IMPACT OF UNIVERSAL PRIMARY EDUCATION ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF LEARNERS IN THE YEARS OF 2003-2006

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Declaration ................................................................................................................................ ii

Approval ................................................................................................................................... iii

Dedication ................................................................................................................................. .iv

Acknowledgement ...................................................................................................................... v

LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................. .ix

LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................................................... x

DEFINITION OF TERMS ......................................................................................................... xi

ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................. xii

CHAPTER ONE ......................................................................................................................... 1

INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................... 1

1.0 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY. ................................................................................. I

1.1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM ................................................................................ 2

1.2 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY ...................................................................................... 3

1.2.1 MAIN OBJECTNE ................................................................................................................ 3

1.2.2 SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE ....................................................................................................... 3

1.3 SCOPE OF THE STUDY ................................................................................................. 3

1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY .................................................................................. 3

CHAPTER TWO ........................................................................................................................ 5

LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................................ 5

2.0 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................. 5

2.1 GOALS OF UNIVERSAL PRIMARY EDUCATION .......................................................... 5

2.2 CHALLENGES FACING UNIVERSAL PRIMARY EDUCATION ..................................... 6

2.3 COMP ARING PERFOMANCE BETWEEN PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SCHOOLS ............. 7

2.4 EFFECT OF UNIVERSAL PRIMARY EDUCATION ........................................................ 7

CHAPTER THREE ..................................................................................................................... 9

METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................................................... 9

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3.0 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................. 9

3.1 RESEARCH DESIGN .......................................................................................................... 9

3.2 AREA AND POPULATION OF THE STUDY. .................................................................... 9

3.3 SAMPLE SELECTION AND SIZE ...................................................................................... 9

3 .4 INSTRUMENTS OF DATA COLLECTION ................................................................. 10

3.4. l PRIMARY METHODS ......................................................................................................... 10

3.4.2 SECONDARY METHODS ................................................................................................... 11

3.5 PROCEDURES OF DATA COLLECTION ........................................................................ 11

3.6 DATA ANALYSIS ANDPRESENTATION ................................................................. 11

3.7 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY ......................................................................................... 12

CHAPTER FOUR ..................................................................................................................... 13

DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATIONS ....................................... 13

4.0 JN'TRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 13

4.1 PERFORMANCE ............................................................................................................... 13

4.2.1 Rural Versus Urban Schools .................................................................................................. 14

4.2.2 Public versus Private SchooL ................................................................................................ 14

4.2.3 Poor Performing versus Good Performing Schools ................................................................ 15

4.3 POPULATION ................................................................................................................... 16

4.4 HEAD TEACHERS RESPONSE ........................................................................................ 18

4.5 RESPONSE FROM PARENTS .......................................................................................... 18

4.6 PUPILS' FEEDBACK ........................................................................................................ 19

CHAPTER FIVE ...................................................................................................................... 21

DISCUSION, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION ................................................... 21

5.1 DISCUSION ....................................................................................................................... 21

5.2 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................... 22

5.3 RECOMMENDATIONS ..................................................................................................... 22

REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................... 24

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Declaration ................................................................................................................................ ii

Approval ................................................................................................................................... iii

Dedication ................................................................................................................................. .iv

Acknowledgement ...................................................................................................................... v

LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................. .ix

LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................................................... x

DEFINITION OF TERMS ......................................................................................................... xi

ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................. xii

CHAPTER ONE ......................................................................................................................... 1

INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................... 1

1.0 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY. ................................................................................. I

1.1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM ................................................................................ 2

1.2 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY ...................................................................................... 3

1.2.1 MAIN OBJECTNE ................................................................................................................ 3

1.2.2 SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE ....................................................................................................... 3

1.3 SCOPE OF THE STUDY ................................................................................................. 3

1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY .................................................................................. 3

CHAPTER TWO ........................................................................................................................ 5

LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................................ 5

2.0 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................. 5

2.1 GOALS OF UNIVERSAL PRIMARY EDUCATION .......................................................... 5

2.2 CHALLENGES FACING UNIVERSAL PRIMARY EDUCATION ..................................... 6

2.3 COMP ARING PERFOMANCE BETWEEN PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SCHOOLS ............. 7

2.4 EFFECT OF UNIVERSAL PRIMARY EDUCATION ........................................................ 7

CHAPTER THREE ..................................................................................................................... 9

METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................................................... 9

Vl

3.0 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................. 9

3.1 RESEARCH DESIGN .......................................................................................................... 9

3.2 AREA AND POPULATION OF THE STUDY. .................................................................... 9

3.3 SAMPLE SELECTION AND SIZE ...................................................................................... 9

3 .4 INSTRUMENTS OF DATA COLLECTION ................................................................. 10

3.4. l PRIMARY METHODS ......................................................................................................... 10

3.4.2 SECONDARY METHODS ................................................................................................... 11

3.5 PROCEDURES OF DATA COLLECTION ........................................................................ 11

3.6 DATA ANALYSIS ANDPRESENTATION ................................................................. 11

3.7 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY ......................................................................................... 12

CHAPTER FOUR ..................................................................................................................... 13

DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATIONS ....................................... 13

4.0 JN'TRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 13

4.1 PERFORMANCE ............................................................................................................... 13

4.2.1 Rural Versus Urban Schools .................................................................................................. 14

4.2.2 Public versus Private SchooL ................................................................................................ 14

4.2.3 Poor Performing versus Good Performing Schools ................................................................ 15

4.3 POPULATION ................................................................................................................... 16

4.4 HEAD TEACHERS RESPONSE ........................................................................................ 18

4.5 RESPONSE FROM PARENTS .......................................................................................... 18

4.6 PUPILS' FEEDBACK ........................................................................................................ 19

CHAPTER FIVE ...................................................................................................................... 21

DISCUSION, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION ................................................... 21

5.1 DISCUSION ....................................................................................................................... 21

5.2 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................... 22

5.3 RECOMMENDATIONS ..................................................................................................... 22

REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................... 24

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ABSTRACT

The study on the impact of Universal Primary Education on the Academic Perfomance of

Learners was carried out in the primary school of Rigoma division, Kisii North district. The

general aim of this study was to find out the impact of universal primary education on the

academic performance of learners in the selected primary schools of; Nyakongo, Omoyo,

Menyenya, Nyansiongo and Mochenwa. The study objectives were to investigate the goals of Universal Primary Education, comparing

private school performance and public school performance, establishing the opinion of teachers,

parents and students on free primary education and finding out the effects of Universal Primary

Education on the academic performance of learners in the selected secondary schools in Rigoma

division, Kisii North district, Kenya. The study involved five out of seven primary schools in Rigoma division in Kisii North district.

The schools were selected using the random sampling technique where parents, teachers and

head teachers were interviewed. A total of five head teachers, three members of the Parents

Teachers Association from each school and class teachers in each school were selected for the

study. A total of eighty five respondents were interviewed for the study.

Qualitative and quantitative methods of research, which gave the deeper effect of universal

primary education, were applied in this research. The researcher adopted quantitative because the

study called for phenomena relating or involving a number of students' performance. The

information also found has been included in description of qualitative data and presentation on

bar graphs, pie chart and tables.

The following methods were applied in the collection of the data, namely: face to face

interviews, questionnaires, observation, research and document examination and analysis.

The research found out that; there was a general poor performance after the introduction of

universal primary education in the district. Overpopulation and lack of enough teachers are not

the main factors causing poor performance in examination among students. The teachers did not

strongly support universal primary education but the parents saw it as a good opportunity for free

education while saving money for higher levels of education. The factors investigated are not