Implementation and Effectiveness of Policies and Initiatives Promoting Girls' Academic Performance in Wajir County, Kenya
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70619/vol4iss7pp1-12Keywords:
Implementation, Effectiveness, Policies, Initiatives, Promoting, Girls' Academic Performance, Wajir County, KenyaAbstract
Purpose: Policy implementation and effectiveness in girls' education are crucial for advancing gender equality, and promoting social and economic development. Despite global efforts to promote gender equality in education, girls in Wajir face minimal enrolment, high dropout rates, and low academic performance. The study aimed to evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of policies and initiatives promoting girls' academic performance in Wajir County, Kenya.
Methodology: The research adopted a descriptive research design to gather quantitative and qualitative data. The target population was 12,060 respondents comprised of 80 Principals, 274 teachers, and 11,704 students from Wajir County, public secondary schools. A study sample size of 388 was calculated using the Yamane method and was sampled using purposive, simple, and stratified random sampling. Data was collected using questionnaires for all respondents. Quantitative data was cleaned, coded, and analyzed descriptively and inferentially with SPSS. Descriptive statistics, including frequency and percentages, as well as mean and standard deviation, were used to describe the relationship between the study variables, while inferential analysis was based on the chi-square test.
Results: The study found mixed perceptions regarding the implementation and effectiveness of educational policies and initiatives aimed at improving girls' education in Wajir County. While there is a consensus on the clarity of policy objectives, concerns remain about their relevance and effectiveness in addressing the specific needs of girls. Principals, in particular, expressed skepticism about the alignment of policies with improving academic performance.
Conclusion: The study concludes that targeted interventions, improved resource allocation, and enhanced stakeholder collaboration are critical to overcoming the barriers faced by girls in education. The study recommends that there should be more communal support from stakeholders towards implementing the policies that reduce the socio-cultural barriers that affect girls’ education in ASAL regions.
References
Abdi, B., Okal, J., Serour, G., & Temmerman, M. (2021). Muslim men’s perceptions and attitudes on family planning: a qualitative study in Wajir and Lamu counties in Kenya. Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters, 29(1), 303-313.
Austrian, K., Soler-Hampejsek, E., Kangwana, B., Wado, Y. D., Abuya, B., & Maluccio, J. A. (2021). Impacts of two-year multisectoral cash plus programs on young adolescent girls’ education, health, and economic outcomes: Adolescent Girls Initiative-Kenya (AGI-K) randomized trial. Springer, 21.
Blimpo, M. P., Gajigo, O., & Pugatch, T. (2019). Financial Constraints and Girls’ Secondary Education: Evidence from School Fee Elimination in The Gambia Get access Arrow. The World Bank Economic Review, 33(1), 185–208.
Chikhungu, L., Kadzamira, E., Chiwaula, L., & Meke, E. (2020). Tackling girls dropping out of school in Malawi: Is improving household socio-economic status the solution? International Journal of Educational Research, 103.
Clark, D. A. (2005). The Capability Approach: Its Development, Critiques, and Recent Advances. Global Poverty Research Group. Retrieved from Website: http://www.gprg.org/
Hashim, M. Y. (2023). principals’ interventions on teachers’ retention in public secondary schools in Wajir county, Kenya.
Mutua, M. N., Miriti, J. M., & Mogeni2, S. (2019). Implementation of the ‘Return to School’ Policy for Teenage Mothers in Kenya: A Rights-Based Perspective. International Journal of Humanities Social Sciences and Education (IJHSSE), 6(6), 58-74.
Ninsiima, A. B., Coene, G., Michielsen, K., & Kemigisha, S. N. (2020). Institutional and contextual obstacles to sexuality education policy implementation in Uganda. Sexuality, Society and Learning, 20(1).
Ochieng, P. A. (2020). Children's Rights to Education using ADDIE Model Approach in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL), Kenyan Perspective. African Journal of Education, 5(4).
Paul, P. (2020). Child Marriage Among Girls in India: Prevalence, Trends and Socio-Economic Correlates. Institute of Human Development, 14(2).
Robeyns, I. (2005). The Capability Approach: a theoretical survey. Journal of Human Development, 6(1), 93-117.
Sekaran, U. and Bougie, R. (2013). Research methods for business: A skill-building approach (6th Ed.). Wiley
UNICEF. (2020). Towards an equal future: Reimagining girls’ education through STEM. New York: UNICEF.
Walker, M., & Unterhalter, E. (2007). The Capability Approach: Its Potential for Work in Education. In Amartya Sen’s Capability Approach and Social Justice in Education. Springer.
