| dc.description.abstract | The provision of basic needs, [or example water, health services, food and
uniform improves the student participation in education. The study aimed at
investigating the influence of provision of basic needs on students' participation
in secondary school education in Turkana County, Kenya. The study was based
on the following objectives: to determine the effect of the availability o[ water on
the attendance of lessons by students in secondary schools in Turkana county, to
establish how the provision of health services affect students' participation in
secondary schools, to examine the effects of food provision on students'
participation in secondary school education, and to determine the effect of school
uniform provision on students' participation in secondary school education in
Turkana county.
This study is anchored on the principles of general system theory by Ludwing
Van Bertalanffy (1968), which provides the link that vividly shows the
relationship between provision of basic needs and students' participation in
secondary school education to attain quality grades and become productive
members of the society at the end of the course. The study was conducted using
descriptive survey research design. Target population consisted of the 28 public
secondary schools in Turkana County. Principals, teachers. students and DEOs
were the respondents targeted by the study. Simple random technique was used to
select 132 teachers and 2736 students and then purposive sampling to select 28
principals and 7 DEOs. Questionnaires, interview schedules and checklists were
used as the main tools for collecting data and were designed basing on the
objectives of the study. The study adopted content, construct, internal and external
validities for the purpose of validation. Instrument reliability was also
administered through a pilot study and by use of test-retest technique. Data were
then analyzed both manually and by use of SPSS. Thereafter, results presented
mainly in frequencies and percentages in form of tables.
The study came up with the following findings. Lack of clean water has serious
effects on students' academic performance and attendance rates. Majority of
schools in Turkana County had access to piped water and boreholes as their main
sources of water; however, it was not clean. Many health services were found to
influence students' attendance and participation in secondary school education.
Results from respondents indicated that a majority of secondary schools (64.3%)
in Turkana County had health services but without qualified personnel or none
and right drugs put in place. In most cases principals were complaining of their
learners missing lesson because of waterborne diseases. Furthermore to support
students in secondary school participation, majority of health centre were located
near schools. Basing on the findings on food provision, a majority of teachers
(41.1 %) indicated that food influence the participation of students in secondary
education to a great extent. Findings indicate that parents (63.0%) play a great
role of buying uniform to students while most parents buy only single pair of
school uniform instead of two pairs of uniform. Those students from poor families
are supported by well-wishers and sponsors to acquire uniform.
The study arrived at the following conclusion: Basic needs should be used as a
positive reinforcement for learners to stay in class. However students should be
provided with clean water to enhance academic performance and attendance rates
in secondary schools in Turkana County, and every secondary school to be
provided with health facilities in the nearby vicinity that is not more 3 kilometers
away to attend to students quickly in case of sickness. Other conclusions were
that: and every secondary school in Turkana County to implement school feeding
programme to raise students' participation and attendance, and each student
should be provided with school uniform b y parents and other well-wishers to
foster positive students' out comes. Students from poor backgrounds should be
supported to have uniform to create within them a sense of belonging and self esteem
for them to perform well in academic work.
The study recommends that public secondary schools should be equipped with
basic needs necessary for students' participation and achievement at school. The
OaK should collaborate with UN and it is agency like World Bank, UNESCO,
WHO and WFP to ensure that basic needs is provided to learners, and principals
and teachers should be on the forefront to ensure that school feeding programme
policy implemented in school.The following are the suggested areas for further
research: the influence of school feeding programme on the students' achievement
in KCSE examinations, and the influence of provision of basic needs on students'
participation in secondary schools education in other hardship areas in Kenya. | en_US |
