Constraints facing implementation of free primary education in Sabatia Constituency, Vihiga County

Abstract

In January 2003, the Kenyan government declared Free Primary Education (FPE) in all public schools in the country as a fulfillment of the Education for All (EF A) global commitment and strategy to give children Universal Primary Education (UPE). However, while free primary education has increased participation; it has at the same time created considerable problems. The purpose of the study was to unveil the constraints which face the implementation of free primary education a case of public primary schools in Sabatia Constituency ofVihiga County.

It is true that as a member of United Nations and a signatory to the Human Rights charter, Kenya vowed to eliminate illiteracy, poverty and diseases as part of the development agenda in the 20th and 2151 centuries. It was for this reason together with the previous agendum on education that the government implemented the Free Primary Education. The hypothetical constraints that faced the implementation were over enrolment, human resources, availability of facilities and funding. Others were government policy, expectations of the society, parents and other stakeholders.

The Education standards were likely to be compromised, a most likely reason for declining performance in public primary schools that led to the introduction of a different formula in selecting pupils joining National secondary schools in 2011. The research used a descriptive approach, taking a form of an expost facto research design. The target population included school head teachers, teachers, education officers, pupils and the School Management Committee members who represented the community. The researcher used questionnaires and documentary analysis to collect data.

The. data was analyzed using a descriptive statistical method, guided by the statistical package of social science. The research findings indicated that over enrolment and lack of teachers are the major constraints facing implementation of FPE in Sabatia constituency. It was discovered that funding and the state of facilities/resources had improved with introduction of FPE, although more need to be done for better performance. It was from these findings that it is recommended that more teachers be employed and more classes be constructed to match the rising number of learners among other recommendations made.