Education stakeholders in the Coast region have unveiled a report aimed at evaluating education standards and enhancing learning outcomes for students in the region.
The report titled ‘The Foundation Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (FLANA)’ focused on children aged 6 to 16 across all six coastal counties – Mombasa, Kilifi, Lamu, Tana River, Taita Taveta and Kwale – assessing their proficiency in reading and solving mathematical problems.
The report was launched by Usawa Agenda in collaboration with the Teacher Service Commission (TSC), local civil societies, community leaders and other government representatives.
It surveyed 6,348 households across approximately 230 villages, evaluating at least 3,016 children and 229 schools.
The organization’s Kwale county coordinator Aman Lugogo highlighted the comprehensive scope of the assessment, which is aimed to provide a detailed picture of educational needs and challenges in the region.
He said that the report underscores the need for targeted interventions to address these gaps and improve educational outcomes for young learners.
“The report outlines a range of challenges and proposes solutions, as well as potential partnerships, to enhance the educational status of learners throughout the region,” he said.
Lugogo said after launching the report, Usawa Agenda along with its partners, will sit down to discuss the key issues and work to develop a series of interventions aimed at enhancing educational resources and support in the region.
The Kwale Youth and Governance Consortium member said this will help education stakeholders in the region to commit themselves to working together to ensure that the recommendations of the report are effectively implemented to foster a more equitable and robust educational environment for all children.
Lugogo mentioned that further details on the specific strategies and timelines for the interventions will be shared in the coming months as they develop a comprehensive action plan based on the report’s findings.
Kilifi county coordinator and Mission for Community Initiative Development officer Gabriel Nyiro noted that in many cases, students in higher grades struggle with tasks meant for much younger students.
“In some areas, a Grade Four pupil may be unable to read books intended for lower grades, and a Grade Eight student might struggle with problems designed for Grade Six,” he said.
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Faraj Mohammed, an officer with the Uwezo Youth Group from Lamu, expressed concern over the persistently low educational levels in the county, noting that more girls are attending school compared to boys.
He pointed out that many boys are more focused on fishing and place less importance on education.
Mohammed said that the FLANA report calls for urgent interventions to secure the future of boys in Lamu and to enhance overall educational standards in the coastal region.
Patrick Mwadime, Mombasa county coordinator, said that while the county has a 91.7 percent enrollment rate for children aged 4 to 15, he questioned the whereabouts of the remaining percentage.
Mwadime said that the FLANA report not only addresses the need for quality education beyond mere school attendance but also aims to ensure equitable access to better educational and life opportunities for all children.
By Shaban Omar
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