| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors affecting Somali refugee girls’ access and
retention of primary school education: a case of Hagadera Camp in the Dadaab refugee camps in
Kenya. The study sought to establish how FGM affects the Somali Refugee Girls access and
retention of primary School education, the extent in which early marriage affects the Somali
refugee girls access and retention of primary school education, how domestic labor affects the
Somali Refugee girls access and retention of primary school education, how Curriculum delivery
affects the Somali Refugee Girls access and retention of primary school education and to
determine how distance covered to school affects the Somali Refugee girls access and retention of
primary school education in Hagadera refugee camp. The researcher used descriptive survey
design for this study. Data were collected using the questionnaires and interview schedules as the
main research instruments. The study used simple random sampling method in selecting the
respondents to be included in the study. The data obtained was analyzed using the statistical
package for social sciences (SPSS). Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used in data
analysis. Frequency Tables were used to represent the data followed by data interpretation.
Analysis of variance (ANOVA) tables were used to test the relationship between independent and
dependent variables. The study established that the major effects of FGM on girls included early
marriages and premarital sex. The study also revealed that majority of the girls doing most of the
domestic work hence having no enough time for their school work leading to poor performance. It
was also established that the language of instruction used in learning is a barrier to the access and
retention of girls in primary education. It was finally established that most of the girls travelled 5 -
10 kilometres from their homes to school hence exposing them to risks such as rape, bullying and
fatigue. The researcher recommendations were guided by the study findings. Concerning FGM on
girls, the researcher recommended that the Government should abolish FGM and those practicing
it should be prosecuted. This is because FGM promoted early marriages, premarital sex and
absenteeism from school. Concerning domestic work, the researcher recommends that parents
should be informed on the importance of education so that they do not be subjected their children
to a lot of domestic labor which can interfere with their learning. This would give the girls ample
time to do their homework leading to improvement in their performance.
Concerning the curriculum, the researcher recommends that the Ministry of Education should
revise the curriculum offered to refugee camps so that the pupils can participate fully in the
learning process including using their local language in communication. Concerning distance to
schools, the researcher recommends that the Government should build schools near the refugee
camps to reduce the distance to school. This would lead to more pupils accessing and being
retained in the schools. Further study can be done on the factors affecting refugee girls access and
retention in secondary education. Further research can also be done on the effect of curriculum
delivery on academic performance of refugee girls. | en_US |
