Subsidized secondary education policy on pass rates in Kenya certificate of secondary education in public secondary schools in Bungoma County, Kenya

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume VI, Issue IV, April 2022 | ISSN 2454–6186

Subsidized secondary education policy on pass rates in Kenya certificate of secondary education in public secondary schools in Bungoma County, Kenya

Herman, J. Wachiye, PhD¹* , Jackline,K.A.Nyerere,PhD², Thaddaeus,O.Rugar,PhD^3
1Dr.Herman Joseph Wachiye, PhD*.Department of Educational Planning and Management, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kakamega, Kenya. P.O Box 190, Kakamega 50100.
²Dr.Jackline,K.A.Nyerere,PhD. Department of Education Management, Policy and Curriculum Studies, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya. P.O Box 43844,Nairobi 00100.
³Dr.Thaddaeus,O.Rugar,PhD. Department of Education Management, Policy and Curriculum Studies, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya. P.O Box 43844, Nairobi 00100.
* Corresponding author

Abstract: Subsidization of the public secondary school education by the government of Kenya in 2008 witnessed a tremendous growth in the student population at this level of education. This scenario led to an over enrollment and a strain on the existing learning facilities and infrastructure in most public secondary schools in Kenya, including those in Bungoma County . Under these circumstances, the question that remained unanswered was ; what was the effect of the subsidized secondary education policy (SSEP) on the student pass rates in the Kenya certificate of secondary education(KCSE) in the public secondary schools in Bungoma County ? The purpose of this study was to analyze the change brought about by the SSEP on the student pass rates in the KCSE in public secondary schools in Bungoma County, Kenya . The findings of this study revealed that, the subsidized secondary education policy significantly improved the student pass rates in KCSE in the public secondary schools in the County, from a mean of 70.53% before the introduction of the subsidy, to a mean of 75.82% after introduction of the subsidy, with a p-value of less than 0.05( p<0.05). In conclusion, the SSEP improved the student pass rates in the KCSE. On the basis of the conclusion, it was recommended that the government should uphold the subsidized secondary education policy in public secondary schools, because it has the potential to sustain improved student pass rates in KCSE in public secondary schools in Bungoma County and Kenya at large.

Key words: effect, pass rates, public secondary school, subsidized secondary education policy

I. INTRODUCTION

The elimination of school fees is one of the strategies that have been adopted by several governments in the developing world in an attempt to reduce the burden of the cost of education on households, and improve the student/pupil enrollments and participation rates at the basic level of education(UNESCO,2007). In countries such as; Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia, the policy has improved enrollment at both the primary and secondary levels of education (Al-Samarrai and Hassan, 2000). Available data in a number of countries showed a drastic increase in the total student enrolment, in the year following the abolition of school fees. For example, it was : 11 percent in Lesotho

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