Part 3: International Comparison Of Educational Systems

 

The Kenyan Curriculum Vs Mauritius Curriculum 

Kenya and Mauritius

The two most obvious similarities between Kenya and Mauritius are 1) both are world leading tourist destinations and 2) both are in some way surrounded by the Indian ocean and located to the East of the African Continent (well, you´d also say both are African countries but you won´t really be sure about Mauritius 😜). In contrast, while on one end Kenya is home to some of the greenest countrysides and the best wildlife sights in Africa, Mauritius hands-down plays host to the best beach destinations you´ll ask for in Africa (win-win right?). But wait there´s more; both Countries are former British colonies and both know a thing or two about imperial capitalism (oops). Kenya is, as an interesting difference, 40 times more densely populated than Mauritius. Mauritius however beats Kenya both in life expectancy (74 years against 62) and the GDP Per Capita Income (in a ratio 9 to 1).

Curriculum Comparison

Just like everything else between the two countries, the Kenyan and Mauritius Curricula may seem close from far but  are far from close. As much as some aspects of the Pre-primary, Primary, Secondary  and University level Education may seem to agree in some ways, others sharply and interestingly contrast. In this piece, the areas of differences and similarities between the two Countries´ curricula will be discussed. From the general curricula content, to the school governance, frameworks and pedagogical styles and to the international assessment rankings of the education in the two countries, all the areas that either unite or differentiate the two countries in the their Curricula development techniques and approaches shall be explored. The comparative study will attempt to uncover what the two countries might be doing differently in curriculum development and in the delivery of globally competitive education.

1. Curriculum Content

 Both Kenya and Mauritius offer curricula that are based on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization´s  future-based Education for Sustainable Development policy. The Curricula in both countries are also mainly based on the colonial era´s structure of Pre-primary, Secondary, prevocational and vocational training centers. The learning activities are majorly aimed at developing the academic skills in the students and the textbooks and learning materials provide means towards academic excellence. Basic schooling in both countries is free and compulsory for all students until at least the 8th grade (hypothetically until 14 years old for Kenyan students and 16 for Mauritius). In addition to the core subjects, other subjects taught in both countries´ primary and Secondary levels include technical subjects as well as social and societal studies that are considered equally important in students´ personal growth especially if they are to opt for vocational schools later. Both Countries  also have ´carrier´ subjects that are meant to increase awareness of the learners to the health, environmental and societal life as well as values.

2. Assessment and Qualifications

Assessment in both countries especially at lower levels of education are improvement-based. Continuous assessment tests are common in schools both in Kenya and Mauritius for early learners as teachers test the levels of cognition in their young learners. Termly examinations (end of term tests) are conducted for all students in Kenyan Primary and secondary schools and the performances in the end of year exams determine whether or not the students will be promoted to the next class. Summative assessments are conducted twice in a year in Mauritius schools on the other hand (Mid and end year). High stakes exams are common practise in both countries´ educational systems. While Kenyan Students have Kenya Certificate of Primary (KCPE) and Kenya Certificate of Secondary School (KCSE) exams to read hard for, Mauritius school kids have Certificate of Primary Education (CPE), School Certificate (O-level)and Higher School Certificate (A-level) to worry about.

3.  National Framework - System Structure

The education structure for Primary and Secondary school levels in the two countries are considerably different. The Kenyan system is the out-fashioned and rigid 8-4-4 ( 8 years in Primary school, 4 in Secondary and 4 in the University) system that has stood since 1985. Mauritius has a more advanced system ( a 6-5-2 system) that reduces the primary school years and gives priority to the secondary and vocational levels. (Georgescu, Stabback, Jahn, Ag-Muphtah and Castro, 2008). Kenya is, however currently in the process of switching into a competency-based curriculum framework that would be close to the one currently used by Mauritius (Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, 2017). 

4. Inspection

5. Pedagogy

Current instructional techniques used in both countries are largely the traditional teacher-centred ones. Teachers transmit the knowledge to a patiently watching audience of different ability students. Both Countries are, however, on course to starting knowledge and competency based curricula to cater for the learning and humanistic needs of the learners in a manner that will not be highly assessment based. This is in line with UNESCO´s Education for Sustainable development (ESD) goals. Mauritius has, furthermore, already integrated e-learning into their curriculum delivery - which is not yet the case in Kenya. Both countries, however, have provisions in their proposed new curricula for completely integrating e-materials and e-learning into all the pedagogical processes at all levels (Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, 2017; MMoE&HR,TE&SR, 2016). 

6. Special needs Education

While Mauritius government and school management provide an organizational (not instructional/classroom) approach to handling student diversity (MoE&HR,TE&SR, 2016), Kenya still has a predominantly homogeneous classroom settings (based on age grouping). The students of different abilities in Kenya (except the formally recognized disabilities like Visual Impairment and Hearing Impairment) are included in the same classrooms and taught through the same methods and standards. This could be attributed to inadequate funds and thereby poor investment in educational inclusivity (African Population and Health Research Center, 2016). Inclusivity is, however starting to become a key focus area in the Kenyan educational system and schools such as little Rock academy are shining hope to the diverse and heterogeneous students of Kenya. Mauritius government, same as Kenya, has also set up special needs schools for the formally recognized disabilities.

7. Language minority, migrants and minority students

Mauritius, though multilingual, does not look to be so rocked with the language differences as much as her counterpart, Kenya. While Kenya has 43 tribes all with different languages, Mauritius only has 4 languages. This could then mean Mauritian students have an upper hand over her Kenyan fellows in adapting to the international languages. Mauritius is also exempted from the refugee situation that Kenya is rocked with (Kenya currently has the largest  refugee camp in the world) (United Nations High Commission for Refugees, 2017). Kenya thereby has more challenge with the minority and migrant situation than Mauritius. This could count for the slow progress in the level of quality education in Kenya compared to her sister African Country. This is worsened by the sporadic cases of terrorist attacks in Kenya over the past 6 years that has also been linked with the migrant situation. The refugee students in Kenya find it really difficult to integrate into the Kenyan schools as they speak only Somali and Arabic languages which are not used in teaching in schools.

8. Teachers´ Professional Development 

Both countries follow the recommended and extensive teacher training and certification processes. The education ministries in the two countries are highly involved in the teacher professionalization process and ensure the availability of pre- and in- service training centers for teachers. Preservice training of teachers in both countries take place in specialized teacher training institutions (MIE in Mauritius and Teacher Training Colleges in Kenya). The teachers in both countries could also acquire diplomas or bachelors degrees in the countries´ Universities to be able to enrich their knowledge base in the profession. Teachers in Mauritius are also trained on digital literacy courses in line with the increasingly digitized education system in the country. This program has not yet been seriously enforced in Kenya´s teachers´ training colleges except for basic computer courses. In both countries, In-service teachers are also allowed to further their educational qualifications by pursuing advanced degrees  like the bachelors, masters and even doctorate degrees. They may also seek assistance from the more experienced teachers on the appropriate instructional techniques they should employ. Teacher seminars and workshops are encouraged by the Kenyan government especially for the Science and Mathematics teachers.

9. Institutional Development

10. Institutional forms and structure

Both countries consider the land sizes available for schools´ construction of classrooms before settling for the best location of the schools. Kenya lags behind Mauritius in terms of the use of available school space as well as the facilities present inside the classes. Land is allocated by the government for public school construction in Mauritius while it is community-donated in Kenya. Class population per stream is the other element where Mauritius places highly over her African counterpart and you would then not help but think that the instructional process in Mauritian classes is better executed than in Kenya. The number of schools and student enrollment in Kenya is, however way too superior to that in Mauritius. The number of Primary school students in Kenya is actually 7 times bigger than the population of Mauritius country.

11. Allied Social Measures

Social responsibility is a truly essential part of any educational system. Kenya and Mauritius both have an interesting range of activities in place that enhance social and economic engagement. The most important economic policy in education that is applicable in the two countries is UNESCO´s Education for Sustainable Development that always advocates for economic, social and environmental conservation in the participating countries. Other socially friendly activities carried out in Mauritian schools include handing free textbooks to student and taking measures to minimize the financial strain imposed on parents by education by for example offering free transport for the students. Kenya has also attempted to look into the social needs of the students and the society by for example adding health and life skills courses into the curriculum. Guidance and counseling, HIV/AIDS education and other life skills subjects are now unexamined subjects in the Kenyan schools.

12. Funding

Schools in Kenya are mostly funded by the Kenyan Government with generous support from international and local partners (MOE, 2017). Mauritian schools receive their funding mainly from the National Government. Both Countries also have parents associations (PTA) that also cater for the additional expenses including lunch and activity money. School management is charged with handling the money received by the schools from the PTA and the government. Pubic higher education institutions and parastatals in both countries also receive some financial support from the government.

13. Governance

The governance structures in the school systems of both countries are highly centralized. Most curriculum decisions and policies are made at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum development in Kenya and the Ministry of Education and Human Resources in Mauritius (Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, 2017; MMoE&HR,TE&SR, 2016). School autonomy is not highly valued as decisions on pedagogical methods and curriculum designs are communicated from the macro levels of the educational system. The role of teachers and principals in the curriculum development are mostly in implementing the curriculum and policies set by the topmost technocrats at ministry level.  

14. Results of Recent International Assessment

Kenya has been clearly edged by her compatriot in both reading score and mathematics literacy according to the SACMEQ data released in 2012 (Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality, 2012). This thereby only means that there´s something going on with the Mauritius education system that Kenya could emulate.

Country	Reading Score	Mathematics Score
Mauritius	573.5	623.3
Kenya	543.1	557

 

15. School failure and Dropout

The dropout rates are again, obviously higher in Kenya than in Mauritius. This could be partly due to the efforts of the Mauritius government to provide transport and affordable quality infrastructure and personnel to teach the children adequately and holistically. Moreover, Mauritius being way wealthier than Kenya and less populated means a shift from the basic educational struggles of access to education. The country is rather now focused on the true quality of education and this means more of differentiation and constructive alignment than in Kenya.

16. Accountability Arrangements

Both Kenya and Mauritius governments have put in place quality assurance measures in the curriculum and education system to minimize the chances of irresponsibility and misuse of resources in schools. Termly self-assessment and evaluation is a common practice in Kenyan schools with the principal guiding the self-reflection meetings. The teachers are given the chance to explain their current level of progress and the strategies they have in place to improve on or maintain the current level of performance. External audits are also conducted in all Kenyan Schools to determine availability and level of usage of resources. Auditors from the Kenya Institute for Curriculum Development visit schools to check for such resources as school finances, books and other material supplies. In Mauritius, the accountability measures are almost similar to the Kenyan methods and also entail auditors coming into schools to check for the performance indicators. 

17. Selection and gate keeping

 Selection processes in both countries are based on merit (that is the grade from the high stakes tests). In Kenya, students transitioning from primary to secondary schools are selected based on the marks scored in the KCPE Examinations. Highest scoring students are selected into the prestigious National Secondary schools. The next lot go into the equally prestigious (but less prestigious than the National schools) schools while the last lot is poured into the remaining district schools. University intake in Kenya is based on the number of points scored by candidates in the KCSE exams. Candidates with the highest points (from B and beyond) are selected into the university by the Kenya University and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) and have their fees subsidized by the government. Other students who qualify to join the Universities (Grade C+ and above) are allowed to apply for intake into any public or private University but will have to pay the whole fees for themselves. Mauritius has more or less the same selection criteria based on high stakes exam scores. Her secondary schools are equal level and intake is based on a student´s region of residence.