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Nairobi, Kenya
6th May 2015
Ipsos’ 1st
Quarter SPEC (Social, Political,
Economic and Cultural) Survey:
Fifth Media Release
Education: Public’s Feedback
 Most Kenyans prefer school laboratory-centers rather than laptops for each Class 1
pupil
 Jubilee and CORD supporters differ over main reason for non-implementation of
laptop project
 Few expect laptop project to be implemented before next general election
 18 ways identified to raise money for teachers’ demands
 Most Kenyans support ranking of schools
Introduction
As the Jubilee administration nears the half-way mark in its term, Ipsos’ most recent survey
included questions on a number of issues that are continuing to occupy public, and
government, attention. In this Media Release, we cover the following in the Education
sector: (1) The laptop project, (2) School-ranking, (3) Teachers’ Pay Demands.
Most Kenyans prefer school laboratory-centers rather than laptops for each
Class 1 pupil
When it first became clear that there were challenges in implementing the laptop-per-
(standard 1)-child, Ipsos conducted a survey on this matter which found that 4 in 5 (80%)
Kenyans preferred a laptop laboratory for all students in each school. Now, one year later,
this figure is unchanged (79%), and this is so across the main political divide, with
statistically identical support for the laboratory option by both Jubilee and CORD supporters.
“Regarding the Government’s primary school laptop project, which do you prefer: that
each child is given a laptop, or that each school have a laptop laboratory for all pupils?”
(By Total, Supporters of the Main Political Parties/Coalitions)
15%
78%
6%
12%
79%
8%
17%
79%
4%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Laptops for Each Standard 1 Pupil Laptop Laboratory in Every Primary
School
Not Sure
Total (n=1,964) CORD Supporters (n=624) Jubilee Supporters (n=871)

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In the current survey, respondents were asked the additional question as to what they think
has caused this implementation failure. Most frequently mention included insufficient funds
for the project’s cost (30%) and corruption in the procurement process (27%), followed by
the conviction that Jubilee had never been sincere about this campaign pledge (19%).
The issuance of laptops for every Standard 1 pupil in all of Kenya’s 22,000 public primary
schools was the most highly publicized promise in Jubilee’s 2013 election campaign.
Evidence of this was seen in Ipsos’ first post-election survey: 65% of respondents could
recall it, the next most memorable one being of improved health care, at 45%.
In preparation for the project, Kenya Power has actively been extending the electricity grid,
so that the proportion of primary schools connected to it has reportedly increased from 50%
to 70% since Jubilee assumed office.
Jubilee and CORD supporters differ over main reason for non-implementation
of laptop project
The basis of these competing explanations is clearer when these same responses are
correlated with political alignment. As might be expected, whereas far more Jubilee
supporters attribute this implementation failure to (the more forgivable) lack of funds than do
their CORD counterparts (37% vs. 24% - a 13% margin), while substantially more of the
latter attribute this to downright deception – a lack of commitment to honour this campaign
pledge from the start (26% vs. 14% – a 12% gap).
“What is the main reason you think the Jubilee Government has
not implemented the primary school laptop project up to now?”:
(By Total)
Insufficient Funds,
30%
Procurement
Corruption, 27%
Dishonest/No
Sincere Intention,
19%
Lack of Proper
Planning, 2%
Other (10 Mentions),
8%
DK, 14%
Base: All Respondents (n=1,964)

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Few expect laptop project to be implemented before next general election
Turning to expectations of the project’s eventual implementation – at least “before the next
election” – a clear majority of Kenyans (56%) have none. Even a slim majority of Jubilee
supporters express this negative view (51%) – and with only one-quarter of them (27%)
certain that it will be – even if far more CORD supporters have lost hope on this issue (66%).
Yet the fact that overall, one-quarter (25%) are uncertain whether this pledge will be fulfilled
before the next election or not suggests that a considerable proportion of Kenyans are still
hopeful about this.
“What is the main reason you think the Jubilee Government has
not implemented the primary school laptop project up to now?”:
by Total, Supporters of the Main Political Parties/Coalitions
Main Reason
Total
(n=1,964)
Jubilee Supporters
(n=871)
CORD Supporters
(n=624)
%
Difference
Insufficient Funds 30% 37% 24% -13%
Procurement Corruption 27% 28% 28% 0%
Dishonest/No Sincere Intention 19% 14% 26% +12%
Lack of Proper Planning 2% 1% 2% +1%
Other 8% 7% 8% +1%
DK 14% 12% 12% 0%

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In response to the apparently endless legal battles regarding the tendering process for the
provision of laptops, the Jubilee government has announced it shall abandon this (earlier
estimated) Shs. 24.6b scheme in favour of tablets. Whether this would affect the Shs.
17.58b price-tag, already set aside for the next financial year, is unclear.
In addition, it has been pointed out that such tablets have much less content-storage
capacity than laptops, suggesting that only through internet connection will they be of much
use. But such connections would constitute another substantial recurrent cost, even if the
purchase price is considerably lower. Has this also been included in the tablet-option cost
estimates? In any case, assuming that this option will actually be pursued, the public’s
opinion about this change-of-approach will be included in Ipsos’ next survey.
18 ways identified to raise money for teachers’ demands
A telephonic survey by Ipsos in October 2014 found that 78% of Kenyans support the
demands of teachers for an increase in their terms of service.
In the current survey, respondents were first asked in what ways (maximum of two) they
could think of that money could be raised by Government to meet this demand (whether they
support it or not). Some 18 proposals were offered, though none were offered by nearly one-
third of all respondents (31%). Of these, about one-in-five (22%) could not think of any ways
of raising the required funds, while the remainder either claimed that such an increase is
simply impossible (7%), or that there was no need to find more resources as enough funds
were available already (2%).
Among the specific suggestions made, most frequent were a reduction in the number of
elected officials (25%), and a reduction in the salaries and benefits of these same officials
(23%), in addition to reducing corruption (also 23%). Other main mentions were increasing
“Whatever your preference about the laptop plan, do you think it
will be implemented before the next election in 2017?”
(By Total, Supporters of the Main Political Parties/Coalitions)
19%
9%
27%
56%
66%
51%
25% 25%
21%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Total (n=1,964) CORD Supporters (n=624) Jubilee Supporters (n=871)
YES NO Not Sure

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VAT (13%), reducing the number of civil servants (8%), and selling off corruptly-acquired
assets (5%), though this latter suggestion would require re-possessing them first.
In terms of the Jubilee-CORD divide, only minor variations emerge on this issue, however,
though with fewer of the latter having any idea how this could be done (5%), as well as fewer
who believe any such increase is simply not possible (8% vs. 5% – a 3% gap).
“The Government says there is not enough money to increase
teachers’ pay. What are two ways you can think of that such
additional funds could be found?” (By Total)
2%
7%
22%
4%
2%
2%
5%
8%
13%
23%
23%
25%
0% 20% 40%
Enough Money Exists Already
Not Possible
DK
Other (10 Mentions)
Divert Laptop Money
Seek Donor Funding
Recover/Sell Corruptly Acquired Assets
Reduce Number of Civil Servants
Increase VAT
Reduce Salaries/Benefits of Elected Officials
Reduce Corruption
Reduce Number of Elected Officials

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The fact that over two-thirds of all respondents offered revenue-raising suggestions to meet
the teachers’ demands suggests how much education is valued in Kenya. Most
immediately, the primary motivation is probably to ensure that future strikes are avoided.
More generally, however, the benefits of education are deeply entrenched in the Kenyan
society. This is true not just for the students themselves and their families (as has been
seen in the moving stories of many families who had sacrificed so much for the students who
perished in the Garissa University College attack), but also the benefits which accrue to
wider community due to the very presence of schools.
This is also supported by the fact that in this same survey, it was found that 20% of all
respondents mentioned “education” as the most effective way of reducing poverty in their
localities (the fourth ‘remedy’ mentioned, after job-creation, support for agricultural/livestock
development, and infrastructure).
Whether the same citizens who support teachers’ demands would support an extended
strike – leading again to the loss of their children’s education – remains to be seen, should
such a strike occur.
In any case, with teachers’ union leaders still threatening strike action, and with donors such
as the World Bank still pressuring the Government to control recurrent (especially public
wage) expenditure, it is clear this issue will constitute a continuing challenge as Jubilee
moves into the second half of its current tenure. The second issue covered here is that of the
demand by teachers for their ‘promised-yet-delayed’ pay increase. It should be noted that
the lowest starting salary for teachers currently is only about Shs. 17,000 per month, which
they (through their unions) want raised to Shs. 50,000.
“The Government says there is not enough money to increase
teachers’ pay. What are two ways you can think of that such
additional funds could be found?”
(By Total, Supporters of Main Political Parties/Coalitions)
Measure
Total
(n=1,964)
Jubilee Supporters
(n=871)
CORD Supporters
(n=624)
%
Difference
Reduce Number of Elected
Officials 25% 25% 29% +4%
Reduce Salaries/Benefits of
Elected Officials 23% 25% 21% -4%
Reduce Corruption 23% 23% 24% +1%
Increase VAT 13% 13% 15% +2%
Reduce Number of Civil
Servants 8% 7% 9% +2%
Recover/Sell Corruptly
Acquired Assets 5% 4% 5% +1%
DK 21% 21% 16% -5%
Cannot Be Done 7% 8% 5% -3%

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(This compares with about Shs. 1m that MPs earn a month – even if there are only 391).
The current wage bill for teachers is some Shs. 160b, or 15% of total public expenditure.
The teachers (nearly 300,000 of them) went on strike earlier this year demanding a 60%
increase in pay, whereas the Teachers Service Commission offered only Shs. 9.3b in
allowances.
At the same time, the UN says Kenya needs about 80,000 more teachers to attain the
desired quota of 1 teacher per 35 students, and this in a situation where a recent
assessment found that only about 20% of third year students have minimal verbal and
numeric competence. As such, some critics have questioned the nation’s preparedness for
the free primary education programme (FPE) that was introduced by the NARC government
in 2003, and which led to an increase in the primary school population from 5.9m in 2003 to
nearly 10m today.
Most Kenyans support ranking of schools
The survey results reveal that few Kenyans support the recent abolition of ranking of both
primary and secondary schools with more than two-thirds doing so (71% and 70%,
respectively).
This is true for those with/without any child in either a public or private primary school (or
whether they have any child in school at all), although those with children in private schools
express slightly lower support for ranking (about 5-10% compared to other households).
This may be because any parent(s) who prepared to pay for such private education have
already assessed the chosen school’s performance-level, and is able to monitor the child
(and school’s) performance with more attention than (most) parents of children in public
schools.
“Do you support the ranking of public private primary and
secondary schools?”
(By Total, Those With/Without a Child in Public/Private/Both/Neither
Type of Schools)
71%
74%
66%
79%
69%70% 72%
64%
80%
69%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Total (n=1,964) Those With a Child in
a Public Primary
School (n=641)
Those With a Child in
a Private Primary
School (n=246)
Those With Children
in Both Types of
Schools (n=171)
Those With No
Children In School
(n=906)
Primary Schools Secondary Schools
% Saying “YES”

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Also, high performing schools have been said to have good resource allocation or
management although in most cases both. Competition is also considered a good thing in
general as it increases accountability and is practice in developed countries like the United
States of America where ranking of Universities is known to happen.
Controversy has surrounded the elimination of the ranking of schools based on national
results, beginning with last year’s examinations. While law-makers, teachers and other
analysts have remained divided on this issue, the Cabinet Secretary for Education has
insisted that there is “no going back” to the previous policy.
Comment:
Whether such survey findings attract the attention of policy-makers in the Education sector,
let alone whether they would consider making any change in policy in response to them,
must be left to speculation, or further exploration of this issue by approaching them directly
for their reaction.
Survey Methodology
The target population for this survey was Kenyans aged 18 years and above, of whom 1,964
living in urban and rural areas were interviewed. The margin-of-error attributed to sampling
and other random effects of this poll’s sample size is +/- 2.2 with a 95% confidence level.
The fieldwork for this survey was conducted between 28th
March and 7th
April 2015. Data
was collected through face-to-face interviews using hand held devices (smart phones). Ipsos
Limited (Kenya) funded the survey.
“Do you support the ranking of public private primary and
secondary schools?”
(By Total, Those With/Without a Child in Public/Private/Both/Neither
Type of Schools)
71%
74%
66%
79%
69%70% 72%
64%
80%
69%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Total (n=1,964) Those With a Child in
a Public Primary
School (n=641)
Those With a Child in
a Private Primary
School (n=246)
Those With Children
in Both Types of
Schools (n=171)
Those With No
Children In School
(n=906)
Primary Schools Secondary Schools
% Saying “YES”

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For further details on this press release please contact:
Dr. Tom Wolf Victor Rateng
Research Analyst Opinion Polls Project Manager
tpwolf1944@gmail.com victor.rateng@ipsos.com
Tel: 386 2721-33 Tel: 386 2721-33
www.ipsos.co.ke www.ipsos.co.ke