Effects of selected factors on girls’ enrolment and academic performance in secondary schools in Kericho west sub-county, Kenya

Abstract

The issue of girls’ secondary school education has become a real concern in all nations of the world especially the developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Kenya included. Girls’ education worldwide provides benefits to the family, the girl and the society at large, thus issues affecting it should be addressed to avoid affecting the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on universal education and gender equality. This study was designed to investigate the effects of selected factors on girls’ enrolment and academic performance in secondary schools in Kericho West Sub-County. Ex-post facto research design was employed. The populations of the study respondents were 23 principals, 23 teacher counselors and 2570 girls in 2 girls’ schools and 21 mixed secondary schools in the Sub-County, making a total of 2616. The accessible population was 1845 girls, 11 Principals and 11 Teacher Counselors from the 11 randomly selected schools. Out of 1845 girls, 314 were proportionately sampled, while 11 Principals and 11 Teacher Counselors were purposively selected, thus making a total sample of 336 respondents. Questionnaires were formulated for girls in the sampled schools while interview schedules were prepared for the principals and teacher counselors. Validity of the instruments was measured in relation to the set objectives and reliability established by piloting in three schools. Cronbach’s alpha method was used to determine the reliability of the instruments which attained a reliability coefficient of 0.7. Descriptive statistics, involving frequencies and percentages, were used to analyze the data collected. Data analysis was done with the aid of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 18 for windows. The study established that inadequate guidance and counseling was the major factor affecting girls’ academic performance, while early marriage mainly affected enrolment. Teenage pregnancy and poverty also affected girls’ enrolment and academic performance in Kericho West Sub-County. It is recommended that guidance and counseling be provided not only for the girls but be extended to their parents who are the decisive factors in the payment of school fees. The study would provide a policy framework for the Ministry of Gender and Youth Affairs and Ministry of Education on how to deal with factors affecting girls’ enrolment and academic performance in order to enable girls to compete favorably with boys and also for them to contribute positively to the development of the country.