At public consultations on six Education Reform Bills held at Garissa University and Fort Hall in Lamu County on 30 September, education officials advocated for formal recognition of Arabic in Kenya’s curriculum.

Garissa Sub‑County Director of Education Rashid Mohammad suggested introducing Arabic at Grade 4 to give learners an earlier start in mastering the language.

County Education Board Secretary Abdi Maalim argued that Arabic should be incorporated alongside existing pathways, noting that many children first study in madrasas before entering formal schools.

Maalim highlighted the region’s demographic profile – 90 % pastoralist and 95 % Muslim – and explained that learning often begins outside formal classrooms, under trees or in madrasas.

Stakeholders also called for a government task force to devise a framework for integrating madrasa education into the national curriculum, citing sufficient Arabic teaching resources.

The appeal follows President William Ruto’s June directive to Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba to pursue reforms that formally recognise madrasa, informal religious learning and pastoralist instruction.

President Ruto noted that children in northern Kenya and other marginalised areas remain outside the formal education system because alternative learning pathways lack official recognition.