A study of the causes and effects of pupil dropout in primary schools in Siakago division of Mbeere district

Abstract

Education for all has been one of the major developmental goals of the Kenya government (Republic of Kenya, 2003(b). To achieve this goal, the government has adopted several strategies and measures since independence, the latest being free primary education (FPE) in January 2003. However, despite all these efforts, there has been education wastage through drop out. The purpose of this study was to investigate factors that lead to pupil drop out in primary schools in Siakago Division, Mbeere district. The study further sought to find out the effects of the dropout and the deterrent measures that can be put in place. Literature review of this study explored various areas of concern leading to pupil drop out in Kenya and other third world countries. The study was ex-post facto in design and targeted 38 primary schools in Siakago division. Two sets of questionnaires were used as instruments of data collection. The teachers and pupils were the main respondents. Descriptive statistics, mainly frequencies and percentages were used to analyze the data.