ABSTRACT The implementation of Free Primary Education in Kenya (FPE), which appears to be focused on the access goal, faces many challenges including large pupil teacher ratios, shortage of infrastructure, lack of standards of academic achievement and limited monitoring and evaluation of teaching-learning processes. There are no sound policies in place to address these challenges, which are a threat to the quality of education. Even after developing a sector wise approach to manage education, indicators show that quality of primary education is still poor. Unless urgent measures are taken to address these challenges, the quality of education is bound to degenerate, thus jeopardizing the country's development goals. Following the UNESCO framework of analyzing quality in education, this study analyses Kenya's primary education, and upon reviewing relevant literature on international practices of providing quality education, some lessons for Kenya are drawn. The study points out the importance of focusing on all factors affecting education quality namely: learner characteristics, an enabling context, enabling inputs such as teaching methods, class size, assessment methods, teaching and learning materials, physical infrastructures and facilities, school governance and human resource. Countries that have focused on educational outcomes and paid attention to these factors have seen quality of their primary education systems improve. Considering that the literature suggests that the teaching and learning environments at the school level can be improved with scarce resources, the study recommends that the government could exploit the existing resources. To enhance the quality of primary education in Kenya, the study recommends a review of the teacher training programme, establishment and monitoring of academic performance standards and deployment of voluntary teachers on terms less than those on permanent employment.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION .......................................................................................................................................... i
APPROVAL ......................•.......................................................................................................•................ ii
DEDICATION .....................................................................•.....•............................................•......•........... iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ...........•................................................•............................................................... iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS .....................................................................................................•......................•.. v
ABSTRACT ........................•..................................................................................................................... vii
CHAPTER ONE .........................................................................•................................................................ 1
INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................... 1
1.0 Introduction ........•...........•.....................................•..•........................................................................ 1
1.1Background of the Study ...................................................................................................................• 1
1.2 Statement Of the problem ................................................................................................................ 3
1.3 Purpose of Study ......................................................•....................•................................................... 3
1.4 objectives of the study ...................................................................................................................... 3
1.5Research Questions .........................................................................................................................•.. 4
1.6 Significance of the Study .......................................•........................................................................... 4
1.7 Scope of the Study .........................................................................................................................•.. 4
1.8 conceptual framework ...............................................................................................•...................... 4
CHAPTER TW0 ......................................................................................................................................... 6
LITERATURE REVIEW ......................................................•........................................................................ 6
2.0 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 6
2.1 The Effects offree primary on pupil academic Performance ........................................................... 6
2.2 The growing number of pupils due to free primary education ......................................................... 7
2.3 The challenges of free primary education ..................................................................•..................... 8
2.4 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................... 9
CHAPTER THREE .................................................................................................................................... 12
METHODOLOGY .................................................................................................................................... 12
3.0: Introduction: .................................................................................................................................. 12
3.1: Research Design ............................................................................................................................. 12
3.2 population of study ......................................................................................................................... 12
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3.3: Sample Frame Work ....................................................................................................................... 12
3.4: Area of Study .................................................................................................................................. 13
3.5: data collection ................................................................................................................................ 14
3.6: Data Analysis .................................................................................................................................. 15
CHAPTER FOUR ..................................................................................................................................... 16
DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION ................................................................................................ 16
4.0 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 16
4.2 Gender representation .................................................................................................................... 17
4.3 Response Rate Analysis ................................................................................................................... 17
4.4. Responses on the meaning ofthe term free primary education ................................................... 18
4.5 Education finance and expenditure strategy .................................................................................. 18
4.6 The effects of fee-free schooling .................................................................................................... 20
CHAPTER FIVE ........................................................................................................................................ 22
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ....................................................................... 22
5.0 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 22
5.1 Summary of the main findings ........................................................................................................ 22
5.2 Conclusions ..................................................................................................................................... 22
5.3 recommendations ........................................................................................................................... 24
5.4 Suggestion for further research ...................................................................................................... 25
REFERENCE ............................................................................................................................................ 26
APPENDIX 1 ............................................................................................................................................... i
Questionnaires ......................................................................................................................................... i
APPENDIX II ............................................................................................................................................ iii
THE RESEARCH PROJECT ACTIVITY PLAN ............................................................................................... iii
APPENDIX 111 ........................................................................................................................................... iv
THE RESEARCH BUDGET ......................................................................................................................... iv