East Africa
Even though education is free in most of East Africa, including Kenya, many kids still don’t get to go to school.
Why East African Kids aren’t in School
- There are no schools in some rural areas.
- Some schools don’t have roofs, doors, windows or even walls so they aren’t safe.
- Some kids have to leave school to work because their families are very poor.
- Girls have a lot of extra jobs at home—like collecting water—that keep them from going to school.
- If kids are sick with malaria or other diseases, they can’t go to school.
- If their parents are sick, they have to stay home to take care of them. This is usually a girl’s job.
- Many families are too poor to buy textbooks or school uniforms. Because of poverty, some families keep their kids, especially their daughters, at home to help the family.
East Africa Education Facts
- Education became free in Kenya in 2003. Now classes are overflowing.
- Some classrooms have more than 100 students, which makes it hard for students to learn and teachers to teach.
- 1.7 million Kenyan kids still don’t go to school.