Linda Akoth, 35, moved house from Nairobi’s Buruburu estate two years ago to Kabete, in Kiambu County. The houses here, she says, are cheaper and more spacious.
She, however, did not transfer her two children to a school closer to her new neighbourhood. As a result they commute to their school in the city centre daily.
TRANSPORT
Though Ms Akoth owns a car, she too mostly commutes to work to save money she could have used to fuel her car.
To make the journey to school easier and safer for her children, she pays school transport for them, which costs Sh30,000 per term — the school charges Sh15,000 per child.
Interestingly, the school fees she pays per child is just a few thousands more than the transport cost. Ms Akoth thinks it’s unfair, but feels that she has no option.
“It’s on the higher side, yes, but the other option is my children using public transport, which is unreliable and unsafe, or entrusting them to someone who I don’t really know, but who will charge less,” she says.
Using the school bus also means that her children get up earlier than she would prefer, at least by 4.30am, to have enough time for breakfast and make it to the pick-up point by 5.30am.
The earliest her children get home is 6.30pm. The eldest is in Class Four and the second in Class One. By the time they take a bath, do their homework and have supper it is already 9pm.
Asked whether she would consider moving them to a school near where they live, she is shocked by the suggestion: “Of course not! The quality of teaching in local schools is not good,” she answers.
Ms Akoth’s case is the norm in many urban centres. If you are an early riser, you must have seen them, school buses — some as early as 5am when it is still dark outside — picking up children in various estates across the country to ferry them to school.
HARSH WEATHER
There is no question about it, Kenya’s children wake up too early in the quest for “quality” education. And this is detrimental to their health and intellect.
Many attend schools located many kilometres away from where they live, subjecting them to the perennial jams that are characteristic of most major towns in the country, time that could have been put to better use including sleep, which, doctors say is vital for a growing child.
Doctor Walter Otieno, a paediatrician, agrees that the country’s school-going children are not getting enough sleep, a factor that has a number of health implications.
“It’s true that children are waking up too early, a factor that is manifested in the number seeking treatment for airway infections and asthmatic attacks,” says the paediatrician based in Western Kenya, who consults for a number of hospitals including Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital. “Many of these children who present with these symptoms go to school using motorbikes, even during the rainy season, which exposes them to the cold and too much wind, which leads to respiratory infection,” the doctor says.
In rural areas, it is common to see children walking to school at the crack of dawn with just a thin sweater or jacket that does nothing to protect them from the harsh weather, especially during the rainy season.
But illness is just one of the consequences of children waking up when they should be fast asleep; there is also sleep deprivation, a big health concern.
“A child needs at least 10 hours of sleep but most school-going children in Kenya are getting between six and eight hours, which is not enough; they are growing, and there are many changes taking place in their bodies, changes that require the body to get sufficient rest for the processes to take place efficiently,” he adds.
400 MARKS
It also goes without saying that a child deprived of sleep is unlikely to concentrate in class, leading to poor grades.
But is this actually the case, a matter of perception or do decisions to take one’s children to specific schools have to do with societal pressure?
It could be all three, says Dr Gladys Nyachieo, a sociologist and lecturer at Multi-Media University.
“It could be a fact that the school this mother’s children go to is better than the ones located near where she lives, but in many similar cases it could also be a matter of perception, society’s perception specifically, that the teachers there are nice, or that the school performs well, or that the facilities are good,” she says. Society’s view tends to influence individual choices, she notes.
“The middle class is especially vulnerable to such influence; they will do something or make certain decisions just so that they fit in, so that they can remain relevant in their social circles,” says the sociologist, who adds that she would not be surprised that there are parents who take their children to certain schools in spite of the fact that it is inconvenient for them and their children, just to portray a certain image to their friends and others in their social circles.
Other parents, she points out, are chasing the 400-mark. “There are many parents who have enrolled their children in certain schools that are kilometres away from where they live simply because those schools are known to perform well. It’s all about getting good marks,” Dr Nyachieo says, noting that in such cases, the child’s comfort is not factored in. It is all about what the parent wants.
“It’s selfish; a child should grow up all-rounded; his life should not just revolve around getting good marks. Many parents are investing in the wrong things. True, the children may perform well, but under so much pressure, the good performance will not leave them as fulfilled as their parents.”
Constant pressure to perform, she says, might explain why a child would attempt or commit suicide following poor showing in exams.