Business Daily (Nairobi)
Beatrice Gachenge
29 April 2008
Japan has announced an ambitious plan to build 1,000 schools in Africa over the next five years.
Masahiko Koumura, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, said in a policy speech last week that Japan was looking to ensure sufficient places for large numbers of children to acquire basic education. Approximately 5,500 classrooms will be built, with a capacity for 400,000 children. This comes at a time Kenya faces severe criticism since it launched free primary education in 2003, due to high student teacher ratios.
School infrastructure has been one of the major problems facing free education. Enrolment in primary schools has increased from 5.9 million to eight million since the inception of the programme.
Although it was not immediately clear how many schools will be constructed in Kenya, it will go a long way to assist the government in its bid to offer quality free education.
Unesco statistics says that one out of three children never see the inside of a classroom. Through development partners, UNESCO plans to achieve universal free primary education and gender equality by 2015.
Speaking to the Business Daily, Catherine Muimi project coordinator school program Embassy of Japan said that Japan had already rolled out a community project in 1989 focused on primary education, health, water and sanitation.
Last year, the Japanese embassy through the community program constructed seven schools at a tune of Sh42 million.
Ms Muimi said that the criteria that will be used will be based on population of the country, need and demand. It will however be settled by the specific African governments.
The more recent primary facility is Bondeni primary school located in Kayole with a capacity of 2000 pupils.
At the same time, the Japanese government will train about 100,000 African teachers to enhance their abilities in the classroom.
" Japan will be assisting in the enhancement of teachers' abilities in the classroom, focusing mainly on improving teaching methods in math and science, " said Mr Koumura.
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