Drop out among Pupils in Rural Primary Schools in Kenya: The Case of Nandi North District, Kenya

Abstract

The role of education in socializing the individual to fit in the society cannot be gainsaid. This is because education empowers people to improve their well being and participation in nation building. But recent research has shown that the spate of school drop-out among primary school pupils is worrying. This is happening in Kenya despite the inception of Free Primary Education programme in 2003. Practically pupils’ drop out poses a serious threat to gains in education despite the Government’s emphasis on Education for All by the year 2015. In Nandi North District, the problem is more pronounced among the primary pupils. The study therefore was conceived as a result of the increased pupil dropout rate in public primary schools causing wastage and affecting curriculum implementation. The study sought to establish the causes of drop out among pupils and strategies that institutions of learning can adopt to address this problem. The study adopted descriptive survey design. It targeted 6322 standard eight pupils, 2569 class teachers and 286 head teachers. Out of this target population, a sample size of 1970 standard eight pupils, 769 class teachers and 86 head teachers was selected. Data were collected using class teachers' and pupils' questionnaires and head teachers' interview guide to gather information on the causes of school dropout. Data were analyzed by use of descriptive statistics and the findings presented in form of figures and tables. The study findings indicated that teenage pregnancy, chronic repetition, family size, lack of motivation for schooling, parental negligence, influence from peers, lack of trained teacher counsellors and early marriages were the main causes of school dropout. It further pointed out that the factors leading to the dropout of girls are different from those for boys. The study therefore recommends that the government and other stakeholders should address the issue of school dropout rate and come up with measures to curb it to avoid wastage of school curriculum resources and facilities and above all, wastage of them would be future leaders full of discovery knowledge for this current era of information and technology. In addition, the government should strengthen policies on the expenditure of the FPE set aside to benefit all children for quality education.