Factors leading to wastage in primary schools in arid and semi arid lands: a case of Baringo County, Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors leading to educational wastage in Arid and Semi-Arid areas with special reference to Baringo District which currently has a total of 111 public primary schools. The research was conducted in ten Schools. Specifically, the study sought to: determine factors that influence pupils' repetition and dropouts in public primary schools in Baringo District; determine the extent of repetition and dropout in public primary schools in Baringo District; compare the above factors on repetition and dropout by gender and between rural and urban public primary schools in Baringo District and determine how household characteristics such as poverty, household structure and size, sex of household head, household shocks, and survival status of parent relate to school dropouts of children. The study targeted teachers, parents, and pupils in these schools. Stratified simple random sampling was used to pick the representative schools where sampling was carried out. To get respondents both purposive and simple random sampling were used. A sample size of 226 respondents was used. The data was collected by use of questionnaires, interview schedules, and review of secondary data from the schools' records in the ten schools and the District Education Office. The data was then analyzed using SPSS and reported using descriptive statistics, where probable reasons for absenteeism, repetition and dropout were established. The study found that lack of money; corporal punishment, teenage pregnancies; nursing young siblings; lack of encouragement and motivation; poor performance in class; harsh school rules; and influence from drug taking and alcohol were perceived reasons for pupils' school dropout. The study further recommended that there is need for the school management to ensure that their rules are accommodative in order to encourage more pupils to acquire elementary education and that there is also need for the government through the ministry of education to carry out sensitization programs to the parents and educate them on the value of educating their children. This will implant the virtue of responsibility and thus enable them to motivate their kids to value education.