Causes of primary school drop out in Othaya division Nyeri district

Abstract

The study ascertains the magnitude, characteristics and casual factors of primary school dropout in Othaya Division, Nyeri District. It emphasizes dropouts' perspective. The sample comprised 80 primary school dropouts, 40 upper primary school children from the selected schools, 14 Headteachers and 30 parents of some of the dropouts.

The main tool for data collection was the questionnaire constructed and administered by the researcher. An interview schedule with some of the parents was also used. The questionnaire was pretested and refined using subjects not included in the main study. The study is descriptive in design. Hence descriptive statistics of percentage and frequency were used throughout. In interpreting the results, the different perspectives were compared. There was a lot of correspondence between the different views which pointed to the fact that repetition and punishment are the major causes of dropout problem in Othaya Division primary schools. Culture and migration were however not found to be significant at all.

Primary school dropout in the region is minimal (2.11 percent).

It was briefly recommended that the Government take urgent measures to reduce the frustration that is caused by repetition and low performance that primary school children in the area experience. This can best be done by finding ways and means of implementing Kamunge Recommendation of 1988 on restructuring and reorganizing Pre-service Primary Teacher Training. This would improve the quality of primary school teachers.