Aiden Kiprop 
Elyas Abdi, Director General in the Ministry of Education, Kenya (Fifth from Right), Mayor Ivo Gomes of Sobral, Brazil (Center), Peter Tabichi, Global Teacher Prize Winner (Fourth from Right), and Fuad Ali, Chair of the Kenya Primary School Headteachers Association (KEPSHA)(Seventh from Right), alongside stakeholders from the Ministry of Education, Council of Governors, Semi-Autonomous Government Agencies (SAGAs), and development partners during the launch of the Technical Working Group for Foundational Learning at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD).
Ministry of Education Launches Technical Working Group to develop Kenya’s First National Guidelines on Foundational Learning;
-
Ministry of Education launches technical working Group (TWG) to develop Kenya’s first foundational learning guidelines, impacting millions of children.
-
Over 85% of Grade 3 learners lack basic literacy and numeracy—new guidelines aim to reverse this trend.
-
The initiative responds to recommendations from the 2023 Presidential Working Party on Education Reform (PWPER) and supports Kenya’s education goals under the NESSP 2023–2027.
-
Rollout is supported by Education Development Trust and partners through the UK-funded INSPIRED programme.
The Ministry of Education, in partnership with Education Development Trust (EDT), Learning Generation Initiative (LGI) and Zizi Afrique officially launched a multi-stakeholder Technical Working Group (TWG) to spearhead the development of Kenya’s first National Guidelines on Foundational Learning.
The TWG brings together stakeholders from the Ministry of Education, the Council of Governors, county governments, government agencies, civil society, and development partners. It will be co-chaired by the Ministry of Education and the Council of Governors.
The team is expected to coordinate and play a central role in strengthening the quality and equity of early years education across the country. While Kenya has seen increased school enrollment, including in pre-primary, concerns remain about the quality of learning.
A 2020 national assessment by the Kenya National Examinations Council found that more than 85% of Grade 3 learners lacked basic literacy and numeracy skills.
In response, the taskforce aims to address critical challenges in early childhood education and will focus on key areas such as teacher training, access to learning materials and consistent implementation of Competency-Based Education (CBE).
“This initiative represents a critical step in our education reform journey. Without early years investment in education, a person cannot prosper later in their academic journey or workplace.
These guidelines will serve to benefit all of us and ensure that no child is left behind.” said Mr. Elyas Abdi, the Secretary General in the Ministry of Education, Kenya.
The formation of the TWG is aligned with the recommendations of the 2023 Presidential Working Party on Education Reform (PWPER), which called for urgent action to strengthen foundational learning in Kenya to avert future crisis in education.
It also supports Kenya’s National Education Sector Strategic Plan 2023-2027, which seeks to improve literacy and numeracy skills during the early years of schooling.
As part of its broader support to the Government of Kenya, Education Development Trust (EDT) is providing technical assistance through the UK-funded INSPIRED programme. This includes supporting the delivery and implementation of national foundational learning policy reforms, while also providing professional development training for all public ECE teachers, school leaders, and county education officials in Wajir and Mandera. In addition, it is facilitating the provision of teaching and learning materials in both counties.
The programme aims to improve foundational learning skills for over 200,000 children in Kenya, with a focus on reaching the most marginalised, particularly those in Kenya’s Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs).
Elizabeth Ogott, EDT’s Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) Director, commended the Ministry of Education for its leadership in prioritizing foundational learning as part of Kenya’s broader education reform agenda.
“Kenya has made notable progress in education, but the learning crisis remains a serious challenge. Through the INSPIRED programme, we are proud to support the Ministry of Education in co-creating sustainable, evidence-based solutions that can improve early learning outcomes for all children, especially the most marginalized.” Elizabeth stated.
The launch featured a high-level panel discussion bringing together global and local education leaders. Mayor Ivo Gomes, leader of transformative education reforms in Sobral, Brazil, shared lessons from his city’s education reforms, calling for greater use of data and evidence to strengthen foundational learning outcomes.
Global Teacher Prize winner Peter Tabichi emphasized the importance of including teachers in policy development and implementation, noting that their lived experience is itself a critical source of evidence.
The discussion also featured representatives from organizations working on early childhood education initiatives, including the Ministry of Education, Zizi Afrique, Kenya National Union of Teachers (K.N.U.T) and Education Development Trust.
