| dc.description.abstract | Kenya has made progress in providing free primary education to all the children
as from January 2003. However, the provision of education after an emergency is
not well addressed especially in areas where internally displaced persons (IDPs)
resettle and in particular, Maai- Mahiu internally displaced persons settlement
scheme. The purpose of this study was to examine the factors influencing
pupils’ participation in primary education after 2007/2008 post election violence
in particular Maai-Mahiu internally displaced persons’ settlement schemes
Naivasha District, Nakuru County, Kenya
To achieve this, research objectives of the study were formulated which sought to
establish if teaching and learning resources, school facilities, psychosocial factors
and distance to school influences pupils participation in primary education. The
study adopted the descriptive survey design as well as purposive sampling design.
The respondents included three (3) head teachers, twenty four (24) teachers and
two hundred and twelve (212) pupils and used questionnaires and interview
schedules for data collection.
The data was analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively using descriptive statistics
methods. The frequencies, and percentages were used to analyze the data and the
analyzed data was presented in tables. The study findings established that postelection
violence of 2007/2008 affected the teaching and learning resources,
school facilities as the influxes of the affected children were 87 percent compared
to 13 percent of the children who were not affected by the post – election
violence. These children suffered psychosocial factors since they witnessed the
violence and that is how they got displaced. The distance to school also resulted
to low pupil participation in primary education which was confirmed by the head
teacher in the public primary school which is 5 km from the settlement scheme
that the lower classes had one stream as compared to the upper classes that had
double or triple streams.
The study established that there are no public primary schools within the
settlement scheme. The findings revealed that 87 percent of the pupils were
affected by the post-election violence. This meant that 87 percent are the influxes
who joined the public primary school and had put a lot of pressure on the teaching
and learning resources, school facilities, have caused psychosocial issues on
children, who have to walk long distances to the nearest public primary school
while the school was adequate for only 13% of the pupils who were not affected
by the post- election violence.
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The study concluded that, there were no public primary school within the
settlement scheme and as such education is not free and compulsory as it should
be. There are still direct and in-direct charges which are still being charged
making it difficult for the internally displaced person’s children not access
education.
The study recommended that the government should open a public primary school
within the settlement scheme, expand the existing school by constructing more
classrooms, toilets and also increase the number of teachers as it was found that
the school with a pupil population of 929 had only 17 teachers which meant that
the teachers are overwhelmed by work and also education was being
compromised. This led to lack of motivation to both the teachers and the pupils
and also low teaching morale and the resultant was low pupil participation in
primary education.
The study suggested that a similar study should be carried out in other counties
where internally displaced persons have settled to get the picture of the situation
in the whole country. A further research should also be carried out to establish the
factors influencing pupil’s participation in secondary and tertiary education in
Maai- Mahiu settlement scheme for purposes of generalization and comparisons. | en |
