Faith-based Education in Changing Social, Economic, and Political Contexts: Kenyan Catholic Education

This mixed-methods inquiry led by Fr. Bob Dowd, CSC, TJ D’Agostino, and John Mugo has drawn from the fields of political science and education policy in order to explore the relationship between a shifting policy landscape and the implications for faith-based schools in the Kenyan context. The research surveyed and conducted focus groups with a sample of 36 headteachers of government-funded Catholic primary schools throughout Kenya. The project explored how the changing social, economic, and political context of Kenya has accompanied changes in the regulation and governance of Kenyan Catholic primary schools, and in turn, how these changes were understood to affect the autonomy of Catholic schools.

A published article from this project has generated continued interest from the Kenyan Conference of Catholic Bishops, leading to the development of a policy brief (in progress) and ongoing conversations with Kenyan Catholic educational leaders aimed at informing an agenda for policy and advocacy for Kenyan Catholic schools.