This study is about household factors that affect acccss to Free Primary Education (FPE) in Public Schoois in Nairobi Province, Kenya. This is in the light olthc fact that there is a high number of children who are not going to school despite the introduction of the FPE pro6’rarnme.
The Government of Kenya has since independence in 1963 invested a lot of resources, both human and capital in the expansion of the education system. These investments have borne fruit such that whereas only 891,103 pupils were enrolled in all primary schools in 1963, the current enrolment (2004) stands at over 7.6 million pupils (MOEST, 2004). One of the major causes of such dramatic increase in enrolment has been the various attempts by the government to introduce Free Primary Education (FPE) in 1973, 1978 and 2003. Enrolment on each of these occasions shot up dramatically, confirming that payment of fees and other levies tended to keep away school going age children from attending school.
Following the re-introduction of FPE in January 2003, it was estimated that the Net Enrolment Rate (NER) rose from 6,314,726 to 7,614,326 pupils by December 2003. This was an increase of 22.3%. It is however estimated that another 1.7 million children were still out of school nationally. What has prevented the 1.7 million from enrolling is an important national issue. This study explores this issue with specific reference to household factors that might have prevented the children from enrolling, in this case, in Nairobi province.
‘The study was undertaken in Nairobi Province in Kenya with the sample drawn from Bmhakasi and Makadara Divisions, which are in the generally poor Eastlands part of Nairobi. The choice of the two divisions was deemed appropriate given that FPE is meant to benefit mostly the poor. The study focused on the household thetors that might have hindered full compliance with FPF. The study used both probability and nonprobabiiity sampling methods in an attempt to gather necessaiy data.
The study Ibund that introduction of EPE and compliance with the policy were hndercd by other factors in the household, apart from payment of school fees and levies. Factors such as household income, marital status, culture, gender, and even parents’ level of education appeared to have played a key role in determining whether children arc cnrolled or not. Along the same lines, the study also found that the policy on FPE only eddressed the issue of school fees and levies, with little or no consideration for the household factors, hence the less than 100% enrolment.
The study recommends that government policies should also address the relevant household factors if full enrolment is to be achieved. The factors should be addressed by Way of investing more resources in health and nutrition, employment creation, improving household incomes and eliminating hidden school costs under the FPE. The study finally mcomxnends that similar research should be undertaken in other areas, apart from eastlands of Nairobi, In order to generate comprehensive data on how households are 1mponding to the FPF policy.