Comparison Essay Sample: Primary Education System in the UK with that of Kenya

Education is a paramount affair in all the nations that hope to grow and succeed in the future. Education shapes the destiny of the generations to come in every single aspect. According to scholars, education brings rise to developments and new inventions (Arnove 1980), which simplify the daily human lives making what could be achieved in a given duration achievable in a much lesser period. In my essay, I shall compare and contrast the education system in the United Kingdom and that in an African country, Kenya. The two nations share a lot in common in their education systems as, during the colonial era, Kenya was under the British rule. However, the two nations differ in other sectors of the education system and how things run. I will put my emphasis on the comparisons and contrasts in the funding, structures or facilities, teachers, and the quality of the primary education system in the United Kingdom with that of Kenya. I will prove that the funding, structures or facilities, teachers, and the quality of the primary education system in the United Kingdom are better than that in Kenya.

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Schools in the United Kingdom are well funded compared to the Kenyan ones. A look at the comparisons, both countries have something in common. According to Abagi and Odipo (1997), Kenya rolled out free primary education system promising to cater for all the education costs of each student following in the footsteps of the United Kingdom where any child below sixteen years has a right to join the state schools. However, in Kenya, the funds allocated to the primary education system are insufficient compared to what the United Kingdom allocates. Evidence showing this is evident in the efforts the governments in the two nations pay attention to the education system. In Kenya, corruption is a key deterrent to the progress of the primary education system as some members of the chairing committees tend to focus on their pockets thus embezzling the funds. Unlike in the United Kingdom where corruption is a capital crime, Kenya is yet to enforce workable laws to curb the vice.

Regarding the structures or facilities put up in place to ensure the continuity of the primary education system in both countries is different. The UK puts more emphasis on the learning environment for the children thus ensuring the structures and facilities needed to ensure the success of the education system (Ball 1993). In Kenya, the situation is different; structures put up to ensure the success of the primary education system depend on the region the schools are located. In the remote and rural regions, students at times learn under the trees or open fields since there are no structures to house them. However, in the urban regions, the structures are available but not to the expected standards. According to Buchman (2002), one of the things Kenya needs to get ahead is putting more emphasis on the education system. To do that, there ought to be the right conditions to ensure students have the necessities to succeed.

According to Alwy and Schech (2004), the primary education system faces a challenge due to discriminations; ethnic inequalities are existing in the Kenyan education system. Ethnic inequalities give rise to a particular ethnicity being treated differently in an unfair manner. In the United Kingdom, racial or any form of discrimination is highly discouraged and those caught in the act risk being fined or jailed. Focusing on the teachers, it is evident that the manner in which they are treated or remunerated is different. In the United Kingdom, teachers are well reimbursed thus ensuring the success of the education system. However, in Kenya, there exist endless strikes by teachers demanding their dues and each time the teachers are on strike the students cannot go to school. When an employee is paid appropriately, he or she tends to give a better output in the respective field of operation; additionally, the morale of the employee to keep working grows in equal proportion. Ethnic inequalities in Kenya hinder the growth of the primary education system since teachers from a given ethnicity cannot work in a region with people of a different ethnicity contrary to the UK where everyone is equal.

According to Bruns and Rakotomalala (2003), the quality of education is paramount in realizing set goals in the future. A look at the two countries, the quality of the primary education system differs in every single manner. The quality of the primary education system compared to that in the United Kingdom is in a poor state. The United Kingdom focuses on passing education that is relevant to the current affairs of the economy and the nation unlike in Kenya where redundant materials are taught to the students. Such a system as the 8-4-4 system prevents the country from moving forward and abolishing it to a better education system like that in the UK would bring in some significance.

In conclusion, education is a paramount affair in all the nations that hope to grow and succeed in the future. Education shapes the destiny of the generations to come in every single aspect. I put my emphasis on the comparisons and contrasts in the funding, structures or facilities, teachers, and the quality of the primary education system in the United Kingdom with that of Kenya. It is evident from the information available that the United Kingdom is a notch higher than Kenya in regards to the primary education system. As a recommendation, I would advice countries seeking to better their education system to focus on the key areas chief to the growth and success of education.

References

Abagi, O. and Odipo, G., 1997. Efficiency of primary education in Kenya: Situational analysis and implications for educational reform. Institute of Policy Analysis and Research.

Alwy, A. and Schech, S.B., 2004. Ethnic inequalities in education in Kenya.

Arnove, R.F., 1980. Comparative education and world-systems analysis. Comparative Education Review, 24(1), pp.48-62.

Ball, S.J., 1993. Education markets, choice and social class: the market as a class strategy in the UK and the USA. British journal of sociology of education, 14(1), pp.3-19.

Bourne, J., 2001. Doing'What comes naturally': How the discourses and routines of teachers' practice constrain opportunities for bilingual support in UK primary schools. Language and Education, 15(4), pp.250-268.

Bruns, B. and Rakotomalala, R., 2003. Achieving universal primary education by 2015: A chance for every child (Vol. 1). World Bank Publications.

Buchmann, C., 2002. Getting ahead in Kenya: Social capital, shadow education, and achievement. Schooling and social capital in diverse cultures, 13, pp.133-159.