Fisheries around Lake Victoria and Attendance of Girls in Secondary Schools of Nyangoma Division in Siaya County, Kenya

Abstract

The subject of unequal attendance between girls and boys in institutions of learning has been in the public domain for some time now. This is because various key framework documents at the national and international levels focus on attainment of gender equality in education. This study however had special interest on the attendance of girls in secondary schools and especially in Nyangoma Division of Siaya County in Kenya. Although various factors hinder girls from attending secondary school, this study will focus on fisheries as the prime factor. The study adopted the descriptive survey research design. This research article presents the findings of the study on Fisheries around Lake Victoria and Attendance of Girls in Secondary Schools with a specific focus on Nyangoma Division in Siaya County in Kenya. This study was conducted in 4 secondary schools out of the 10 secondary schools in Nyangoma Division. A sample of 159 students comprising of 51 girls and 108 boys were involved in the study. Also, 16 teachers comprising of 6 female teachers and 10 male teachers were selected for the study. The data collection instrument was a questionnaire and non-participant observations. Data was analyzed of quantitative using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) and then presented in descriptive statistics. Chi-Square was used to establish the levels of significance in the relationship between fishing and attendance of girls in the secondary schools of the Division. The findings of the study showed that there was significant relationship between fisheries and attendance of girls in secondary schools. The study recommended that the Government of Kenya should revise the mode of awarding bursaries and issuing of scholarships to the needy girls in the Division and others areas which fall in the same situation.