1.2 Focus and aim of the
Study
In the perspective of understanding and addressing issues
related to primary education and Entrepreneurship in East Africa, the following
main research question constituted the central starting point:
`How and why do private school entrepreneurs contribute to
education for all in Kenya?'
Further, the main question was segmented into four sub areas.
This structure will provide analysis of the data to answer the overall thesis
question through the following sub questions:
· What are the entrepreneurs' major motivations for
investment in the field of education?
· Have these schools suffered from the government's
introduction of 'Free Primary Education (2003)' in terms of enrolment?
· What is the satisfaction level from their
investment as perceived by pupils and teachers?
· What factors could be identified as the major gaps
in this type of provision?
To cover all these questions, specific areas of investigations
were chosen and appropriately explored with close respect to many critics'
point of view to this type of provision (Watkins 2000, Lewin 2007, Rose 2006).
These specific areas ranged from entrepreneurs motivations for setting up
private schools in Kibera, actions taken to improve the quality of their
provision including the facilities offered in the teaching process in the
selected schools, to the study of the prevailing investment climate of Kenya.
Hence, a great importance was given to various opinions expressed concerning
the satisfaction level of direct beneficiaries of this investment, which are
pupils and teachers.
The identification of the major gaps in the private schools
provision equally formed part of the research and an analysis of pupils' tests
scores was equally carried in order to establish the correlation between the
overall satisfaction expressed and the achievements in these schools.
1.3 Why the Private
educational Sector?
This thesis focuses on the private sector because it is felt
that it's contribution to the advancement of education on the African continent
in enormous and have not been given appropriate consideration from educational
stakeholders, governments and donors. Many scientific works have been done on
private educational provision in the developing world and some are still under
research. All the reports note that there is a mushrooming of private schools
catering for low income families across Africa. The review of the literature,
making the second chapter of this thesis points out some of these arguments.
Based on these, it may appear that private schools in Africa are much more
preferred by the target audience to the detriment of government schools.
Several reasons given to consolidate this trend are likely related to
governments' inability to provide quality education in the developing
countries. Teachers' absence, lack of motivation, distance schools, overcrowded
classrooms, underground fees; these are some of the reasons behind the massive
return observed in private schools of Africa and across other developing
countries.
On its own, the private sector seems to be doing well.
Existing literature depicts a mitigating picture on this form of provision. On
one hand ,a set those advocating the merits of private schools for the poor
championed by Tooley and Dixon and on the other hand, another set of scholars
condemning to the lists extend the efforts done by private schools in the
Universal primary Education campaign. This set of scholars is headed by Lewin,
Pauline Rose and Watkins.
It then appears very challenging and exciting to carefully
analyse the positions of all these scholars in the light of effective research
so as to be able to come out with precise information on the role played by the
private sector in fostering education for All (EFA) especially in Africa where
many western efforts towards achieving development have up till date failed.
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