Transforming Lives with Knowledge

When the modern world promotes the right to compulsory formal education in order to eliminate ignorance and illiteracy throughout the world; facilitate scientific and technical knowledge as well as modern teaching methods, Maasai traditional culture believes in informal education as a way of preserving the traditional cultural heritage of the family, the clan, and the tribe. Traditional education is seen as practical part of lifestyle like during cattle herding, performing house chores and is acquired in the form of stories, folklore, proverbs, and riddles. Despite the efforts of the Government of Kenyan in promoting formal education, the cultural belief that formal education is a Western weapon to destroy their cultural heritage has adversely affected education in community thereby enhancing illiteracy, unemployment and underdevelopment. Education came to be looked upon as a threat to both family and tribal unity. Boys are supposed to look after cattle and girls who go to school are perceived as being exposed to prostitution and in order to control this, they are taken out of school at puberty to undergo clitoridectomy and then forced to early marriage. The few who struggle to continue with their education lack community support and lack of school fees force them to drop out of schools.