| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of this study was to determine institutional factors that influence participation of girls' in primary schools in Pokot North district. The' objectives of the study were to determine the extent to which teacher shortage, physical and sanitary facilities, school levies, peer pressure, distance from school and community way of life, lack of role models, early pregnancies and early marriages influence the participation of girls in Pokot North district. The guiding theory was the systems approach. According to this theory, girls' enrolment in school constitutes the input, the process will include the learning that goes on in the school and the output will include retention and dropout from school. The output can be successful completion or wastage from the system.
Survey research design was adopted for this study. The target population for this study was 25 head teachers, 100 class teachers, 100 class prefects and 3. ZQASOS from the district. Purposive sampling was used to select 25 head teachers, 100 class teachers, 100 class prefects and 3 ZQASOS. Purposive sampling was used because there were only 25 established schools in the district. Questionnaires were' used in this study as the only convenient and accurate research instrument. Data analysis was done using descriptive techniques through the computerized program of Statistical Program for Social Sciences (SPSS) A permit was obtained from the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology, department of National council for Science and Research which was copied to the district education officer, Pokot North district.
The findings of the study indicated that the following factors influenced girls' participation in primary schools teacher shortage (head teachers 28%, teachers 38.30%, class prefects
42.27% and ZQASOs 50% all to very great extent), school physical facilities and sanitation( head teachers 36%, teachers 42.55%, class prefects 27.84% and ZQASOs 100%
all to a great extent), school levies (head teachers 36%, teachers 28.72%, class prefects 35.05% and ZQASOs 50% all to very great extent) and peer influence (head teachers 56%,
teachers 41.49%, class prefects 40.21 % and ZQASOs 100%). Instances of long distances from and to school (head teachers 36% to very great extent, teachers 37.23% to very great
extent, class prefects 34.02% to very great extent and ZQASOs 100% to great extent) and community way of life (head teachers 44% to very great extent, teachers 32.98% to very
great extent, class prefects 40.21 % to very great extent and ZQASOs 100% to great extent) had significant influence on the participation of girls' participation in primary schools.
The impact of pastoralism was rated differently as follows:(head teachers 36%, teachers 39.36%, class prefects 51.55% and ZQASOs 100% all to a very great extent), Female
Genital Mutilation (head teachers 32%, teachers 31.91 %, class prefects 58.76% and ZQASOs 100% all to a very great extent) and dowry payment( head teachers 40%,
teachers 38.30%, class prefects 261.86% and ZQASOs 100% all to a very great extent) highly affect girls education. The issue of early pregnancies (Head teachers 36%, teachers
50% to very great extent, class prefects 51.54% to very great extent and ZQASOs 50% to great extent) and early marriages (Head teachers 32%, teachers 34.04%, class prefects 40.21% and ZQASOs 100%) was a problem to great extent in girls' participation in primary schools.
From the findings of this study, it is recommended that all stakeholders lay more emphasis and join hands on the girl child education. The putting up of girls' boarding schools to act as protection areas for them, sustainable feeding programmes in the ASAL areas be introduced, introduction of girls scholarships will be a boost and retrogressive cultural practices be done away with to improve girls' enrolment to primary schools in Pokot North district. | en_US |
