Work

Teachers’ needs and agency in times of low-fee private schools: The case of Kenya

Year: 2022

Type: article

Abstract: The proliferation of low-fee private schools (LFPSs) in the global South is one manifestation of the marketization of education. LFPS literature on teachers emphasize exploitation, de-professionalization, and higher accountability, but teachers’ own voice and representation has largely been absent. Based on interviews with 35 Kenyan LFPS and public-school teachers in one urban and one rural area, this paper partly fills this gap by investigating teachers’ own experiences with marketization. The different teachers’ needs and sense of professionalism showed great similarities, yet their type of employment shaped their work and agency. LFPSs alleviated public school (hereafter PS) overcrowding, but high pupil mobility in the education market affected teaching and learning in both LFPS and PSs negatively. LFPS teachers adopted strategies (teaching-to-the-test, deviating from pre-scripted lessons) to retain and attract pupils to keep their jobs.

Source: Cogent Education

DOI: 10.1080/2331186x.2022.2046242

Authors: Sara Falkensjö, Jerry Olsson

Institution: University of Gothenburg

Language: English

Topic: School Choice and Performance

Subfield: Education

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Quality education, Reduced inequalities, Decent work and economic growth

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,165