[Edward Kiplimo,Standard]Poorly equipped teachers, lack of standard infrastructures and low budgetary allocations to Early Learning and Basic Education form the biggest barrier to access equitable quality education – thus the urgent need to renew commitment to Free Primary Education (FPE) and Free Day Secondary Education (FDSE) programmes. Being a public good and a basic right, education must be publicly financed, and the long-term goal should be sustainable – hence, no child should be excluded from accessing quality education because of poor funding and lack of necessary teaching materials. Article 53 (b) of the Constitution states that every child has the right to free and compulsory basic education; moreover Article 28 of the UN Convention guarantees free compulsory primary education for all, and progressive free secondary education that should in any case be available and accessible to all. Unesco in partnership with Unicef advocate a broad notion of quality education, which covers all elements of the education process, including broad-based curriculum, adequate teaching and learning materials and standard class sizes. However, there still exist financial gaps that parents must seal to ensure delivery of equitable quality education to their children.

Source: Standard Digital June 14, 2021 01:30 UTC