Kenya: Kenya's Large Class Sizes Make It Harder for Teachers to Help Children Learn

What the report says

Kenya’s competency-based education system, introduced in 2017, was meant to shift classrooms toward learner-centered teaching and a broader set of skills, including literacy, numeracy, critical thinking, creativity and digital literacy. But a new analysis published by The Conversation Africa and distributed by AllAfrica says classroom practice has not matched the policy’s goals, especially in foundational learning for grades 1 and 3.

The article, written by researcher Fridah Gatwiri Kiambati, draws on observations from 200 schools across 11 counties and notes that teachers often rely on whole-class instruction, blackboard teaching and limited questioning. Small-group work and individual support were rare. The piece says large class sizes and shortages of materials are key reasons teachers struggle to use more interactive methods, even though many support the idea in principle.

The analysis also highlights weak learning outcomes. It says many children are still not meeting basic reading and numeracy expectations, underscoring the gap between the curriculum’s intentions and what happens in classrooms. The report adds that textbooks are often available, but there are county-level gaps, and one example cited Marsabit as having three learners per textbook.

The author recommends stronger teacher mentoring, peer learning, better support for struggling learners, one textbook per child, and improved ICT infrastructure and training. More broadly, the piece suggests Kenya’s education reforms will depend not only on policy design but also on whether schools are given the staffing, materials and support needed to implement them effectively.