| dc.description.abstract | The fourth UN Quality Priority states that education is the key to achieving more
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), although urbanization factors limit student
retention. World economies support the advancement of education. The Kenyan government
is committed to the Education for All initiative. This progress, however, is undermined by
the issue of access to primary school education. Any obstacle that impedes learning weakens
not only the educational objective but also the growth and development of children. So, it is
essential to identify the factors that contribute to Kenya's low Primary school retention rates.
The goal of this study was to examine the factors influencing students’ retention in primary
and secondary in Schools in Kakamega Municipality. The specific objectives of the study
were to determine the extent of urban sprawl on students’ retention in primary and
secondary schools; examine the relationship between urbanization and students’ retention in
primary and secondary schools and evaluate the effects of urbanization on students’
retention in primary and secondary schools in Kakamega Municipality. The study
employed a descriptive survey research design. The target population for the study was
99,987 this population comprised of municipality residents, primary school pupils,
secondary school students, Education officers, principals, urban administrator and parents
from low, middle and high residential parts of the municipality. The study used quota
sampling for urban residents, stratified sampling for schools, pupils and students. A sample
size of 177 respondents was used for the study. Data collection instruments included;
questionnaires, interview guides and focus group discussion. A pilot study was carried out in
three residential areas in Bungoma municipality in order to test the validity of the
instruments. Data was analyzed using statistics package for social sciences (SPSS) version
(20). The study established that drug abuse leads to children dropping out of school as
confirmed by 46% response which was evident from police cases of drop out due to alcohol
and drug abuse by students. Also, poor income by parents results to low school retention as
children engage in cheap labor with their parents for school fees. This is confirmed by low
class respondents of whom majority earn between 10,000 -30,000 (42%) and below 10,000
(26%) and as result there is low retention in education by their children at (6%). Finally,
good means of transport such as using bus or cars to school enhances children retention in
school while poor means like walking for long distance leads to school dropout as
established in this study. Child’s retention rate in school is low in the poor social class than
other classes and this is attributed to their parent’s financial constraints and environmental
factors. The study recommends that drug abuse in the municipality be controlled, counseling
services should be availed by institutions and operationalized by professionals in schools,
measures should be put in place to control the use of recreational facilities, more
employment opportunities should be created for middle and majority low income classes by
reserving specific jobs in the county for these groups to enable better access of these groups
child’s retention in education . Additionally, the national and county governments should
collaboratively establish more policies on transport for school going children in urban
centers. | en_US |
