Election Pledge: What does free secondary education mean for women?

Enrollment does not necessarily mean attendance, attendance does not necessarily mean receiving an education, and receiving an education does not necessarily mean receiving a good education. High enrollment ratios may give the mistaken impression that a high proportion of school-age children are being well educated.

The cost of achieving Free Secondary education will be greater than that of free Primary education. Analysts estimate the cost of introducing free secondary education in Kenya to a tune of Ksh40 billion. The unique campaign pledge this elections is no longer for the provision of free secondary education. The presidential candidates have all promised free secondary education if elected. We need to think hard about this means for us? Have we rushed into the free secondary euphoria without ensuring that our children are receiving quality primary education? Is free secondary education premature?

According to a case study on free primary education and poverty reduction in Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi and Uganda, top-level political initiatives triggered Free Primary Education which means that in most cases there was little time to work out modalities of a system that needed to be rolled out to a promised electorate. Questions have been raised regarding its sustainability, the lack of time for planning, slowness to deliver and problems in quality education. Enrollments jumped by 68% in the first year in Malawi, 75% in Lesotho and 22% in Kenya leading to overcrowded classrooms, shortage of teachers, textbooks and materials.

In Malawi, where free primary education was introduced 12 years ago, free primary education has not gone without its usual hitches. Despite the advantages free education has also brought with it a lot of problems. Children have to learn under trees because there are more children attending primary schools and not enough classrooms to house the children, you will find three teachers sharing 200 students in one class and dividing the subjects between them. This does not help the concentration of the children and neither that of the teacher. There is no way a teacher can pay attention to 200 pupils. The “free” attitude is also eroding the learning environment. Teachers are misunderstanding the word "free" to mean that since education is free they only teach if they want and similarly with children. However, the rules and regulations still apply to both teachers and pupils in the schools.

Kenya has faced similar challenges in the provision of free primary education. Some argue that the quality of the education is at stake. Like Malawi, classrooms are overcrowded and teachers few. The real effects of free primary education will be seen with time. For some of this children, quality or not, it’s just better than at all.

The challenges of free primary education with no free secondary education

When it comes to women and education, there is widespread agreement that the most fundamental way out of poverty for women and girls is education. It's often said in Africa if you educate a man, you educate an individual, but when you educate a woman, you educate a nation.
Even with free primary education challenges remain. Many girls who complete elementary school can't afford high school, which isn't free. So they drop out because they see no hope of fulfilling their dreams -- of becoming doctors, teachers, school inspectors and even presidents.
Free Primary with no Secondary Education leaves a hanging gap. What do we do with the numbers of students who complete Primary Education and have no means of progressing. Is there a future without continuity?

Although education is not available to hundreds of millions of children, neither are health care, adequate nutrition, employment opportunities, and other basic services available to these children or their families. Why should universal primary and secondary education be a development goal of high priority?

Several rationales support the pursuit of universal primary and secondary education. Education provides economic benefits. Education builds strong societies and polities. Education reduces fertility and improves health. Education is a widely accepted humanitarian obligation and an internationally mandated human right. These rationales are commonly offered for universal primary education, but many benefits of education do not accrue until students have had 10 or more years of education. Completion of primary education is more attractive if high-quality secondary education beckons.

Education attainment is highly beneficial for disadvantaged groups. Women, especially, who fall band in this category will be more likely to vote and to voice opposition. Education increases economic status, and higher income individuals have better access to health care services, better nutrition, and increased mobility.

If you think Education is expensive, try ignorance…

Directing adequate funds to education requires a national commitment to education. A commitment not just to provide quantity but quality education will be paramount. Closing the gap between the current state of global education and the goal of providing all children with high-quality primary and secondary education schooling requires meeting several distinct challenges. Free Secondary Education cannot be treated as just a social contract with the electorate but a strategy to deliver us from poverty and social injustice.

Achieving universal primary and secondary education is both urgent and feasible and will require overcoming significant obstacles, developing innovations in educational practices, and spending more money on education.

Improved access to primary education fuels the demand for secondary education. The two are go side by side and there is no backing out of this one. The stakes are too high especially for women.

The next few weeks are critical for us to understand what is being promised and how it will be implemented. The onus is on the candidates to connect with women’s issues which are largely the issues of society.