The Influence of Miraa Trade on Boys and Girls Participation in Primary School Education in Tigania Central Division, Meru County, Kenya

Abstract

This study aimed at investigating the influence of miraa trade on boys and girls participation in primary school education in Tigania Central Division, Meru County, Kenya. Specifically, the study sought to determine the influence of miraa trade on boys’ and girls’ enrolment, retention, transition and completion of primary school education in Tigania Central Division, Meru County, Kenya. The study was informed by theory of exploitative child labor. The reviewed literature revealed that miraa growing, trade and use was rampant in many parts of the world where it formed a core source of livelihood for the people, though largely with adverse effects on children’s participation in education. Descriptive survey design was employed. The study targeted 17 public primary schools in Tigania Central Division and thus the target population comprised of 17 head teachers, 105 teachers and 1,650 pupils of the sampled schools. Systemic sampling technique was used to select a sample size of 216 primary school pupils, 36 teachers and 12 head teachers who were randomly picked. Structured questionnaires were used to collect primary data from the study respondents. The study data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, specifically frequencies and percentages using Statistical Package for Social Sciences, with the study findings presented in tables. The study established that 80% of the head teachers, 62% of the teachers, 72% of the boys pupils and 77% of the girls did agree that pupils involved in miraa trade do not enroll in school and prefer going to harvest miraa to schooling, showing that miraa trade adversely affected the pupils’ enrolment in primary school education. The study also established that 80% of the head teachers, 82% of the teachers, 69% of the boys pupils and 76% of the girls agreed that miraa trade was a major attraction to pupils at the expense of learning in school and that the pupils perceived miraa trade as a source of easy earning opportunity, showing that miraa trade adversely affected the pupils’ retention in primary school education. The study established that 64% of the head teachers, 66% of the teachers, 77% of the boys pupils and 74% of the girls did agree that most of the pupils preferred to venture into miraa trade instead of moving on with their education to the next levels, showing that miraa trade adversely affected the pupils’ transition in primary school education. The study established that 80% of the head teachers, 60% of the teachers, 54% of the boys pupils and 71% of the girls did agree that miraa trade contributes immensely to failure to complete primary education in the region, showing that miraa trade had a negative influence on the pupils’ completion of primary school education. The study concluded that miraa trade had a negative influence on the pupils’ enrolment, retention, transition and completion of primary school education in Tigania Central Division, Meru County, Kenya. The study thus recommended that there is need to have monitoring and supervision of the entire miraa trade activities so that it does not compromise the education system leading to poor quality of life in future for the school going boys and girls.