Influence of Social Economic Factors on Pupils’ Transition Rate to Public Secondary Schools in Kandara Sub County, Murang’a County, Kenya

Abstract

The social and economic development and transformation of societies are seen to be significantly influenced by education. Even though the recurring education budget reflects significant investments in the education system, secondary education achievement in Kandara Sub County has consistently lagged considerably behind national averages. The Kandara sub-county continues to have issues with dropout rates and high rates of recurrence. Therefore, the investigation of the socioeconomic determinants affecting students' transition rates to public secondary school education in Kandara Sub County, Murang'a County, Kenya, was the main goal of the study. The study only considered social and economic factors, such as parental employment, household income, the price of education, and child labor. The Classical Liberal Theory of Equal Opportunity served as the foundation for this investigation.For this study, a descriptive survey research design was used. The survey's intended audience consisted of the 52 public secondary schools from inside the Kandara Sub-County Education office. The observing unit comprised 520 educators, 52 principals, 52 BOM chairpersons, including 208 BOM representatives from the Kandara sub-208 county. The sample size was established using the stratified random sampling as well as straightforward random sampling techniques. Utilizing interviewing techniques including questionnaires, comprehensive data was acquired. The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS version 25.0). Subsequently, descriptive statistics were applied to all quantitative data, including frequencies, percentages, mean scores, as well as standard deviation. Multiple regression was used to assess data that could be inferred. The quantitative data were displayed in tables.This same qualitative information from the open-ended questionnaires was examined as well as presented narratively using thematic content analysis. The research revealed that these children's continued academic underachievement may eventually result in their dropping out of school. In addition, it was unclear, according to the study, if the government as well as parents' cost-sharing of secondary tuition had favored the kids' transition. Insufficient personal possessions may deter students from enrolling in secondary school, the survey also found. Additionally, the study discovered that academic performance across students having parents in formal employment and pupils with parents in informal jobs was identical. According to the study's findings, parental occupation seemed to have the least influence on kids' transfer rates to public secondary school education within Kandara Sub County, whilst household income as well as the cost of education had the highest effects. The study suggests that the government and other actors should stop child labor at the home level because poverty seemed to be the largest obstacle preventing children from working. The Ministry of Education ought to develop and enhance stringent regulations that protect students from socioeconomic effects like kids doing domestic chores. The family's income financial situation needs to be bettered in order to be able to meet their children's educational needs.