Factors Influencing Girls’ Participation In Primary Schools In Cheptais District; Bungoma County Kenya

Abstract

The issue of girl child participation has become a real concern in all nations of the world particularly the developing countries like the Sub Saharan Africa. The girl child education provides benefits to the family and society at large, thus issues affecting it should be addressed for the good of human development. The purpose of this study was to investigate factors influencing participation of girls in primary schools after post election violence in Cheptais District, Bungoma County. Data was collected from public primary schools through the use of questionnaires and an interview schedule to solicit information from head teachers, class teachers, community leaders and parents. The target population of the respondents in the eight rural schools was eight head teachers, 64 class teachers, six parents and two Quality Assurance and Standard Officer (QASO). In sampling the schools, private schools were excluded from the study because the conditions are different and the factors being investigated may not influence them equally as in public schools. The persistent land conflicts and inter clan conflicts was also a major factor that formed the sampling. 10 of schools took part in the study. Data collected was then organized according to the factors which included demographic aspects such as gender, group (head teachers, class teachers, community leaders/parents and QASO). Descriptive statistics was then used to compute percentages and frequency distributions to draw graphs, tables and pie charts. According to the findings, girls are more likely not to participate in school than boys. Poverty and large family settings were found to be the main reason girls drop out of school. Other factors identified included insecurity, lack of parental concern, peer influence, pregnancy and early marriages, cultural rites, gender based violence, female genital mutilation and need to work to supplement family income. Early marriages were also given as a major contributory factor to high dropout rate in the upper classes. The Sabaot Land Defence Force conflict also emerged as a major factor leading to girls‟ low enrolment and participation in schools. This is because the research carried out established that the there is still conflict because of land and the boys who had been engaged in the Sabaot Land Defense Force were a threat to the safety of the girls going to school. The study recommended that a similar but wider research should be conducted in districts that are faced by conflict, so as to elicit a more accurate Bungoma County outlook of factors leading to low girls‟ participation in public primary schools and also the role of the community in ensuring participation of girls in public primary schools. The researcher also recommends that a similar study be done in the parts of the country which were affected by PEV to determine factors influencing low girls‟ enrolment and participation and to find the role of the community in ensuring participation of girls in these schools. The community should be sensitized on the importance of education for girls after conflicts, and their participation enhanced. Boys who have been engaged in conflict should be re-integrated into society to support the education of girls.