TOC

TOC

This paper provides an analysis of newspaper reporting of educational issues in Kenya in 1999, It shows that most educational articles were reportorial, accounting for up to half(49.69%) of the total stories. There were very few purely analytical articles and commentaries, even though these are higher order features which give added value to readers. The dominant subjects of coverage in order were the teaching profession, curriculum issues, relevance, access and quality and discipline, cumulatively accounting for over half(53.92%) of all educational articles. Newspapers gave more coverage to national issues, with articles in this category accounting for 40%. However, it was also clear that in terms of regional distribution, the coverage was skewed in favor of urban, economically and agriculturally endowed areas at the expense of rural and hardship areas. The scarcity of analytical article does little in assisting readers to understand pertinent issues in the sector. Newspaper editors and education journalists are called upon to address this limitation since readers deserve well-articulated, properly grounded and incisive educational reporting that enable them to make informed decisions on their children's schooling.