| dc.description.abstract | The study aimed at determining the factors affecting the enrolment rate in preschools in Mathare division in Nairobi. The study focused on the parents, teachers and head teachers in Mathare division, Nairobi and included ten schools in the area.
The researcher adapted a descriptive research design as there are variables which cannot be qualified but can only be described. Through statistical random sampling method the researcher selected 80 respondents out of a total population of 800. Data was collected through the administering of questionnaires. Quantitative and qualitative techniques of data analysis were used and the findings presented through charts, tables and graphs.
The study found out that, the enrolment rate of children was high in primary schools compared to preschools with many parents with preschool children wishing that even the preschool education was free like the primary school in the area. Due to the parents low income levels, they were not able to pay fees in good time. The study shows that payment of school fees was poor in the area. The study also shows that most of the children of school going age were engaged in different economic activities in the area affecting their school going process. The respondents felt that parents engaged their children in child labor in order for them to supplement the family income which was not enough to cater for the family needs.
The study recommended that the government and the stake holders should develop policies that are geared towards empowering the people in the area economically in order for them to be able to improve the standards of their lives. It is important to educate the people in the area on the importance of education and the way it can improve their lives and ensure that their lives are made better and reduce the levels of poverty in the area. The government should consider ways in which it can ensure that preschool education is available to all in the area. The government needs to consider ways to make the preschool education free as the free primary education so that it can be affordable to all the children in the area who are mostly underprivileged. | en_US |
