Girl child and education in public primary schools in Pirrar division in Transmara District, Narok County Kenya
Abstract
Education was considered as a key to a country's development. This was the reason why
countries all over the world invested heavily in education. While it was true that primary
education opportunities had continued to expand in Kenya, a significant number of girls
were not completing their studies, despite the Free Primary Education offered. There
have been alarming dropout rates of primary school girls in Pirrar Division, in Transmara
District, Narok County. The factors that led to this had not been adequately investigated
and well understood, hence to find out the factors affecting girls' education. The study
was based on the Agrarian Transformation of socio-cultural change. The purpose of this
study was to determine the factors affecting girls' education in primary schools. Three
research questions were formulated to guide in this study. The objectives of the study
were; to establish factors affecting the girls' education in the division as well as to
compare the enrollment of girls in primary schools and also to suggest possible solutions
put in place by the government to safeguard the education of girls and suggest possible
solutions against these factors. The locale of the study was Pirrar Division, Transmara
District, Kenya. The study targeted public primary schools in Pirrar Division, Transmara
District, Kenya, headteachers, teachers and pupils from these schools, Zonal Assurance
Officers and District Quality Assurance Officer of Transmara District. The research
adopted a survey design. It targeted teachers and pupils (girls) of primary schools in
Transmara District. This study targeted 32 schools in Pirrar Division with a population of
6,580 pupils, 259 teachers, 3 ZQASO and 1 DQASO. The sample of this study was 180
pupils, 27 teachers, 1 ZQASO and 1 DQASO. That was 9 schools out of 32 were selected
for sampling. This study employed questionnaires and interview schedule as research
instruments. Piloting of the research instruments was done in four schools to test the
validity and reliability of research' instruments. The researcher also consulted the
supervisors' expertise in research to approve the content validity of the instruments. Test-
re-test method was used to determine the reliability of the instruments. The data collected
was coded and analyzed according to opinions derived through statistics using Statistical
Packages for Social Sciences and was presented in form of tables, charts and graphs.
From the research findings among the factors that affect girls' education are early
marriages, poverty and child labour, cultural practices and beliefs and pregnancies. The
study found out that the enrollment of girls was lower than that of boys between 2008-
2012. The government has put in place education and sensitization, enactment of law,
building of boarding schools, free primary education, use of health services and education
of girls in the division. The study recommends that the government should enact law that
make education for all school age children and use county governments in sensitizing
citizens on the importance of education.