The Impact of Free Primary Education on Pupil-Teacher Ratio in Kuria East Constituency, Kenya

Abstract

This study is an assessment of how the introduction of Free Primary Education program affected pupils’ enrollment in public primary schools in Kuria East Constituency and how the resulting pupil - teacher ratio affected teacher effectiveness in the area between 1998 and 2008. The study is anchored on social systems theory especially on how it is essential to plan a program so as to achieve desirable results. Simple random sampling technique was used to identify 100 teacher respondents and 25 head teachers from 25 schools that were identified through stratified sampling of a total 68 schools in the area. The study established that enrollment in schools increased by more than 30% in 2003 and the pupil-teacher ratio increased from 42:1 in 1998 to 53:1 in 2003 and rose again to 60:1 in 2006 and remained the same until 2008. The study recommended that the government should set a minimum threshold of the pupil-teacher ratio by recruiting more teachers to meet the shortfall; that parents should collaborate with teachers in ensuring that children complete their homework, and also monitor their performances in order to reduce indiscipline arising from the enrollment of older pupils; and that teachers should be taken through in-service courses for training on how to handle large and heterogeneous classes