A study conducted in the Kajiado Central District of Kenya in 2006 showed that there was a high dropout rate among primary schoolgoing children and that their academic performance was poor. The Dupoto-e-Maa education project was implemented in 2007 to address issues related to drop out rate and academic performance.
The evaluation therefore investigated the extent to which the project had influenced dropout rate and academic performance in the public primary schools in Kajiado Central District.
The evaluation adopted a mixed methods approach: cross-sectional survey and case study designs. The benefit of the approach is the richness of information obtained through triangulation. The respondents included head teachers, school management committees, teachers, pupils, quality assurance and standards officer and project staff. A sample size of 183 respondents was selected using purposive sampling and stratified random sampling procedures. Head teachers of the sampled schools participated as key informants. The instruments of data collection included questionnaires, an interview guide, a document analysis guide, a focus group discussion guide and an observation guide.
The findings indicate that the Dupoto-e-Maa education project had influenced dropout rates. The direction of the findings seems to suggest that academic performance trends are unpredictable since fluctuations are evident, though the programme could have encountered some challenges that may have limited its achievement on this variable.
The study recommended that there is need to increase the number of non-governmental organisations modelled around the Dupoto-e-Maa education project so as to reduce dropout rate and improve pupil academic performance. The findings could also inform government policy in terms of recruitment and placement of teachers in schools in arid and semi-arid lands. Project funding could be increased to improve visibility and sustainability of project activities.
Education plays a critical role in communities’ social, economic and political development. The importance of education has been adequately documented since it serves as the springboard for community change. Long before the coming of Arabs and Europeans to Africa, the African people had developed their own systems of education; although the systems varied from one community to the other, their goals were often strikingly similar (Sifuna & Otiende
In many parts of Africa, before independence, schools were primarily run by missionaries, taught basic skills and were often oriented toward producing religious leaders, such as catechists, to assist missionaries in their work (Hodgson
Formal, Western-style education was introduced in Kenya in the early 20th century during the colonial conquest of the territory. Most accounts indicate that in the beginning, pastoralists were not enthusiastic about education. As livestock herders dependent on children for herding labour and seasonal mobility for their survival, there was a poor fit between their production system and the design of formal education (Lanyasunya
Lesorogol (
While ASALs cover about 80% of Kenya’s land mass and support about a third of the country’s human population and 70% of the national livestock herd (KNBS
The GoK is cognisant of the education situation in pastoralist communities and is moving towards a positive view of pastoralists’ place in a modern, dry land economy (Krätli & Dyer
In pursuant of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Education for All (EFA) goals, coupled with the task of delivering the policies as set in the Sessional Paper No. 1 of 2005 on Policy Framework for Education, Training and Research (MoEST
The
The Dupoto-e-Maa (
Timoi (
Since it was implemented in 2007, Timoi (
Dupoto-e-Maa education project logical framework matrix.
Expected results/outcomes | Intervention logic | Objectively Verifiable Indicators (OVIs) | Means of Verification (MOV) | Assumptions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Enhance academic performance in the project schools | Teacher trainees are awarded bursaries to enrol in TTCs |
Evidence of mastery of basic concepts by pupils of numeracy and literacy |
Project school records |
Teacher trainees will be willing to attend the training from beginning to end and apply the skills acquired |
Reduced dropout rates in basic education for enrolled pupils | Pupils in the schools have role models |
Decrease in repetition rates by 40% |
Project schools records and area education office records | There will be role models from both gender |
TTCs, Teacher Training Colleges.
The intervention or project logical framework shows how the project intended to achieve defined outputs which would in the long run achieve desired outcomes and contribute to the broader project impact. The Objectively Verifiable Indicators (OVIs) and the Means of Verification (MOV) allowed the project to be objectively monitored throughout implementation and evaluated. The logic of the matrix shows what the Dupoto-e-Maa education project intended to do and clarifies the causal relationships between the activities and the different level objectives. It also specifies assumptions that must hold true for the project to achieve the intended objective.
The Republic of Kenya and UNICEF (
The purpose of the study was to conduct a formative evaluation to assess the extent to which the project had influenced dropout rate and academic performance in the project supported public primary schools. Section 43(1) of the Constitution of Kenya provides the right for every Kenyan to education (Republic of Kenya
The Ministry of Education (MoE) has developed a Policy Framework for Nomadic Education in Kenya (Republic of Kenya & UNICEF
Juma (
To what extent has the Dupoto-e-Maa education project influenced dropout rate and academic performance in project supported schools in Kajiado Central District?
The Dupoto-e-Maa education project conducted a baseline survey in 2006 before the implementation of the project in 2007 to assess the school dropout rate and academic performance (Timoi
During the baseline survey, there were three public primary schools in Kajiado Central District with boarding facilities. The primary schools mapped out for the project were predominantly rural with no additional intervention besides public funding (Dupoto-e-Maa
In the survey, reasons given for children dropping out of school ranged from religious and cultural beliefs to relocation and transfers. Other reasons for dropping out of school include desertion, death as well as financial reasons and poverty, relocation and transfer, drug and substance abuse, child labour as well as pregnancy. Level of absenteeism was also measured. On average, girls missed school up to three months in a year (Dupoto-e-Maa
Data from the baseline study indicate that between 2005 and 2007, no pupil from the project schools had been admitted to national secondary schools, as most ended up in district schools with a few going to provincial schools (Dupoto-e-Maa
The baseline study conducted also established that some schools were not able to complete syllabus coverage within the required time. This occurrence could hinder the intended learning outcomes of the schools (Dupoto-e-Maa
The study adopted a mixed design: a cross-sectional survey and case study research. The mixed design allowed the researcher to collect both qualitative and quantitative data from stakeholders in the Dupoto-e-Maa education project. Quantitative and qualitative designs, as Kerlinger and Howard (
The study was conducted in Kajiado Central District, Kajiado County in Kenya, which is classified as ASAL with no continually flowing rivers. It is located in the southern part of Rift Valley province and borders the districts of Machakos and Makueni to the east, Kiambu and Nairobi to the north, Narok and Naivasha to the west and Loitokitok and Republic of Tanzania to the south (Gachimbi
The research population was drawn from 18 public primary schools in Kajiado Central District implementing the Dupoto-e-Maa education project. The population of interest for this study comprised parents in School Management Committees (SMCs), teachers, a Quality Assurance and Standards Officer (QASO) and the administrators of the primary schools implementing the Dupoto-e-Maa education project. SMCs, pupils and project staff were also targeted.
Population profile and sample distribution.
Categories of population | Parent population | Number of respondents | Sampling design | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Sample size | % | |||
Pupils | 4838 | 108 | 58 | Stratified random sampling |
Teachers | 183 | 36 | 20 | Stratified random sampling |
SMC members | 108 | 27 | 15 | Purposive sampling |
Head teachers | 18 | 9 | 5 | Key informants |
Project staff | 6 | 2 | 1 | Purposive sampling |
QASO | 1 | 1 | 1 | Purposive sampling |
SMC, School Management Committees; QASO, Quality Assurance and Standards Officer.
The evaluator used a questionnaire for teachers and project staff. Questionnaires are useful in describing the characteristics of a large population. Surveys are flexible, making it possible to ask many questions on a given topic. This also provides flexibility in the analysis of the responses. An interview guide was used for the QASO, head teachers and parents. Interviews enabled the researcher to establish a rapport with respondents and therefore gain their corporation and in the process yield a higher response rate. An FGD guide for pupils was used to collect information from them. The FGD allowed the moderator to probe for more in-depth analysis and ask participants to elaborate on their responses. An observation guide was also used to collect data on school physical facilities and a document analysis schedule was used to collect data.
The Dupoto-e-Maa education project post intervention results were obtained in 2014. The project had been involved in activities geared towards reducing pupil dropout rate in project supported primary schools. These include creating awareness among the education stakeholders on the importance of education through training workshops.
An overwhelming majority of the sampled teachers (82%) felt that since the introduction of the Dupoto-e-Maa education project, the retention rate of children in schools had increased. However, a few of them (18%) said that the retention rate had not increased. The majority of the respondents (67%) opined that the dropout rate of the pupils was not as high since the implementation of the Dupoto-e-Maa project.
The respondents were further asked to indicate their extent of agreement to various statements regarding the influence of the Dupoto-e-Maa project on the retention of pupils in schools.
As depicted in
Distribution of the respondents on the influence of Dupoto-e-Maa Project in the retention of schoolgoing children in schools.
Statement | Teachers | Head teachers | Project staff (A) | QASO (A) | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SA | A | U | D | SD | A | D | ||||||||
F | % | F | % | F | % | F | % | F | % | F | F | |||
Dropout rate among pupils in my school has reduced since the introduction of Dupoto-e-Maa education project. | 10 | 30.3 | 10 | 30.3 | 13 | 39.4 | - | - | - | - | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
Class attendance of school age children have increased over the last two years in my school. | 10 | 30.3 | 15 | 45.5 | 8 | 24.2 | - | - | - | - | 7 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
More parents in this region are willing to ensure that the education of their children is not affected by their pastoral life. | 15 | 45.5 | 8 | 24.2 | - | - | 5 | 15.6 | 5 | 15.6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
SA, Strongly agree; A, Agree; U, Undecided; D, Disagree; SD, Strongly disagree; F, Frequency.
The majority of the sampled teachers (75.8%) either strongly agreed or agreed with the statement that class attendance of school age children had increased over the last two years in their school. About half of the teachers (45.5%) strongly agreed with the statement that more parents in their region were willing to ensure that the education of their children is not affected by their pastoral life. However, about a third of them (31.2%) either disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement that parents were more willing to ensure that education of their children was not affected by the pastoral life.
Regarding whether the Dupoto-e-Maa education project influenced retention of pupils in the project supported schools, the majority of the teachers (68.7%) confirmed that the project influenced retention rates of schoolgoing children. Further, most of the head teachers (6) from the sampled schools agreed that the project had indeed influenced retention rates in schools. The same response was obtained from the two project staff and one QASO.
The majority of the responding head teachers and parents were in agreement that the activities of the Dupoto-e-Maa project had contributed to the reduction of dropout rates among children and improved class attendance. (On the same subject, one of the head teachers said this):
‘The Dupoto-e-Maa education project had created [
On probing as to what he meant by conducive environment, the head teacher elaborated by saying:
‘The project had addressed the issue of school infrastructure. It was involved in the construction, refurbishment and renovation of the school infrastructure including classrooms, dormitories, desks and school kitchen have been built by the project.’ (Head Teacher V, 2013)
Another head teacher gave her view:
‘There was increased number of men and women from the local community, who have joined the schools as teachers, hence act as role models to the boys and girls in school. This makes both the parents and pupils appreciate the importance of education.’ (Head Teacher VII, 2013)
Most of the parents (78%) were optimistic regarding the effects of the Dupoto-e-Maa education project on the retention rate of the pupils in school.
In fact, one of the parents who participated in the study reported:
‘The project had influenced the retention rate of the pupils in schools to a greater extent. This improvement had been realized because the project had supported schools with boarding facilities like dormitories and beddings. As a result, we parents opt to send our children to boarding school. This helps to avoid interruptions of their studies by our movements during the dry seasons in search of pastures for our animals.’ (Parent XIV, 2013)
Another parent, contributing to the theme of dropout rate, commented:
‘We are now aware that basic education for our children is a human right. Most of the parents were not aware of this fact before the project.’ (Parent XX, 2013).
The pupils were also positive that the project had contributed in improving their retention rates in school. Most of them indicated that the continued motivational talks encouraged by the project for schools were very important because they have helped to create a positive outlook on education and it benefits.
The dropout rate was assessed in terms of number of pupils dropping out of school annually. Document analysis was carried out to gain insight into the exact picture of the dropout rates of pupils in project schools in the Kajiado Central District for the period 2008–2013. The analysis from school records are summarised in
Summary of the dropout rate per year for the period of 2008–2013.
School | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
B | G | B | G | B | G | B | G | B | G | B | G | |
I | - | - | - | - | 1.8 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 2.7 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 1.3 |
II | - | - | - | - | - | 1.9 | - | - | - | 1.4 | - | 0.8 |
III | - | - | 1.6 | 2.7 | 4.6 | 5.4 | 4.0 | 6.2 | 3.3 | 2.0 | - | - |
IV | - | - | - | - | 6.6 | - | 2.4 | 7.8 | - | 1.9 | - | - |
V | - | - | - | - | 2.1 | - | 2.4 | 3.2 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 4.1 |
VI | - | - | - | - | 2.6 | - | - | 10.1 | 3.6 | 4.9 | - | 4.7 |
VII | - | - | 1.4 | 3.1 | - | - | 3.0 | 2.9 | - | - | 2.3 | 4.4 |
VIII | - | - | 1.9 | 2.8 | 0.7 | 3.3 | - | - | - | - | 0.3 | 1.7 |
G, girls; B, boys.
It is critical to note that the annual dropout rate reduced from 32% in 2006 during the baseline survey. Looking at the rates (2.2%, 3.1%, 4.2%, 2.2% and 2.1%) in
The majority of the teachers (81.8%) indicated that the implementation of the Dupoto-e-Maa project had influenced the overall academic performance. However, a few of them (18.2%) appeared not to agree that the academic performance in their respective school was influenced by the Dupoto-e-Maa project. The head teachers and project staff also indicated that the overall academic performance of the school was mainly influenced by the implementation of the Dupoto-e-Maa education project. Further, the respondents were asked to indicate their extent of agreement on the influence of Dupoto-e-Maa Education project in the improved performance in primary schools.
Over half of the teachers (54.5%) were positive about the statement that implementation of the Dupoto-e-Maa Education project had influenced the overall academic performance of their schools to a greater extent. This was further supported by about a third of them (30.3%) who agreed that it did influence academic performance to some extent. On the other hand, a good number of head teachers (5) indicated that the project had influenced the performance of pupils in their respective schools to a greater extent. Moreover, the remaining three head teachers indicated that the project had influenced the performance of pupils in their school, but only to some extent.
The respondents were asked to indicate their levels of agreement regarding the effects of Dupoto-e-Maa education project on the academic performance of pupils in the project supported schools.
Distribution of the respondents on the influence of Dupoto-e-Maa project on the academic performance of pupils in the project supported schools.
Response | Teachers | Head teachers | Project staff | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SA | A | U | D | SD | A | D | D | ||||||
F | % | F | % | F | % | F | % | F | % | F | F | F | |
The project has not addressed teacher adequacy hence affecting performance. | 17 | 51.5 | 12 | 36.7 | - | - | 4 | 12.1 | - | - | 5 | 3 | 2 |
Despite the project implementation pupil performance is still poor. | - | - | - | - | 11 | 33.3 | 15 | 45.5 | 7 | 21.2 | - | 8 | 2 |
The project has not been able to facilitate teacher training enrolment in colleges. | 6 | 18.1 | 10 | 30.3 | 3 | 9.1 | 8 | 24.2 | 6 | 18.1 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
Despite the project implementation, education quality has not been addressed leading to poor performance. | 16 | 48.5 | - | - | 6 | 18.2 | 11 | 33.3 | - | - | 2 | 6 | 2 |
SA, Strongly agree; A, Agree; U, Undecided; D, Disagree; SD, Strongly disagree; F, Frequency.
As depicted in
Less than half of the teachers (48.5%) as depicted in
Regarding whether the Dupoto-e-Maa project influenced the academic performance of pupils in the project supported schools, the responses from the teachers presented mixed results. Slightly less than half (46.3%) of teachers confirmed that the pupils’ performance was influenced by the project’s interventions. However, another 38.6% of them were negative about whether the project influenced their performance. Further, most of the head teachers (5) also disagreed that the project influenced pupils’ performance. Three of them however agreed that the project had some influence on academic performance of pupils.
In response to the effects of the Dupoto-e-Maa education project on the academic performance of pupils in project supported schools in Kajiado Central District one of the head teachers commented:
‘The performance of pupils in his school has been steadily improving since the introduction of the Dupoto-e-Maa education project. This is evident with the improved class mean scores of pupils both in the upper and lower classes.’ (Head Teacher II, 2013)
To emphasise the point on improved academic performance the teacher continued:
‘Before the implementation of the project, none of our pupils used to join national secondary schools after KCPE. Since the project, some of our pupils have been admitted to national secondary schools as well as county secondary school.’ (Head Teacher II, 2013)
Commenting on the same issue of academic performance, another head teacher remarked:
‘The performance of pupils in the primary schools which are supported by the Dupoto-e-Maa education project continues to get better each day. Moreover, the project has facilitated the enrolment of untrained teachers in the Teacher Training Colleges [TTCs].’ (Head Teacher VI, 2013)
Asked whether academic performance had improved since the implementation of the project, another head teacher remarked that the performance was mixed. When probed to elaborate on her response, she said:
‘Some of the pupils have to walk long distances to school and therefore always arrive late for lessons. These same pupils are unable to go home for lunch due to the distance. At the same time, schools are unable to provide lunch because of limited resources. Therefore they have to attend the afternoon lessons on an empty stomach.’ (Head Teacher VII, 2013)
As she adjusted her sitting position and continued, the researcher enquired on what can be done to address the concerns she had raised. She replied with this statement:
‘Introduction of boarding facilities for all pupils in the school will go a long way in solving these challenges. Currently in most of the schools, including mine, the boarding facilities, though available, are inadequate and therefore used by Class 7 and Class 8 only and more so when the exams are approaching. In the rest of the year the Class 7 and Class 8 are day scholars.’ (Head Teacher VII, 2013)
The parents interviewed also gave various responses regarding the effect that the Dupoto-e-Maa education project had on academic performance. One of them reported:
‘The Dupoto-e-Maa education project contributed to improved academic performance of pupils in the schools through various ways, including the introduction of monitoring and evaluation practices. We are encouraged to visit the class teacher at least twice a term to monitor the child’s academic progress.’ (Parent XX, 2013)
Further, document analysis was carried out to review the overall KCPE performance of the pupils in the project supported schools for the period 2007–2012. KCPE is an annual examination that is done after eight years of the primary education programme.
As shown in
Overall performance of Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) for the period of 2007–2012.
School | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
I | 50.41 | 53.14 | 50.87 | 52.66 | 48.33 | 50.75 |
II | 56.58 | 60.12 | 56.57 | 57.83 | 55.49 | 54.02 |
III | 45.27 | 41.94 | 37.18 | 49.80 | 41.31 | 35.91 |
IV | 52.55 | 51.58 | 39.68 | 41.00 | 47.44 | 49.47 |
V | 46.80 | 45.80 | 48.60 | 38.80 | 48.60 | 53.80 |
VI | 49.16 | 49.83 | 46.32 | 46.76 | 44.20 | 38.12 |
VII | 47.28 | 49.75 | 45.89 | 46.00 | 44.04 | 44.95 |
VIII | 43.74 | 45.46 | 37.89 | 39.93 | 46.17 | 46.49 |
The Dupoto-e-Maa education project had influenced the dropout rates of pupils enrolled in the project supported schools in Kajiado Central District to a greater extent. The dropout rate reduced from 32% in 2006 to less than 20% during project implementation, thus achieving the project’s objective on the theme of reduced dropout rates. Results obtained from the study indicate that the number of project schools with boarding facilities had increased since the project was implemented. This had contributed to the increased attendance of school age children in schools and it had also influenced more parents to willingly ensure that the education of their children is not affected by their pastoralistic life. This had contributed to reducing the dropout rates in schools. The findings on dropout rates therefore suggest that the project has significantly contributed to reduced dropout rates, although a deliberate sustained effort is still required to reduce the figures even further.
The project has shown mixed results on its effect on the academic performance of pupils in the project supported schools. This was contrary to expectations. The data analysed indicate fluctuation in academic performance during the project implementation period. Evidence shows that academic performance is unpredictable since said fluctuations are evident. Academic results notwithstanding, it must be recognised that the project was engaged in activities geared towards improving pupil academic performance. The project made deliberate effort to address the adequacy as well as capacity of teachers. The project also facilitated the enrolment of teachers in TTCs as one of the interventions of improving performance. While it may not be conclusive, the direction of the findings seems to suggest that academic performance is on an upward trajectory, although the programme may have encountered some challenges that could have limited its achievement on this variable.
Based on the findings, the study recommends the following measures:
There is a need for increased financial resources for the project through links with national programmes like the Constituency Development Fund and the local county government of Kajiado so as to facilitate project activities. This would also increase the visibility of the project activities on reducing dropout rate and improving academic performance and hence improve the project sustainability.
Address the issues of policy dialogue at national level with regard to teacher recruitment and deployment to ASALs. The GoK, through the MoE needs to review some of its policies, especially on teacher appointment and placement.
There is a need to explore the use of multi-pronged approaches to provision of education, including boarding facilities, financed by both central and local government and not left entirely to the communities. It must be noted, however, that local support and participation increases the chances of sustainability.
Upscale complementary initiatives by NGOs should be implemented in a deliberate and planned fashion for wider coverage.
This research was made possible with the hard work and contributions of all participants and the participating organisation, the Dupoto-e-Maa education project. We also wish to recognise the contributions of Dr Pascal Wambiya of Catholic University of Eastern Africa, Nairobi, Kenya, and Dr Robert Kamau of Mount Kenya University, Thika, Kenya, for reviewing our work and giving constructive comments that helped improve it.
The authors declare that they have no financial or personal relationships that may have inappropriately influenced them in writing this article.
J.B.O. was responsible for the research design, writing case studies and conducting questionnaires and the majority of interviews as well as FGDs. S.M.N., co-designer of the research, conducted some of the focus groups and interviews. All authors were involved in the analysis of data and report writing.