Kenya must spend smarter to ensure every child learns
Educational progress must be measured not only through enrolment, attendance or resources distributed, but also through whether children can actually read, understand and communicate in writing
Kenya does not need to spend blindly to improve education. It needs to spend smart and make smart investments, guided by evidence of what works, for whom, and at what cost.
That was a central message emerging from a major education financing conference in Nairobi, which brought together more than 200 policymakers, funders and researchers from Kenya and around the world.
As Kenya prepares for the 2027/28 budget amid constrained resources and declining donor support, the challenge is not simply how much to invest in education, but how to direct limited resources towards approaches that demonstrably improve learning at scale, expand inclusion and deliver lasting value.
The stakes are high. Studies show that stronger early reading and maths skills can translate into higher earnings in adulthood, demonstrating that investing effectively in learning can deliver benefits far beyond the classroom; for example in Indonesia, children with stronger early reading and math earn 4-11% more as adults.
Two reports from the Global Education Evidence Advisory Panel (GEEAP) offer policymakers a useful guide.
Its Cost-Effective Approaches to Improve Global Learning, commonly known as the Smart Buys, report draws on more than 400 rigorous studies to identify which education investments improve learning cost-effectively and at scale, challenging the assumption that more inputs automatically mean better outcomes. The distinction allows governments to better evaluate their spending priorities when improved learning is the goal.
Carefully sequenced lessons
Among the report’s strongest recommendations – known as “great buys” - is structured pedagogy, an approach that gives teachers clear, practical guidance on what to teach and how to teach it through a combination of carefully sequenced lessons, appropriate learning materials, ongoing teacher training and mentoring.
Kenya has first-hand experience of the effectiveness of structured pedagogy. The national Tusome literacy programme demonstrated how structured approaches to teaching early-grade reading could be implemented at scale. An evaluation of the program showed that gains in second-grade English reading were roughly equal to gains from an additional full year of schooling. Its experience offers valuable lessons for policymakers seeking to strengthen foundational learning cost-effectively.
Another “great buy” is teaching children according to their actual learning level rather than assuming that every child in a particular grade has mastered the same skills. Approaches such as Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) group children by learning level and tailor instruction accordingly, helping struggling learners catch up.
Technology is another area where spending choices matter. The Smart Buys report explains that providing devices alone has generally not been a cost-effective way to improve learning. However, there is evidence to suggest that EdTech programmes can support effective teaching and learning when they focus on instructional purpose and take into account the full cost of devices, connectivity, software, training and support. Policymakers must consider all of this in their decision-making.
If Kenya is to invest smarter, foundational literacy is a critical place to start. Educational progress must be measured not only through enrolment, attendance or resources distributed, but also through whether children can actually read, understand and communicate in writing.
A second GEEAP-endorsed report, Effective Reading Instruction, sets out what the evidence tells us about how children learn to read. Drawing on more than 150 studies covering over 160 languages, the report identifies six essential areas that teachers must address systematically and comprehensively to ensure that children can read: oral language development, phonological awareness, systematic phonics, reading fluency, reading comprehension and writing. For Kenya, this means ensuring that early-grade literacy programmes address all six components and that teachers receive the necessary support.
Linguistic diversity
This does not mean importing foreign solutions wholesale: international evidence must be adapted to Kenya's education system, linguistic diversity, teacher capacity and different county and community contexts.
Evidence must shape smart funding decisions when budgets are prepared and programmes designed, not only evaluate them afterwards. Major investments should set out the evidence behind the approach, expected learning outcomes and full implementation costs, and use existing data systems to track whether they are delivering. This would allow resources to be redirected towards more effective approaches without adding unnecessary bureaucracy.
Equity must remain central to these decisions. It is not simply about choosing the cheapest intervention. It is about achieving the greatest educational benefit from available resources while ensuring that disadvantaged children are not left further behind. Investments in children who face the greatest barriers to learning may require additional resources, but the returns in opportunity, participation and social mobility can be substantial.
Ultimately, the measure of the country’s education budget should not just be the amount allocated or the number of programmes announced. It should primarily be the difference that spending makes in children’s lives.
Rosie Emerson is a Principal Investigator at Laterite, where she leads research and evaluations focused on education, foundational learning, and education technology (EdTech) across Africa.
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