Structural adjustment, the state and education in Kenya with some illustrative examples from Kisii district

Abstract

Structural adjustment policies have now been widely embraced in several African countries in an effort to enhance growth and development. Among other things, they were meant to improve economic performance as well as the provision of basic social services such as education and health. This is supposed to happen through higher economic growth leading to higher incomes and more resources for these basic needs sectors. However, preliminary evidence from many of the countries that have adopted these policies indicates that these policies have led to an increasingly deteriorating profile of basic needs sectors. More specifically, the education sector has suffered in terms of diminishing accessibility for the poor. This has been due to the introduction of a policy that requires Kenyans' to share in the provision of education. Those that are unable to pay have either opted out of school or stayed on with great difficulties, eroding the gains that had been made previously. These developments are contrary to the lofty claims originally made with regard to structural adjustment; claims that structural adjustment would improve basic social services in Africa generally and Kenya in Particular. The contradiction between the objectives of structural adjustment and the actual results have led to a considerable debate and confusion as to the extent of implementation of structural adjustment programme and what its impact has been. The literature review carried out indicates that this debate revolves around two thematic issues. The first is that the structural adjustment policies are effective in eradicating poverty and must, therefore,be continued. This side of the debate is led by the International Financial Institutions (IFIs) themselves. Even on this side of the debate, the literature reveals that there is no agreement on the best approach and how far implementation of structural adjustment has schools) education officers, teachers, parents, and pupils in Kisii District and interviewing the musing systematic sampling techniques as well as using participant/observation techniques. The study reaches the conclusion that while the extent of the impacts differ in time and space, the adoption of structural adjustment policies has generally severely reduced accessibility to education for the poor as well as hurt the quality of education in Kisii District. A variety of indicators including percentages, ratios, and proportions employed demonstrate this. Despite this, it is recommended that Kenya continues implementing structural adjustment policies. However, these should be employed in a different manner from the current approach that emphasizes a minimal role for the state in development. The state should liberalize the "purely economic" sectors but spare the basic needs sectors for they are an investment in human capital.