Schools as Socialization Agents for Turkana Pastoralists’ Children

Abstract

Education worldwide has influenced the socialization of children. In Kenya, formal education is the right for every child. This underlines provision for free and compulsory education enshrined in the constitution of Kenya. However, investment in education in Kenya is not equal to the constitution declaration of access to quality education for every child across the country. In pastoralist traditional cultural communities, families have embraced education, but access to quality education has become problematic. Due to its poor quality, education as a socializing agent for pastoralist children has created cultural conflicts between school children and their families. The schools are alienating children from their own families. The consequences are that the pastoralist communities have developed a disdain for education including their own school children. This chapter explores insights into these conflicts by contrasting socialization of children in schools and child-rearing practices of the Turkana pastoralist communities of Kenya.