ED100/ G/16340/22

EDU 2204: Comparative Education,

Questions

1. (a)Define comparative education (2mks)

Comparative education is a branch of education that examines and analyzes the different educational
systems, theories, and practices across various countries or regions to identify similarities and
differences.

A discipline that studies educational systems in which one seeks to understand the similarities and
differences among educational systems...

(b)Define the term gender (2mks)

Gender refers to the characteristics of women, men, girls and boys that are socially constructed.

(c)Identify aspects in which gender disparityis noticeable in Kenya educational system (10mks)

Gender disparity is the difference in women's and men's access to resources,status and well-being,in
which usually favour men and are often institutionalised through law, justice and social norms.Gender
disparity in Kenya education are the differences in educational outcomes observed between different
genders in Kenya.It implies that one sex is disadvantaged over the other in experiences and outcomes.

Enrolment rates

It is evident that there is a higher number of girl child enrollment into primary

school. This is due to their high survival rates but this number decreases as these students join

secondary school level where enrollment of boys is higher than that of girls.

Dropout rates.

At the secondary school level, the number of girl child dropout is witnessed to be very high especially in
the North Kenya regions where most of the girls due to culture are taken out of schools for the purpose
of marriage.Early pregnancy also causes the girl school dropout to increase in the country.

Employment rates.

The number of ladies employed in highly paying lucrative jobs in Kenya is significantly low as compared
to that of the male counterpart. This is because most of the ladies though being educated tend to rot
their education as house - wives to the males.

Quality of Education.
At the university level, most of the students undertaking engineering

Courses mostly lies on the boy child. The number of girl child in this courses are usually low hence the
quality of education received by the girl child to the boy child varies...

Subject choice.

As the students in secondary school level start to select subjects, comparison

among the number of students doing science subject varies in which the number of girls

doing the science subjects is lower as compared to that of the boy child though the resources to be used
in educating them is the same

(d) Briefy explain the factors that affect education system.(12mks)

Geographical factors.

The terrain of an area will determine whether a school will be constructed around the area or not. This
will also affect the distance of a school to the residents mostly in the rural areas. The climate of the area
also affects how the students will respond to attending classes. Areas with severe drought shows low
number of students going to school as compared to moderate rainfall areas.

Economic factors.

High cost of living can affect the number of students that are going to school. Poverty-striken areas tend
to have a smaller number of students attending schools as compared to the able.

Social and cultural factors.

In some areas, culture is followed to the later which the girl child does not require much of school
education but be aware of how to prepare meals for their future husbands. This causes

a number of girls to dropout of schools for the purpose of marriage.

Historical factors.

Kenya being a former colony of the British, for example has its education system rooted to the British
and western cultures. This affects the education system in which young learns find it hard to understand
English Lessons as compared to their native mother tongue language. Therefore if mother-tongue could
be their first language of instruction at lower-level, it could be more convinient than English. Political
instability and conflicts are also factors that affect education system in which in every election, safety of
learners has to be a priority therefore shut-down of schools takes effect.

Technological factors.

As the world evolves, therefore should education in a number of ways. Lack of electricity for example in
rural areas limits student from accessing internet materials and devices that require electricity .
School infrastructure.

Schools in the rural areas are still under development hence have a lower standard of infrastructure.
Due to this low-level infrastructure, competition as compared to those in

the urban areas is lower.

(c)Highlight purposes of comparative education.

(i)Comparative education can help students to become more informed and engaged global citizens.

(ii) Comparative education helps to describe and compare educational systems hence selecting those
that are best for the future generations.

(1) Comparative education helps to locate and identify best practices that can be used in betterment of
the education system.

(ix) Comparative education helps to promote understanding and dialogue in a number of ways.