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The education system in Kenya

Before compulsory primary education, there are baby classes or nurseries for children from three years old. You have to pay for this and very few people use it. From about the age of four Kenyan children can go to the Pre-Primary school (PP1 and PP2). The pre-primary school is a school comparable to what used to be our nursery education and what is now the  first groups of primary education (groups 1 and 2).   
Compulsory (primary) education starts for children in Kenya from the age of six in a primary school. The obligation has existed since 2003 and in principle this education is free. You have to pay for a uniform, books and exams, which makes it financially difficult for a number of parents. Most primary schools are public day schools, but there are also public boarding schools and private schools that are not funded by the government. Private schools are often expensive schools funded by wealthy parents, but also schools such as the Oloo Children Center that exist thanks to the voluntary efforts of Kenyans and often supported by international sponsors. 
In primary education, children are taught the following subjects: language (English and Kiswahili); calculating mathematics; history; geography; Biology, physics/chemistry (science); manual labor (crafts) and religion/social studies. There are also sports lessons. 


The school has eight classes (grades or also standard 1 to 8), they leave this school when they are fourteen. Primary school is concluded with a national exam and when children pass, they receive the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE). Children take exams in five subjects: Kiswahili; English;  arithmetic/mathematics; biology, physics/chemistry (science) and religion/social studies. The maximum number of points that can be obtained is five hundred, one hundred per subject. One hundred points is equivalent to a ten with us. 


Secondary or secondary education then continues for another four years. [1]  Just like in the Netherlands, there is a distinction between vocational secondary education and general secondary education. Depending on the number of points obtained with the KCPE, a vocational training program is chosen that offers programs for all conceivable professions. 
Children who score well can go to the 'High School'. This general secondary education also lasts four years. The good students can, if there is money and they have obtained their Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education with sufficient good scores, then go to university. For the others, this is the final level. 
About 85% of Kenyan children attend primary school, according to official figures. It is precisely thanks to the sponsored private schools that more children can attend school. For 24% of the children there is further education and only 2% go to university or college.

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[1]  Kenya wants to adapt the system to six years of primary education, followed by five/six years of secondary education and then possibly another four years of university.

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