Comparison

Jordan vs Kenya

Side-by-side comparison of how these places approach childhood.

At a glance

Jordan

One in five students in Jordanian public schools is a Syrian refugee child.

Jordan hosts 660,000 Syrian refugees, and its schools have absorbed their children through a double-shift system.

Kenya

In Kenya, rural children walk 6 km to school on average, and boarding schools start at age 7.

Education is seen as the single most important investment a family can make โ€” parents sacrifice enormously to keep children in school, and boarding is embraced as a way to maximize learning time.

How they compare
Child independence expectations
Jordan
Kenya
Low High
Structured enrichment emphasis
Jordan
Kenya
Low High
Risk tolerance in play
Jordan
Kenya
Low High
School systems
Refugee-absorbing model

Jordan

Jordan's 10-2 compulsory system has expanded dramatically to absorb Syrian refugee children. Many schools operate double shifts โ€” Jordanian children in the morning, Syrian children in the afternoon. Education is free through secondary school.

Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) โ€” 2-6-3-3-3 model

Kenya

Kenya transitioned from the colonial 8-4-4 system to a new Competency-Based Curriculum in 2017. The new 2-6-3-3-3 structure adds pre-primary years and introduces junior secondary school. English and Kiswahili are both languages of instruction. National schools are the prestige tier.

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โ† Jordan profile ยท Kenya profile โ†’