| dc.description.abstract | This study which was done in Dadaab refugee camps clearly brings out factors affecting access to primary education. The Dadaab refugee camps are located in Lagdera district (new district that was curved out from the greater Garissa District of North Eastern Kenya). The three camps at Dadaab (Dagahley, Ifo and Hagadera) are located within a radius of approximately 13 km from the Dadaab market which is centrally placed. Due to semi-arid conditions that are unfavorable for agriculture and the lack of both infrastructure and major development initiatives, the local people are generally nomadic pastoralists. The refugee population comprises 35% of the district total G.O.K, (2001).
According to the 1999 census, Garissa district had a population of 392,51 0 local inhabitants. The Dadaab refugee camps existed for the last 20 years since the collapse of the Somali government in 1991.An overwhelming number of refugee children have reached school going age over these years thus creating a greater need for basic education. Currently the UN estimates that about 2000 Somali refugees enter the camp every month.
The UN also estimates that the total numbers of children in the camps who have reached school age are 57,636. Out of this approximately 13,300 (30%) of the total school going age are not currently in school. Given that this number might drastically increase owing to the daily influx of refugees in to the camps, the existing gap in terms of access might widen further. In adequate access to basic education by the refugees can expose children to a lot of vulnerabilities including trafficking, child labour, sexual exploitation, and gender based violence.
Children may also be lured in to the ongoing conflict in their countries of origin and may be used as child soldiers. In the long term, we may have a generation of uneducated and unproductive youth who may not meaningfully contribute to the development of their country of origin. The purpose of this study was to analyze key factors that influence access to primary education in Northern Kenya. It aims at highlighting the major challenges faced in terms of access, contributing factors and keys strategies that can be used to address the situation.
The main objective of this study was to establish factors influencing access to primary education at Dadaab camp in Kenya. In this study descriptive survey design has been used as it was deemed the best strategy to fulfill the objectives of the study. Data was collected using questionnaires and in-depth interview. The results were analyzed by use of descriptive statistics such as percentages. The result has been presented in simple tables for easier understanding. The key findings of this research are that there are certain social cultural practices that have negative effect on schooling among the refugee population.
The conclusions drawn from this study is that there is need to deal with social cultural practices and adopt appropriate strategies in order to enhance access to primary education in Dadaab refugee camps. The researcher recommends that lowering indirect cost of schooling, compulsory education and provision of school feeding programme as key strategies of improving access to education. Integration of formal and non formal education and its relationship with accessibility to primary education is an area that can be explored for further research | en_US |
