Apr 29, 2004
The Promise and Challenge of Reform: Kenya’s Universal Education Policy One Year Later
On January 1, 2003, President Mwai Kibaki, Kenya’s then newly elected Head of State, eliminated primary school fees as his first major legislative initiative in office. Since then, more than one million children have returned to school, and the country now must address overcrowded classrooms and overworked teachers.
This seminar provided a conversation with The Honorable George Saitoti, Kenyan Minister of Education, Science and Technology and Gene B. Sperling, Director, Center for Universal Education at the Council on Foreign Relations. Minister Saitoti discussed the realities of the reform process, and Mr. Sperling suggested how external financing can help to ensure the success of the reform process in countries like Kenya.