Factors leading to school drop out in public primary schools in Karenga sub county Kaabong District.

Abstract

Education is a fundamental right of every person, a key to other human rights, the heart of all development, prerequisite for equal opportunity like access to employment, to information, increased productivity, good health, economic growth among others and lasting peace. It is therefore necessary that people who enroll go through educational system successfully. But recent research has shown that the spate of school drop-out among primary school pupils is worrying despite the inception of Free Primary Education programme in 1997. Practically pupils’ drop out poses a serious threat to gains in education. The study therefore was conceived as a result of the increased pupil dropout rate in public primary schools causing wastage in education. The study sought to establish factors leading to school dropout among pupils in the public primary schools in Karenga Sub County. The study adopted descriptive cross-sectional survey design. The study targeted five (05) head teachers, ten (10) class teachers male and female and fifty (50) pupils of primary five, six and seven from the five public primary schools in Karenga Sub County-Kaabong District. Purposive and Random sampling techniques were used to select participants. Questionnaires and interview guides were used to gather information on the factors leading to school dropout in the public primary schools in Karenga sub county Kaabong district. Data were analyzed by use of descriptive statistics and the findings presented in form of tables.The study findings indicated that income generating activities, lack of school fees, poverty, early marriage and pregnancy, availability of cheap jobs, repetition and family size were the main factors leading to school dropout. The study therefore recommends that education committees atvillage, school and parish level, Community by-laws, more sensitisation for communities on the value of education and increased funding for UPE be availed.