Dropout among Male Pupils in Primary Schools of Igembe District, Kenya

Abstract

Education plays a key role in human development through the process of empowering people to improve their wellbeing and participation in national building. Dropout however poses a serious threat to gains in education despite the Government emphasis on Education for All by the year 2015. In Igembe District the problem is more pronounced among the male children. The study used the ex-post facto research design. The target and accessible population constituted of educational officers, head teachers, guidance and counseling teachers and pupils. A sample size of 364 was used for the study. This study sought information on causes of dropout among boys and strategies that could be adopted to address this problem. The study established that dropout of male pupils was a common problem that required urgent attention. The major factors leading to dropout included; child labor, family instability, initiation, drug abuse and lack of role models. The study recommends affirmative action for the boy child, abolishing of child labor and initiation of boys after completion of primary school as strategies that could address dropout among male pupils