Kenya intends to abolish boarding schools for students in grades one through nine (roughly 14-15 years old) beginning next year.
Belio Kipsang, Principal Secretary for Education, told a conference of head teachers that parents would have to take their children to day schools.
He stated that the government had decided to allow children to be cared for by their parents or guardians. Children from nomadic pastoralist communities, on the other hand, will be exempt from the rules.
According to him, Kenya has about 28% of its primary school children in boarding facilities, which is relatively high when compared to other countries.
He said it was the responsibility of parents to take care of their children, as first educators, saying “we can’t outsource parenting to teachers”.
“We need to start socialising ourselves that we need to be with our children, and the only way we shall be with these children is for them to be in a day school environment,” he said.