| dc.description.abstract | The study on the challenges facing the implementation of the Free Primary Education
(FPE) in the Meru Central District was carried out in 30 public primary schools. The
district has 93 public schools and therefore this number represented 32.5 percent of the
target population. The study picked 1440 boys and 1020 girls from the sampled schools.
The study also targeted 90 teachers from the district and 60 members of the school
committee members. The reports from the ministry of education Science and Technology
(MoEST) indicated that the district had an enrolment of 23,915 pupils (11,920 boys and
11,995 girls). Thus students targeted in this study represented 10.3 percent (i.e. 12
percent boys and 9.1 percent girls)
The overall aim of this study was to establish the challenges facing the implementation of
FPE since it was initiated by the government in 2003. The study aimed at taking a stock
of challenges facing the FPE programme and making recommendations to the Ministry of
Education Science and Technology on ways of addressing those challenges to ensure
successful implementation of FPE in the future.
The study used both questionnaires and focus group discussions to collect data from the
respondents. The study administered questionnaires to all teachers, head teachers, pupils
from class 7-8 because this was a group that could read, make decisions and write their
views without many difficulties. Focus group discussions were conducted in school for
pupils in class 5-6 and the members of the school committees. This was done in order to
clarify items that were not clear to them.
The study established that FPE resulted to increased enrolment in the district since the
introduction of FPE in 2003. The data available indicated that the enrolment of the
district increased from 16,348 (in 2002) to 23,915 in 2006. This represented an increase
of 46.3 percent.
The study established that another main achievement of FPE was the provision of enough
teaching and learning materials by the government. This brought a reduction of the cost
burden of education on parents and thus leading to an influx of pupils. The study also
established that FPE was successful in increasing the access to education by many pupils
whose parents could not afford to keep them in school.
The study on the other hand established that FPE faced a number of challenges since it
was initiated by the government in 2003. These challenges included lack of adequate
number of teachers, increased workload of teachers and de-motivation of teachers, lack of
adequate classrooms, increased number of pupils who had not gone through pre-primary,
orphans as a result of HIV and Aids, cultural practices that hindered children from
attending school, lack of sufficient inspection of schools.
The idea of FPE was a welcome idea to many parents. However the challenges identified
should be taken care off in order. to make the programme meet its objective of making
education free and compulsory for all the children in the country. | en |
