Institute for Development Studies, University of Nairobi

In this paper the origins of the three-tiered school system in Nakuru are traced to the colonial period and the system is described as it developed before and after Independence. The primary schools in the town are divided into two groups - ordinary low-cost schools and highercost schools, including the one formerly European high-cost school, the two formerly Asian medium-cost schocpls, and three assisted schools. A number of comparisons are made between these two groups of schools based on performance on the Certificate of Primary Education examination which is given at the end of the seven years of primary education. It is found that pupils from the higher-cost schools tend to achieve higher scores on the examination and thus are more likely to gain coveted places in government-maintained secondary schools. Success in the examination may be correlated with better equipment in the schools , with more highly qualified teachers, in some cases with a better teacher-pupil ratio and possibly with a more conducive home environment. The relative success of the higher-cost schools cannot be attributed to non- African pupils, but rather it may indicate the beginning of social class cleavages within the African population.