Relationship Between Child Abuse And Academic Performance In Five Selected Primary School In Suguta Zone Of Samburu County.

Abstract

The main objective of the study was to examine various forms of child abuses, causes for child abuses, the community’s perception towards child abuses and the effect of child abuses on participation of primary school education in Loroki Division. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. The target population comprised of pupils, class teachers and Head teachers from five primary schools in the vicinity, parents and local chiefs. Primary data was collected using questionnaires and interview guides. The analysis was done using descriptive statistics generated from Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. The study findings revealed that child abuses in Loroki Division has adversely affected the level of pupil participation in primary school education. Child abuses has led to decline in pupils' academic performance, drop out from schools, decreased levels of literacy in the Division, and increase in gender disparity in education within the region. Child abuses also lead to poor concentration in class, increased rates of teenage pregnancies, engagement in drug abuse and involvement in armed conflicts. The main factors leading to the problem of child abuses are high poverty levels in the region, harmful cultural beliefs and practices, lack of appropriate government policies, ignorance and illiteracy among parents as well as loss of parents. The study recommend that the problem of child abuses in Lorroki Division can be tackled if the local community is adequately empowered with knowledge on the importance of education in the present day society; government policies should be reviewed and streamlined to cater for educational challenges that are specific to arid and semi-arid areas; education policy implementation at local level should be reevaluated and parents should be fully involved in tackling the problem of child abuses particularly. The measures aimed at promoting education in this Division should give specific consideration to poverty levels in the region, cultural beliefs and practices and appropriateness of government policies. The study also recommends further research on the effectiveness of government policies in mitigating the falling levels of pupil participation in primary school education in. It also recommends a replication of this study in other child abuses prone areas.