Kenya National Bureau of Statistics has announced plans to begin the 2024 school census which is set to be launched at the Moi Girls’ School in Dagoretti Constituency, Nairobi County. The census will be managed by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), headed by KNBS Director General who will be in attendance and the Head of Communication, Katunge Kiilu who will be the master of ceremony.
According to the schedule seen by Education News Kenya, KNBS Director General, Dr Macdonald G. Obudho will be in attendance and is expected to deliver the opening remarks regarding the exercise. KNBS Board Chairman Stephen Wainaina will also attend along with PS Basic Education Dr Belio Kipsang and PS Economic Planning James Muhati.
Schools are required to download and print two copies of the Advance Questionnaires from the NEMIS website. These questionnaires should be completed manually and stamped before being used to electronically capture and submit responses.
The school census in Kenya is done every year to gather detailed information about schools, students, and teachers. It is usually conducted with the help of NEMIS. NEMIS gathers data from different educational institutes, manages it and reports on all sorts of indicators.
Schools share details such as facility information, student enrollment numbers, teaching staff employed and other related data. Data that is collected includes demographics of students, infrastructure details like the textbooks/resources available at different schools etc.
The data gathered is very important for making decisions, creating policies and distributing resources. It also helps to keep track of educational progress as time goes on and plan for new schools or the growth of current ones, along with enhancing infrastructure in these institutions. The census also captures gender-specific data allowing for gender disparities in enrollment and employment.