Gender Mainstreaming Practices in Basic Education & Teacher Training In Kenya: Study Summary

Abstract

The Government of Kenya, through the Ministry of Education, in line with Sustainable Development goals 4 and 5, is committed to providing quality education and attaining gender parity at all levels of education. To this end, Kenya has instituted various policy and legislative reforms which have been implemented as the Government seeks to promote access, equality, and equity in the education sector. These policies include the Free Primary Education (FPE) policy, which mandated the provision of free primary education to all children of school-going age; the Free Day Secondary Education (FDSE) policy introduced in 2008 to make the costs of secondary education affordable; subsidies or capitation grants provided by the government to all secondary school students enrolled in public day schools to promote access, transition, and academic outcomes. These policy interventions have improved access to education, as seen through the improved Gross Enrollment Rates (GER). APHRC with the support of the Center for Global Development (CGD) co-designed a study in 2022, to provide policy- relevant evidence for action on mainstreaming gender issues during curriculum implementation in basic education in Kenya. Furthermore, the Ministry of Education was keen on using co-generated evidence in the review of the 2015 Education and Training Sector Gender Policy. This brief gives a summary of the study's findings.