Socio-economic factors influencing Girl-child education programs in Kisauni District, Mombasa County, Kenya.

Abstract

Education is notably one of the most important tools for development in the society today. Whereas formal education has become widespread in many parts of the world, a clear disparity exists between the education of the females and their male counterparts. In Africa, the challenge seems more deeply rooted. The retention of the girl child in formal education is characterized by diverse challenges. Various interventions have been put in place; ranging from humanitarian to legislative, to address this situation. Child rights activists have endeavored to c1amour for access to education especially amongst the girl child, who is considered to have received a raw deal in accessing formal education. The purpose of this study was to unravel the socio-economic factors influencing girl child education in Kisauni District; Mombasa County. The objectives of the study included: to assess the relationship between the parents' level of income and girl child education, to establish the influence of modernity on girl child education, to explore the impact of role models on girl child education, to assess how cultural practices influence girl child education and to determine the influence of the roles of Non-Governmental Organizations and Community-Based Organizations on girl child education in Kisauni district. The study population comprised school-going girls in primary and secondary schools, teachers, parents, female dropouts and Non-Governmental Organizations and Community Based Organizations and the District Education Officer of Kisauni District. Six questionnaires were used to collect data from the various categories of respondents. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively using tables, frequencies and percentages. Content analysis technique was used to analyze qualitative data. Microsoft EXCEL package was used to analyze the quantitative data. A pretest was conducted in two schools sampled in order to test the validity and reliability of the data collection instruments, for teachers and students. The questionnaires for the DEO and NGOs/CBOs were also pre-tested by the researcher. Quota sampling technique was used to obtain the quota for any ten schools within the area of study. Seven secondary schools and three primary schools were sampled. Stratified random sampling was used to choose girls from the respective sampled schools. The studied focused on access to education and retention aspects.