The number of Tanzanian students enrolled in Kenyan Universities, preparatory and secondary schools has in recent years been rising steadily.
Kenyans.co.ke spoke to a Tanzanian student who had been enrolled at the Brookhouse School to understand why her parents chose to forego high-end schools in Tanzania and enrol her into a Kenyan school.
The main attraction is the exposure elite Tanzanians get when schooling in Kenya.
"Our parents want us to be able to speak fluent English because our mode of instruction in most primary and secondary schools in Tanzania is Swahili. This limits most Tanzanians even when they proceed to universities where English is the mode of instruction," our source stated.
The Kenyan experience also allows them to make professional networks which serve them in their respective careers, many of them returning to run family businesses.
English National Curriculum
“Brookhouse offers an International curriculum and my chances of winning positions to top universities are higher than those who attend both local and international schools in Tanzania," the student stated.
Most of the high-end schools in Kenya including Braeburn Schools, Brookhouse, St Andrew’s Turi and Peponi Schools offer the English National Curriculum.
Some of the schools expect the children to sit for British primary SAT’s and the secondary school IGCSE which is reported to be harder than the British equivalent GCSE.
This curriculum makes it easier for the students to win positions and scholarships in Ivy League universities, colleges in Canada, Japan, Spain and other top universities around the world.
Qualification of teachers
Most of the teacher’s in Kenyan International Schools have undergone training in some of the world’s best schools, therefore, ensuring the millionaires that the education side of their child’s life is sorted.
The children learn different languages at an early age and also learn about subjects like coding.
Extracurricular Activities
Most of the international schools in Kenya participate in the East African Model United Nations and the President’s Award which is the Kenyan Edinburg Awards.
Compared to high-end Tanzanian schools, Kenyan schools are better funded in music, theatre and sports and this assures the millionaires that their child’s talents will be nurtured.
Diversity
International schools in Kenya favour an international mix of students and this assures the parents that their child will not face difficulties when he/she finally moves abroad.
In addition to those factors, some Tanzanian millionaires want their children to undergo the old-fashioned British education which is offered by Kenyan schools like the Waldorf School in Karen. Additionally, the schools have expatriate heads and meet standards that are at par with their international competitors.
These are factors that Tanzanian International schools are yet to meet and this has pushed more millionaires to enrol their children in Kenyan schools.
