An assessment of the impacts of rainfall variability on school attendance among day secondary schools in Kampala

Abstract

The occurrence of rainfall variability is common in various parts of Uganda including Kampala district. Uganda is highly vulnerable to climate change and variability. The study was undertaken with the aim of assessing the impact of rainfall variability on school attendance in Kampala. Rainfall data was obtained from Makerere meteorological station while data on school attendance was obtained from students with the use of structured questionnaires. A descriptive research design with quantitative approach was adopted. Simple random sampling techniques were used to select a total of 40 respondents that participated in the study. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) aided data analysis. The study revealed a relationship between rainfall variability and school attendance. It is deduced from the findings that rainfall variability affects school attendance and thus student performance. The study recommended the up scaling of adaptation strategies to cope up with rainfall variability. The results obtained are also useful in identifying other factors affecting school attendance.