Anti-jiggers sensitization campaigns on school attendance: a case study of selected primary schools in Mathioya sub-county, Murang' a county, Kenya

Abstract

Jigger infestation among school going children has affected school attendance among primary school pupils especially those in jigger prone areas. Despite many efforts to fight the menace by different organizations, many pupils are still affected with many dropping out of school. The purpose of this study is to establish the impact of anti-jiggers sensitization on school attendance in primary schools in Mathioya Sub-county in Murang'a County. The study will be guided by the following specific objectives: to find out the prevalence of jiggers infection in primary schools in Mathioya Sub-county, to establish the effect of anti-jiggers campaigns on the affected pupils, to assess the impact of sensitization campaigns on reduction of infestation rates and to determine the effect of anti-jigger sensitization campaigns on attendance in primary schools in Mathioya Sub-county in Murang'a County with a view to recommend ways of improving the effectiveness of anti-jiggers campaigns in the County. The descriptive research design will be used in the study. The study will be carried out in selected primary schools in Mathioya Sub-county with a specific focus on schools with infested pupils. Primary schools in the sub-county have been chosen for the study due to high prevalence of jigger infestation in the schools. The target population for the study will be pupils, class teachers and the Sub-county Quality Assurance and Standards Officer. There are 58 primary schools in Mathioya Sub-county. The study will employ the purposive sampling method .Questionnaires, an interview schedule, documentary analysis guide and observation will be used as the tools of data collection. Questionnaires will be used to collect data from teachers and pupils and the interview schedule from the Sub-county Quality Assurance and Standards Officer. Piloting will be done to test the validity and reliability of the data collection instruments. Quantitative data will be analyzed using descriptive statistics which entail means, standard deviation, frequencies and percentages. Inferential statistics whereby the researcher will employ Chi-square tests, Spearman rank: correlation order test and Anova test will be used. Content analysis techniques will be used to analyze qualitative data collected using interview schedules. The analyzed data will be presented in the form of frequency tables and percentages.