Girls perform better than boys in languages, towns excel
Mercy Mwai and Bernard Gitau
Boys, however, performed better than girls in Mathematics and Science at 45.39 per cent against 44.39 and 59.24 per cent against 56.49 per cent.
The study also revealed pupils in private schools registered higher mean scores than their counterparts in public schools in all the assessed subjects while learners in schools in urban areas registered higher mean scores than their counterparts in schools located in rural areas in all subject areas assessed except in KSL.
Pertaining to achievement by county, the learning assessment revealed regional disparities, with Nairobi recording the highest mean score at 59.20 per cent with Turkana (44.34 per cent), Tana River (44.37per cent), and Samburu (44.51 per cent) recording the lowest mean score.
The highest mean scores in English Language were reported in Nairobi, Kiambu and Mombasa at 65.58, 58.97 and 57.61, respectively, while the lowest achievement levels in English Language were registered in Tana River, Samburu and Turkana at 40.10, 42.72 and 43.08, respectively, due to lack of face-to-face learning.
Low achievement in schools located in rural areas and counties located in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (Asal) are attributed to inadequate ICT devices to facilitate remote learning, and poor Internet connectivity while higher achievement levels reported among learners from private schools are due to better access to remote learning compared to public schools.
Quality education
In order to enhance equity in the provision of quality education, and in order to ensure continuity of learning during emergency, the study recommends, among others: Strengthening of School Based Teacher Support, targeted interventions in provision of learning resources to public schools, especially those in rural areas, counties located in Asal, and pockets of poverty.
Specific focus should be on enhancing provision of ICT infrastructure in public schools in order to better facilitate remote and blended learning.
In order to address learning gaps, the study recommends focused interventions in key skill/content areas such as Reading Comprehension.
Others include capacity building of teachers in best approaches to the learning of Reading Comprehension and Writing, and sensitisation of parents, teachers and learners on alternative approaches to curriculum implementation for enhanced learning outcomes.
