1-1 Background of the Project With the increasing population and enrollment rate in formal education, the lack of teachers became a severe problem. The government of Kenya prioritized an increase in the number of teachers, and many uncertified teachers were recruited. As a result, the proportion of uncertified teachers reached about 20% of all teachers in 1995. The lack of science and mathematics teachers was particularly crucial problem, and teachers in other subjects had to teach these subjects as well. This serious lack of science and mathematics teachers made students lose interest in these subjects, and national scores in the science field fell. Faced with this problem, the government of Kenya requested Grant Aid from the Japanese government to supply the Kenya Science Teachers’ College (KSTC) with educational and laboratory equipment, in order to produce high-quality science and mathematics teachers and to improve KSTC’s ability to train new teachers and provide in-service training. 1-2 Project Overview The project provided KSTC with the equipment needed to train science and mathematics teachers. (1) Overall Goal
To improve the quality of science and mathematics teachers and improve secondary education. (2) Project Purpose
To supply KSTC with educational and laboratory equipment and improve its function in training science and mathematics teachers. (3) Outputs
The biology department, physics department, science department, math department, environmental studies department, education department, linguistics department and bibliography department are equipped with education, laboratory and training equipment, and the management division receives administrative equipment (4) Inputs Japanese Side: 204 million yen Kenyan Side: |
3-1 Summary of Evaluation Results (1) Impact
Compared to before the project was implemented, the laboratory and practice training hours of KSTC’s diploma course (teacher training course for new graduates) increased, and the number of students in each for conducting experiments and receiving practical training decreased, and such experiment or training was sometimes even conducted one-on-one. It became possible for the students to implement research projects, and to use their own initiative for study activities. The improvement was particularly prominent in the chemistry department, which had almost no analytical equipment before the project was implemented. When the project was planned, it was anticipated that providing new equipment would increase the rate of graduates from the diploma course who pass the national examination, but there were no significant changes between before and after the project. However, an officer at Kagumo Teachers Training College (KTTC), the only other teacher training institution in Kenya, stated that KSTC students have a better grasp of experiments and practical training than KTTC students do, suggesting that the project has been effective in improving the quality of the teachers in ways that cannot be measured by the national exam. Although the high quality of KSTC graduates is widely recognized and the demand from secondary schools is high, the government’s limited budget has resulted in a slump in the actual employment rate recently. Accordingly, many graduates find employment in private schools. According to interviews at secondary schools employing KSTC graduates, many of the older teachers still emphasize theory rather than experiments and practice in their education methods, but most KSTC graduates actively try out new education methods. Although not all schools answered it had such an effect, the trend seems to be changing towards more emphasis on experiments and practical training.
KSTC also provides re-training, and in its support the Japanese government has implemented a project-type technical cooperation entitled “Strengthening Math and Science in Secondary Education” (SMASSE). This project trains teachers, called “trainers,” who are in leadership positions in various regions. “Trainers” re-train teachers at the regional centers in the nine target areas of the project. The equipment provided in this Grant Aid is used in the training of “Trainers” at KSTC. In many cases, the teachers who re-trained at the SMASSE regional centers (about 6,500 by 2002) returned to their own schools and introduced the experiments they had learned and practical training they had received. It is highly likely that the teachers receiving such training might have more of an impact on the students than the new graduated teachers. Further, secondary school principals are proposing that all science and math teachers should participate in the SMASSE re-training program. Although it is not a direct impact of the Grant Aid, the science and math teachers are beginning to improve at the national level as a result of Japan’s technical cooperation which utilized the provided equipment.
In addition, many teacher training institutions and secondary schools came to regard the educational and experimental equipment used at KSTC as being the standard. However, most schools still have equipment that are insufficient for experiments and practical training, and KSTC graduates cannot always use the skills they acquired (2) Sustainability
KSTC is one of the only two educational institutions in Kenya that has a diploma course in science and math education. Before and after the project, KSTC kept its figures for entering students at a high level of 200 to 350, and the rate of jobs offered to KSTC graduates is high. KSTC maintained its role as an institution which trains high quality science and mathematic teachers. Stability even after the procurement of equipment is confirmed in the area of personal affairs, including the school principal who drafted a proposal for this Grant Aid and the technicians who actually maintain the equipment. The principal’s leadership ensures that school management remains stable.
There are some problems with KSTC’s technical sustainability, such as the fact that teachers do not share information on educational methods that make effective use of educational and experimental equipment. However, there have not been any problems with the operation and maintenance (O&M) of the procured equipment, and most of the equipment provided through this Grant Aid was being used properly as of the time of this evaluation. Moreover, the frequency of use of the equipment is high as there are requests from other educational institutions to use it as well. However, the teachers and engineers do not have enough O&M knowledge and technology. The repair of educational and experimental equipment can be outsourced, and KSTC needs to set up an O&M system that would use both development of internal and external resources. 3-2 Factors that Promoted the Realization of Effects (1) Factors Concerning the Planning
N/A (2) Factors Concerning the Implementation Process
1) Carrying out technical cooperation (SMASSE) through collaboration promoted effective utilization of the equipment and contributed not only to the training of new teachers, which is KSTC’s main program, but also the quality of existing teachers.
2) The high level of leadership among KSTC’s leaders ensures that consistency is maintained regarding equipment use and its effective use at SMASSE. 3-3 Factors that Impeded the Realization of Effects (1) Factors Concerning the Planning
N/A (2) Factors Concerning the Implementation Process
1) There is still much room for improvement regarding equipment operation methods and O&M technology, considering that the equipment is expected to deteriorate in the future.
2) The restrictions on government’s budget for hiring new teachers inhibits KSTC graduates from being employed in public schools, and the insufficient budget at secondary schools prevents them from being equipped with the necessary experimental and practical training equipment. These factors prevented the impact of the project from materializing at secondary schools. 3-4 ConclusionAs of this evaluation, the procured equipment is being used appropriately and has greatly contributed to improving KSTC’s teacher training courses. Also, the retraining of in-house teachers through SMASSE resulted in the drastic improvement in the educational methods at secondary schools. Although some contribution could be seen toward enhancement experiments and practical training in math and science education at the national education level, this will take some more time to develop.
The limited budget of secondary schools and the government’s restrictions on hiring new teachers means that new graduates of KSTC are not able to maximize the technique they learned. There were no major problems with the equipment procured to KSTC at the time of this evaluation, but there is room from improvement, as the teachers and engineers do not have sufficient O&M skills. 3-5 Recommendations(1) Implementing Grant Aid in affiliation with technical cooperation improved KSTC’s equipment and technique to a level above that of other teacher training institutions. KSTC must effectively make use of this advantage at the national policy level by strategically defining its function. (2) Teachers and engineers should be trained further in O&M technology and equipment operation to improve their equipment O&M skills. A follow-up technical cooperation (equipment operation, O&M) for KSTC’s teachers and engineers should be considered. (3) A project to equip Kenya’s secondary schools should also be considered to ensure that the technology learned at KSTC can be applied. 3-6 Lessons Learned Cooperation between Grant Aid and technical cooperation create synergistic effects. Having only one for of assistance would not have created a sufficient effect. When conducting similar cooperation in the future, Grant Aid and technical cooperation should be carried out as a set package. 3-7 Follow-Up Situation N/A |
