Positioning Diversity in Kenyan Schools

Education is
considered key for societies to achieve greater social cohesion and
equality. Yet, schools, as the main providers of formal education, have
increasingly come into question concerning their role in manifesting and
perpetuating social categorisations, inequalities and discrimination
instead of decreasing existing fragmentations and challenging power
relations and hierarchies.

As a diverse society, Kenya is faced
with power struggles and rivalries between different groups – for
instance, along ethnic lines, often constructed deep in colonial
history. This affects teaching and learning in school and the result is
that Kenya is faced with vast disparities in terms of educational access
and success – rendering some social groups marginalised and others
favoured.

Positioning Diversity at Kenyan Schools
explores the ways in which teachers in Kenyan primary and secondary
schools experience and deal with social categorisations and diversity in
terms of ethnicity, gender, wealth, culture, religion, etc. in their
professional practice and in the current education system. Using
critical pedagogy and diversity theory as a lens for positioning
diversity in Kenyan schools, the questions that this book sets out to
answer are: In what ways do the teachers’ and schools’ practices lead to
transformation in terms of more social equality and less
discrimination? In what ways do the practices manifest existing group
categorisations, hierarchies and discrimination? How can schools and
teaching practices in postcolonial Kenya become more inclusive and
foster social cohesion and equality?

Table of Contents

List of tables and figures

Acknowledgements

1 Introduction

2 Diversity in Education

3 Education and Diversity in Kenya

4 Diversity Experiences and Interpretations: Biographical Perspectives

5 Diversity Experiences and Practices as Professional Teachers

6 A Grounded Theory of Diversity in Kenyan School Contexts

7 Final thoughts and prospects

Notes