Access, poverty, and learning achievement for primary school leavers in Kenya: Analysis of evidence from 47 counties

Based on changes in enrolment and the changes in average test scores in Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination taken at the end of the 8 year primary cycle in Kenya, this paper examines the interaction of... [ view full abstract ]

Based on changes in enrolment and the changes in average test scores in Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination taken at the end of the 8 year primary cycle in Kenya, this paper examines the interaction of enrolment and performance in KCPE in 47 counties, and infers the extent to which the FPE policy was pro-poor based on county changes in enrolment between 2003 and 2010. The analysis is preliminary, but it shows the manner in which these changes may be associated with county poverty. It then attempts to associate changes in the average performance in KCPE between 2002-2011 and the changes in enrolment and notes any other county factors that may be associated with such changes other than the FPE policy. In the end, the paper concludes that there was significant positive change in enrolment in poorer counties which can be associated with FPE but performance in KCPE was varied; with averaged performance remaining very low and relatively unchanged over the seven years of observation. The paper uses data from KCPE and Poverty Index.