Influence of Socio-economic Factors on Students’ Enrollment Rates in Public Technical and Vocational Education Institutions in Kilifi County, Kenya

Abstract

The study's goal was to investigate the socioeconomic characteristics that affect how many students enroll in public TVET colleges in Kenya's Kilifi County. Four goals served as the foundation for the study: to determine how government funding affects student enrollment; to ascertain the impact of household income on student enrollment; to ascertain the degree to which parental education levels affect student enrollment rates; and to pinpoint the impact of drug use and abuse on student enrollment rates in public TVET institutions in Kilifi County. The study was founded on Theodore William Schultz's proposed Human Capital hypothesis (Becker, 1964). The research used a descriptive survey methodology.The target group included 1,500 first-year students, fifteen administrators, and one hundred instructors working in Kilifi County's public TVET institutions. The survey included 183 respondents as its sample size. It employed the probability sampling method, which uses random sampling to select any member of the targeted group equally. Surveys were used in the study to gather information from participants. Data entry, data cleaning, and data analysis were all performed once the data was coded. By utilizing percentage, frequency, mean, tables, and graphs, quantitative statistics were able to identify the general answer patterns of the respondents. For effective analysis, qualitative data required editing, coding, classification, as well as tabulation.In order to analyze the data, the (SPSS) was used. According to the study's inferential statistics, government funding had a 2,(2, N=18),P.05. affect on students' enrollment rates in public TVET. The findings showed a statistically significant association between government financing and enrollment rates for students. Student enrollment rates were impacted by parental income levels by 2,(3, N=18), P.05. These results also demonstrated a statistically significant correlation between parental income levels and student enrollment rates. According to the association between parental education and enrollment, students' enrollment rates in public TVET were affected by parental education by 2, (2, N=18), P>.05. According to these results, there is no statistically significant correlation between parental education levels and student enrolment rates at public TVET colleges in Kilifi County. Finally, the study determined that drug and substance misuse had a 2,(3, N=18), P.05. affect on students' enrollment rates in public TVET. These results showed a statistically significant correlation between drug and alcohol addiction and school enrollment rates in Kilifi County. The study came to the conclusion that low student enrolment rates were caused by the government's failure to provide disadvantaged students with Helb loans, CDF bursaries, and grants to support their participation in TVET education. Additionally, it was confirmed that households with poor economic status enroll fewer students.The study also showed that most parents have completed their primary and secondary educations, while just a small minority have completed their tertiary education. The study also found that the majority of students did not enroll in TVET colleges because they had trouble paying their tuition and/or were abusing drugs and/or alcohol. According to the study, in order to increase student enrollment rates, the National and County governments should act quickly to finance vulnerable students who come from low socioeconomic backgrounds. The school fee structure needs to be reviewed by TVET stakeholders in order to lower operating costs, attract students, and increase student enrollment. The educational background of instructors should adhere to TVET standards.This can be accomplished by holding seminars, workshops, and specialized training sessions to address issues in education, such as drug and alcohol addiction, and to support high standards of instruction at public TVET institutions. To stop the drug epidemic in Kilifi County, the Ministries of Health and Education should ensure that drug tests are conducted on students on a regular basis and are required. Finally, the government should encourage the development of TVET-related enterprises to employ TVET graduates and inspire others. Further recommendations include for research to be done in private TVET institutions so that the results can be compared.Research has to be done on additional variables that were left out of this study. To compare the outcomes with Kilifi County, research must also be done on the socioeconomic aspects in other counties.