EFFECT OF PARENTS’ SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS ON SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN HAMISI SUB-COUNTY, KENYA

The joy of parents, teachers and students lies in high academic achievement attained by students in their national examinations. To the student this marks the beginning of lucrative careers studied at the universities. To the parents, such children are bound to change their socio-economic life once employed while the teachers might be assured of promotions. This study’s purpose was to address the problem of students posting lower test scores in secondary schools compared to their initial performance at the primary school’s KCPE. It focused on analyzing effect of parent’s socio-economic status on students’ academic achievement in secondary schools in Hamisi sub-county, Vihiga – Kenya with focus on students who score high grades in primary school’s KCPE vis-à-vis what they achieve at KCSE. The specific objective addressed was: To ascertain the socio-economic factors contributing to students’ academic achievement in public secondary schools in Hamisi Sub-county Vihiga county – Kenya. The study employed descriptive survey research design. The target population was 4,298 with 41 Principals, 428 teachers, 3826 students, 1 DEO and 2 AEOs. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the DEO. Simple random sampling was used to select the teachers, students and the AEO. The sample size was 525 respondents consisting of 12 principals, 128 teachers, 383 students, one DEO and one AEO. Data collection tools used were structured and unstructured questionnaires, interview schedules and document analysis. Instrument validity was done through content validity whereas the test and re-test technique was used to test the reliability of the tools comparing with a Pearson Correlation Coefficient of 0.5. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics hence Quantitative data were presented using frequency counts, means and percentages with the aid of the SPSS Version 16.0. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically. Triangulation strategy was used to merge findings from both qualitative and quantitative for presentation using for instance frequency distribution tables, bar graphs, pie charts and verbatim. It came to light that students receded academically at the secondary schooling level due to low parents’ socio-economic status. A few from well-endowed families attained favorable scores. It was recommended that the government should create an enabling environment for parents to be self-employed so that they cater for their children’s educational needs such as the subsidized school fees. It is hoped that this research’s findings will inform Hamisi sub-county Education Office and the Ministry of Education Science and Technology at large in their policy formulation and implementation in this era of Education For All (EFA).  Article visualizations

Improving decision making in schools through teacher participation

The hierarchical structure that places head teachers at the apex of a pyramid of staff is a common feature in secondary schools in Kenya. In this arrangement, school heads are poised to use their superior knowledge and experience to direct and control the working of the entire school. This negatively affects efficiency and productivity of the schools because teachers work at half steam because they are not effectively involved in decision making to make them feel as part of the schools. Owing to the dynamics of professionalism and diversity of ideas in secondary schools occasioned by staffing schools with professionally trained teachers and the need to decentralize decision making to the lower levels, the hierarchical structure in management of schools is challenged. On many occasions head-teachers have been advised to involve teachers in decision making as a way of motivating them and to create a feeling of belonging. This study was designed to investigate the extent to which teachers were involved in decision making in comparison to their desired extent of participation. An ex-post facto study was designed. One hundred and twenty three teachers responded to the participatory decision making questionnaire. Data were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. It was found that teachers desired greater involvement in decision making than they were currently involved. It was recommended that school managers should increase the extent to which they involve teachers in decision making to improve on the quality of decisions and boost their morale in their performance of duty

Removing user fees and providing knowledge can improve utilization of FANC services: findings from a cross-sectional study in rural Kenya

Objectives: This study determined factors associated with the provision and utilization of focused antenatal (FANC) services in Siaya County. It determined challenges faced by health facilities in providing antenatal care, women’s factors associated with uptake of FANC and explored barriers and facilitators to seeking FANC. Study Design: A cross-sectional design employing mixed methods was conducted among 400 women who had attended antenatal services in eight health facilities in Siaya sub-county following the introduction of free maternal services in these facilities. Women were interviewed retrospectively on services received, timing and number of antenatal visits during pregnancy and challenges to attendance, described using percentages/frequencies. Log-binomial regression model was used to identify socio-demographic factors associated with uptake of FANC. Attendance to ANC four times or more was the outcome variable. Results: Our findings showed an increase in the uptake of FANC compared to published rates prior to free maternal services. Overall, 76.4% (n=400) of the women reported attending ANC four times or more. Over half (61.7%), of the women had their first ANC visit in the second and third trimester. Women who were not married were 1.5 times (PR=1.50; CI=1.16-1.93) more likely to complete 4+ FANC visits when compared to women who were married. Conclusion: The findings indicate that when women do not have to pay for antenatal services, their attendance and compliance to the required visits improves. Strategies aimed at optimizing maternal pregnancy outcomes should also invest in providing free maternal services. Other implications of the study are discussed