E L P E L P POLICY BRIEF September 2016 E L P Scaling up preschool in Kenya: Costs, constraints and opportunities I ncreasing access to quality early childhood development and education (ECDE) is critical to achieve broader goals for education and development in Kenya. The country’s 2010 Constitution declared free and compulsory basic (pre-primary, primary, and secondary) education to be a right for every child and identified ECDE as a function under the purview of the counties. Many of Kenya’s 47 counties have ambitious plans to increase access to ECDE. Successful devolution will require cooperation and support between the national government and the counties as well as adequate resources and increased capacity at the county level. Kenya has achieved relatively high ECDE enrollment over time with only modest government financial support. Net enrolment in pre-primary education increased from 33 percent in 2005 to 72 percent in 2014 , one of the highest enrollment rates in Sub-Saharan Africa. Although the Constitution states that pre-primary education should be free, communities and parents have provided the majority of financing for ECDE services in recent decades, primarily in the form of fees This brief was written by Amanda that pay for teacher salaries. Devercelli and Rebecca Sayre and This brief summarizes the findings of a recent study of the cost of preschool in Kenya, the financing reflects the work of a team which also included John Anderson, Jan gaps that remain, and possible policy options to achieve cost savings to help Kenya’s counties meet Van Ravens, Carlos Aggio, Eldah the goal of expanding quality ECDE service provision. The study was conducted by the World Bank in Onsomu and Anita Gurgel. partnership with the Kenya School of Government, Riara University, and the county governments of For more information or to be Kirinyaga, Nairobi, Nyamira, and Nyeri.2 added to the ELP mailing list, please write to earlylearningpartnership@ 1 Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MOEST) Education Statistics, 2014 worldbank.org 2 Detailed reports have been prepared for county officials and are available upon request. Facts at a Glance for the Four Counties Studied3 In all four counties, enrolment rates have been growing in recent years, but quality remains a serious concern. As displayed in Table 1, the majority of ECDE teachers have some formal qualifications, such as a diploma or certificate. However, in all four counties, classroom quality could KIRINYAGA COUNTY still be significantly improved. A large number of teachers are not receiving adequate in-service Area: 1,478 sq. kilometers training, many ECDE classrooms lack adequate teaching and learning resources, and often the ECDE Subdivisions: 5 sub-counties and 20 wards infrastructure is in poor condition. Total population: 528,054 Poverty rate: 25.2%. ECDE-age population1: TABLE 1 Overview of ECDE in Four Kenyan Counties As of 2009: 36,778 Projected for 2020: 43,323 KIRINYAGA NAIROBI NYAMIRA NYERI Number of ECDE-age children 36,778 218,378 58,274 49,500 (3-5 years) in 2009 census NYAMIRA COUNTY Gross enrollment rate 61% (2014) 43% (2014) 78% (2015) 58% (2014) Area: 913 sq. kilometers Subdivisions: 5 sub-counties, and 20 wards Child-to-teacher ratio, public 41 : 1 30 : 1 39 : 1 23 : 1 Total population: 598,252 centers Poverty rate: 48.5% ECDE-age population: ECDE teachers with formal 90% not available 80% 87% As of 2009: 58,274 qualifications Projected for 2018: 69,000 Table 2 presents a summary of key figures for each county, and shows difference between public and private centers, by county. In Kirinyaga, Nyamira, and Nyeri counties, the majority of ECDE learners are enrolled in public centers. In Nairobi, on the other hand, most preschool is provided by NYERI COUNTY the private sector, which boasts four times as many centers than the public sector (185 public and 836 Area: 3,356 sq. kilometers registered private centers in 2014). In Kirinyaga and Nyamira, public ECDE centers tend to be larger Subdivisions: 8 sub-counties and 20 wards and more crowded than in the other two counties. Total population: 693,558 Poverty rate: 32.7%. ECDE-age population: TABLE 2 Public and Private ECDE Provision in Four Kenyan Counties As of 2009: 50,000 Projected for 2020: 54,671 Number of Percent of Enrollment Percent Number of Percent of Average Child-to- centers total of total teachers total children teacher NAIROBI per center ratio Area: 695 sq. kilometers Subdivisions: 9 sub-counties, Public 195 36% 16,167 66% 396 33% 83 41 17 constituencies, and KIRINYAGA Private 350 64% 8,452 34% 820 67% 24 10 85 wards (2014) Total: 3.1 million Total 545 24,619 1,216 45 20 Poverty rate: 22.5% ECDE-age population: Public 185 18% 13,797 13% 458 - 75 30 As of 2009: 218,378 NAIROBI Projected for 2020: 319,332 (2014) Private 836 82% 95,600 87% - - 114 - Total 1,021 109,397 - 107 - Public 397 56% 37,517 74% 963 64% 95 39 STATUS OF ECDE IN FOUR KENYAN COUNTIES4 NYAMIRA Table 1 presents an overview of ECDE in the four counties studied: Kirinyaga, Nairobi, Nyamira, (2015) Private 315 44% 13,016 26% 533 36% 41 24 and Nyeri counties. As discussed throughout this report, there are some commonalities among the counties but also some important differences. For example, Nairobi County, which includes Total 712 50,533 1,496 71 34 the nation’s capital, has the lowest poverty rate, the largest ECDE-aged population, and the lowest Public 384 68% 19,672 65% 853 - 51 23 enrolment rate of the four counties. NYERI Private 178 32% 10,799 35% - - 61 - (2014) 3 Note that unless otherwise indicated, official populations statistics are from 2009 census. ECDE-age population defined as ages 3 through 5. 4 These four counties were selected based on county officials' interest in participation; this should not be considered a representative sample Total 562 30,471 853 54 - of all 47 counties in Kenya. 2 EARLY LEARNING PARTNERSHIP Scaling up preschool in Kenya: Costs, constraints and opportunities 3 THE DEVOLUTION OF ECDE TO THE COUNTIES WHAT DOES ECDE COST? • The devolution of authority for ECDE provision to the counties has brought opportunities, In each of the four counties, the World Bank Early Learning Partnership (ELP) Team met with as well as challenges. Throughout Kenya, ECDE enrolment increased after the 2010 devolution county officials and county-level ECDE stakeholders to understand the local ECDE landscape and process. The decentralized function has created a space for counties to allocate more resources specific county goals for the provision of ECDE services. Information was gathered on the cost of to ECDE and explore innovative ideas, such as engaging with private providers and establishing ECDE school infrastructure, ECDE teaching and learning materials, employing and training ECDE model ECDE centers. At the same time, there is less central responsibility for ECDE, creating the teachers and managers, and providing feeding programs. In addition, a financing analysis was possibility of inequitable outcomes among regions, since counties with smaller tax bases have fewer conducted to identify existing budgets and resources available at the county level, gaps between resources of their own to scale up ECDE provision. available and needed resources, and possible strategies to fill these gaps. Box 1 offers a list of cost • Responsibility for ECDE provision was devolved without adequate financial resources. The categories provided by county governments. The cost estimates in the analysis below are derived central government sets aside 15 percent of its revenue for distribution to the 47 counties according from costs provided by each county (note that because specific cost categories varied, costs are not to a set of predefined criteria established by Kenya’s Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA). entirely comparable). This “equitable share” allocation to counties is intended to assist counties in fulfilling a range of responsibilities that have been devolved, including agriculture, roads and transport, and health. The BOX 1 WHAT IS INCLUDED IN ECDE COSTS? Kenya CRA's allocation formula is based on each county’s population, basic equitable share, poverty index, land area, and fiscal responsibility. Investment/Capital Costs Recurrent Costs • No specific budget allocation from the central government is given to counties to provide ECDE • Renovation and maintenance of existing • Salaries for teachers and teacher assistants services. The resource requirements for these different services may vary substantially between building and infrastructure • In-service training counties. Counties may use local tax revenue for ECDE, but local revenue sources tend to be • ECDE center construction • Teaching and learning materials (curriculum limited. Furthermore, anecdotal evidence indicates that the constitutional declaration of free pre- • Learning and play equipment (indoor and materials, stationery, pens, books, chalk, primary education has made many parents less willing to pay for ECDE. outdoor) plasticine/clay, teaching aids and tools, etc.) • Governance arrangements between the central government and the counties are not clear. The • Information and communications technology • Supervision and quality assurance staff central government retains authority for ECDE in terms of policy, standards, curriculum, and (ICT) • Support staff (e.g., cooks, security) assessment. Counties are responsible for implementing policies, developing programs, training • Furniture and equipment • Meals for feeding program personnel, and providing infrastructure. In some cases, however, the legal lines of authority are • Toilet construction and renovation • Utilities and operations unclear. For example, the authority to hire ECDE teachers has been a source of dispute. The national Teacher Services Commission (TSC) is constitutionally mandated to hire and oversee all teachers, including at the pre-primary level. This inability to manage teacher hiring weakens counties' The analysis indicated that the annual cost to send a child to preschool ranges from 5,535 Kenyan authority over ECE services. It is unclear whether TSC’s budget for hiring pre-primary teachers shillings (Ksh) (equivalent to about US$55) in Nyamira County to Ksh 11,800 (~US$116 USD) in Nairobi should come from the central or the county governments. Several legal and legislative efforts are County. Table 3 summarizes the unit costs for ECDE and indicates the current financing gaps. underway to attempt to clarify these issues,2 but they have yet to resolve the inconsistencies. • Quality assurance for ECDE is weak in counties. The quality of ECDE services varies significantly across centers (both public and private) and can be very low. The central government previously  hat does it cost to send one child to public preschoola and how much W TABLE 3 provided quality assurance officers at District Centers for Early Childhood Education (DICECEs), are county governments contributing? but under the devolved system many officers are being given a chance to either be employed by the TSC to work as classroom teachers or join the county payroll to continue ECD quality assurance Unit cost to send one child Average per child county Funding gap per child (some of to public preschool government expenditureb which is covered by families) work but without TSC salary and benefits. Counties risk losing a well-trained workforce that has supported ECDE and quality assurance given the very difficult choice DICECE officers now face between keeping guaranteed remuneration and staying with their professional specialization. KIRINYAGA COUNTY 10,300 Ksh (~US$102) 4,500 Ksh (~US$45) 5,800 Ksh (~US$57) • ECDE data are limited and inconsistent. Obtaining basic data on the ECDE-age population and the large number of centers currently serving children is critically important but currently far from NAIROBI COUNTY 11,800 Ksh (~US$117) 1,344 Ksh (~US$13) 10,456 Ksh (US$104) being achieved. Very little is yet known about the children excluded from ECDE, including where they live, what their background characteristics are, and why they are not enrolled. The function NYAMIRA COUNTY 5,500 Ksh (~US$54) 2,520 Ksh (~US$25) 2,980 Ksh (~US$29) of collecting, storing, and publishing ECDE data has remained with the national government, NYERI COUNTY 7,300 Ksh (~US$72) 211 Ksh (~US$2) 7,089 Ksh (~US$69) specifically with the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology Education Management Information System (EMIS). Some counties have found the EMIS data inadequate for their a Includes cost of school feeding, which is typically covered by families. planning needs, so they have conducted their own surveys. These local surveys have yielded b Costs covered by county government calculated as total government contribution divided by number of children enrolled (county governments do not explicitly provide per-capita funding). detailed information, for example about the status of buildings and furniture in ECDE centers, but their data also may overlap with, and are often inconsistent with, the data generated by EMIS. Many non-state ECDE centers (which may be faith-based or NGO-run and include low-cost The government contributions in each county do not come close to covering total recurrent costs, private centers) are not covered by official data collection but are captured by the local surveys. as Figure 1 illustrates. This leaves large unfunded gaps, most of which seem to be covered by families. Such discrepancies impede local planning and policy making and make coordination between the Current ECDE financing is inadequate to cover the full cost of ECDE services, which, according to counties and the national government difficult. the Constitution, are supposed to be free. Parents’ contributions vary by county, and in many cases the exact amounts contributed are unreported. It should also be noted that the unit costs in Table 3 2 These include a court case regarding TSC authority over pre-primary teachers and a draft ECDE bill being considered in the national and Figure 1 include school meals, but school meals (which average Ksh 2,500 or US$25 annually) are senate, both of which were pending finalization as of mid-2015. typically covered by families. 4 EARLY LEARNING PARTNERSHIP Scaling up preschool in Kenya: Costs, constraints and opportunities 5 allocates 0.3 percent, whereas Kirinyaga allocates approximately 3 percent and Nyamira 2 percent. Figure Per-child FIGURE 1 Recurrent 1: Recurrent ECDEPer-child ECDE Costs in Four Costs Kenyan in 4 CounƟes Counties (in Ksh) In each county, a larger budgetary share is required to expand and improve the quality of ECDE in a BOX 2 SOURCES OF ECDE FINANCE 14,000 meaningful way. For example, in Nairobi, annual public expenditures would need to be two to three IN KENYAN times higher than current levels to reach universal access to ECDE by 2020. In Nyeri, annual public 12,000 COUNTIES expenditures would need to increase over current levels 15- to 18-fold. 10,000 • Local county tax 8,000 2. Expand access with commensurate focus on promoting quality revenue (counties A focus on access at the expense of quality would jeopardize the very benefits that counties hope may impose property 6,000 rate taxes and 4,000 children will gain since low-quality programs can have little and sometimes detrimental impact. entertainment taxes) Well-defined and enforced monitoring and quality assurance systems are critical to ensure 2,000 • Equitable share that the standards for programs and service delivery are met. Counties should focus on quality of 15% of national 0 improvements, including reducing child-to-teacher ratios, better equipping centers with teaching government revenue KIRINYAGA NAIROBI NYAMIRA NYERI and learning materials, and ensuring that teachers are qualified and supported. • Conditional grants Contributed by Government Gap from national 3. Engage the private sector government (often The non-state sector, including private ECDE centers, provides a significant proportion of ECDE county governments Table 4 displays total, educational, and ECDE expenditures in the four counties. All four counties services. However, many are unregistered and operate informally, and anecdotal evidence suggests are asked to provide contribute a relatively low budgetary share of their total county budgets toward ECDE. More that quality at private centers varies. In addition to public sector expansion, the central and county matching funds in financing toward ECDE is needed for countries to meet their goals. Box 2 displays current county order to receive sources of finance for ECDE. governments could consider ways to incentivize quality low-cost private sector provision that is conditional grants) affordable. The important government function of overseeing and engaging with the non-state sector needs to be strengthened. Counties could consider engaging with this sector to ensure access • Loans from external TABLE 4 ECDE, Education, and Countywide Public Expenditures (in Ksh) sources or private to quality ECDE services for all children, with clarity about the divide of legal responsibility between lenders counties and central government. The scale of the private ECDE sector provides opportunities for KIRINYAGA NAIROBI NYAMIRA NYERI • Donor funding counties to establish public-private partnerships to use limited public resources to leverage private • Parent contributions 2015/2016 2015/2016 2015/2016 2015/2016 providers to increase access. Following are a few specific options for leveraging the private sector: (school fees, meal • Regulatory and communication shifts: For relatively low cost, the central government—or fees) Total county budget 4,118,000,000 29,075,801,461 4,678,000,000 6,284,000,000 the counties—could consider making private ECDE provision more attractive, which could induce capable providers to enter the market. For example, the existing regulations covering Education budgeta 309,100,000 1,954,000,000 279,827,445 157,360,000 the establishment of a private ECDE center could be revised to minimize elements that are unnecessarily prohibitive. Standards that are untenable or that take a punitive approach may ECDE 130,500,000 226,480,000 94,560,000 22,260,000 discourage non-state providers from entering the market, limit innovation, or decrease the breadth of services provided. In primary education, a best practice for engaging with non-state ECDE as % of providers is to require that schools meet learning outcome standards while allowing schools 42.2% 11.6% 33.8% 14.1% education budget to make decisions about specific programming, including teachers, class size, and school ECDE as % of infrastructure. In addition, information could be publicized about how to open new centers, 3.2% 0.8% 2.0% 0.4% county budget targeting those likely to have the necessary competencies. a Exact education expenditures are categorized differently by county; for example, in Nyamira, they fall under the Education & ICT • Soft loans and tax facilities: Providing public support for up-front investment, such as through Department, while in Nairobi they fall under the Education, Youth Affairs, and Social Development Department. the purchase or refurbishment of premises or the procurement of initial inventory, could stimulate increased private-sector investment in ECDE centers. With hundreds of thousands of children not accessing pre-primary education in the four counties, • Partial subsidies or vouchers for low-income families: The government could also consider there is a need for increased public support of the ECDE sector. The children who are currently out providing a partial subsidy or voucher for every child enrolled in programs that meet minimum of school are likely the ones most in need and unable to pay. The following section discusses some quality standards and charge an affordable fee. This could increase parent options and incentivize possible solutions to expand quality ECDE. new providers to offer quality services. The government would need to identify the right level of the voucher (costing analysis in four counties suggests this could be around 2,000 Ksh) to increase access for families in need while simultaneously ensuring overall lower government costs OPTIONS MOVING FORWARD than if those families enrolled their children in the public sector. To ensure that vouchers remain While there has been progress, 28 percent of children are not accessing ECDE in Kenya. Fees adequate to low-income families the government would need to set a ceiling on centers' fees. are formally abolished, but families continue to contribute the bulk of funding. If counties are to achieve the goal of 100 percent ECDE enrolment by 2020, they will need to adopt a variety of strategies. Options for consideration include: 4. Consider cost-savings options through the public sector Counties could also consider one or more of the following options for public-sector provision: 1. Increase county financing to ECDE • Prioritize program expenses. Certain items may have a limited impact on learning. Candidates While costs and financing for ECDE vary by county, in each of the four counties significant for closer scrutiny include ICT, extensive new playground equipment,3 optional teaching/ financing gaps exist. Counties could consider allocating a greater portion of county budgets to learning materials, and building features that go beyond what is required for a clean and safe ECDE. In Nairobi, the county currently uses less than 1 percent of its budget on ECDE, and Nyeri learning environment. Counties could consider focusing on the most essential and proven inputs 6 EARLY LEARNING PARTNERSHIP Scaling up preschool in Kenya: Costs, constraints and opportunities 7 to deliver quality ECDE, such as capable teachers, basic infrastructure, and learning materials. Costing analysis in the four counties indicated that reducing certain program expenses, such as playground costs or ICT costs, could reduce costs by 1 to 9 percent. • Use schedule shifts. Hosting different groups of children in alternate shifts in the same classroom, using the same materials, and sometimes being instructed by the same teachers could be a cost-effective policy.4 Most ECDE centers operate half-days, except in some urban areas where children are in school until early afternoon. Costs for buildings, furniture, teaching and learning materials, and management personnel could be reduced approximately by half if the county were to implement double shifts. While this possibly could have implications for working parents’ schedules and transport, estimates from four counties indicate that using shifts could bring total savings of 25 to 35 percent in reduced annual costs. • Consider more flexible HR policies. Counties could consider teacher assistants from teacher training colleges to co-teach certain classes. Assistant teachers could receive a portion of the salary of a certified teacher until they completed formal training. Costing less to the county than a regular teacher, teacher assistants could help reduce child-teacher ratios, provide practical training for student teachers, and ensure that those working with young children are becoming qualified professionals. Counties could also explore remuneration according to the number of hours taught. Implementing this approach would require that counties have jurisdiction for teacher remuneration and that a temporary contract teacher scheme be set up. • Gradually phase out families’ contributions to ECDE. Counties could also consider gradually eliminating fees currently paid by families for public ECDE. A comprehensive plan in each county to gradually reduce family’s contributions and completely eliminate them by the year 2020 would facilitate expansion as well as cost reductions until 2020. The plans could also include scholarships awarded to the most disadvantaged children. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This task was conducted by a World Bank team led by Amanda Devercelli (Senior Education Specialist, TTL), John Anderson (Economist), Rebecca Sayre (Consultant), Anita Gurgel (Consultant), Eldah Onsomu (Consultant), Carlos Aggio (Consultant), and Jan van Ravens (Consultant). The costing and financing data collection and analysis were lead by Jan van Ravens, Carlos Aggio, and Eldah Onsomu. The team coordinated with the Kenya School of Government and Riara University, represented by Vivianne Ngugi (Consultant). The team is grateful for the guidance provided by Nalin Jena, GNV Ramana, and others in the World Bank Kenya country office as well as Director General Leah Rotich and Mr. Isaac Thuita of the national Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and Helen Kimathi of the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development. This brief has benefited strongly from the support of the following county officials: Kirinyaga: Governor of Kirinyaga County H.E. Joseph Ndathi; County Executive Committee Member for Education Hon. Ann W. Mwangi; County Executive Committee Member for Finance and Economic Planning, Hon. Murimi Murage; Mr. John Gachara; and other county officials. Nairobi: Governor of Nairobi County H.E. Dr. Evans Kidero; County Executive Committee Member for Education, Hon. Christopher Khaemba; County Executive Committee Member for Finance and Economic Planning Hon. Gregory Mwakanongo; Ms. Ruth Owour; Ms. Jacinta Charles; and other county officials. Nyamira: Governor of Nyamira County, H.E. John Nyagarama; County Executive Committee Member for Education Hon. Peter Omwansa Ogwara; County Executive Committee Member and Finance Economic Planning Hon. John Omanwa; Ms. Rachael Okongo; and other county officials. Nyeri: Governor of Nyeri County H.E. Nderitu Gachagua; County Executive Committee Member for Education, Mr. Mwalimu E.K. Nguyo; County Executive Committee Member for Finance and Economic Planning Hon. Martin K. Wamwe; Ms. Hawa Omari; Mr. George Mbogo; and other county officials. 3 Play is very important for ECDE and must be a central feature of programming. However, play can be achieved within classrooms and outdoor spaces without expensive playground equipment. 4 For regions of the county that are more sparsely populated, this double shift strategy might not be as appropriate. 8 EARLY LEARNING PARTNERSHIP