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.