Learning institutions, student numbers surge amid quality fears

The education sector has experienced a surge in new learning institutions and a sharp increase in student enrolments across all levels.

According to the 2025 Economic Survey by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), the number of basic learning institutions rose by 38.8 per cent, jumping from 93,281 in 2023 to 129,463 in 2024.

A key driver of this growth was the integration of junior secondary schools into the basic education system. These new institutions alone made up 24.7 per cent of the total, reshaping the country’s foundational learning infrastructure.

“The massive jump in institutions reflects ongoing efforts to fully implement the Competency-Based Curriculum,” noted the KNBS report.

Other sectors also experienced steady growth was Pre-primary schools which increased by 1.8 per cent to 47,760, while primary schools grew 9.6 per cent to 38,997. Secondary schools saw only a marginal rise of three institutions, from 10,752 to 10,755. The number of children in pre-primary education inched up to 2.91 million, with boys’ enrolment growing faster (1.5 percent) than girls’ (0.5 percent). The number of learners in ECDE teacher training slightly declined by 0.1 per cent to 2.65 million.

Following the phase-out of the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exams, and replaced by the CBC’s Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA), 1.31 million Grade 6 pupils registered in 2024—a 2.5 per cent increase from the previous year. According to the report, candidates who actually sat for the papers grew by 5.5 per cent, but only three subjects saw more than 10 per cent of learners exceeding expectations.

This is a worrying trend with education experts noting that learners are passed to the next level without considering of quality of education earned. “The performance gaps and uneven growth in technical education underscore the need for targeted policy support,” said Henry Embeywa.