Analyais Of Levels Of Learners Achievement In Basic Literacy In Primary Schools: A Case Of Busia Sub-Country, Kenya.

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

Analyais Of Levels Of Learners Achievement In Basic Literacy In Primary Schools: A Case Of Busia Sub-Country, Kenya.

Fredrick Oduori Barasa¹, Prof John shiundu², Prof Stanley Mutsotso^3
1&2 Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, ³ Kibabii University

Abstract:
Basic Literacy is essential for children’s educational access, success, lifelong learning and communication in today’s technologically advancing society. According to UNESCO, it is considered absolutely as a human right, and yet the persistence of illiteracy remains one of the major concerns in Kenya. Literacy studies in Kenya suggest that while there have been substantial advances in expanded access to primary education, real results in literacy are still missing in different places in the country. The purpose of the study was to establish the levels of achievement in basic literacy in Busia Sub – County, Busia County, Kenya. The study adopted cross-sectional survey design to organize the study and obtain data. Head teachers, Curriculum Support Officers, language teachers, parents and class four learners in both public and private primary schools comprised the study population. The collection of data from schools was carried out through questions, interview schedules and achievement tests .The findings show that domestic environmental factors influencing the achievement of fundamental literacy skills include parent socioeconomic status, parent education level, parent employment and access to home education services.
Key words; Basic Literacy, level of achievement, primary schools
Background information
Quality and relevant education is essential for any country’s national development. However, achievement of basic literacy among school going children remain significantly low worldwide. . In today’s knowledge societies in particular, literacy is of key importance for economic, social and political engagement and development according to a 2006 Education For All (EFA) Global Monitoring Report (2006:17). The value of literacy is also illustrated by the international commemoration of World Literacy Day on September 8th each year. “In the primary years, quality teaching is essential for giving students the foundational literacy and numeracy on which lifelong learning depends,” according to the World Bank Education Strategy Statement for 2020. The lowest literacy rates are observed in Sub-Saharan Africa and South-Western Asia in 2011, according to a 2011 UNESCO report. According to a 2013 United Nations survey, 53% of the world’s illiterate population lives in the region in the south and west of Asia. A survey on literacy and numeracy assessment in East Africa 2011 gave a very damming report on literacy achievement in East Africa. The survey included 320 districts in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, accounting for roughly 90% of all districts in the three countries. The vast majority of students, according to the study, did not learn basic numeracy and literacy skills during their early years of schooling, as required by national curricular standards. Though Kenyan children performed fairly well in comparison to their counterparts in Tanzania and Uganda, children from poor social and economic backgrounds performed poorly. The primary school curriculum, according to the study, is the cornerstone upon which mastery of formal learning skills must be built. All acceptable standards must be taught to ensure a smooth transition to high-school, reading, writing and communication skills, such as listening and self-expression. Busia district was covered in the Uwezo East Africa survey in 2011 in which it emerged position 89 out of the 320 districts covered in East Africa (Uwezo East Africa, 2011). This result indicates that the district’s literacy rate should be improved further. The aim of this analysis was thus to analyze the levels of learners achievement in basic literacy in Busia Sub – County to provide the basis for reform and action in Kenya to boost basic literacy in other Sub counties.

LITERATURE REVIEW

UNESCO describes literacy as the capacity to identify, understand, interpret, build, communicate and compute printed and written material in different contexts (UNESCO, 2012). Literacy also involves a lifelong learning process which allows people to reach their objectives, increase their understanding, and participate actively in the communities and the wider society. In the national adult literacy assessment literacy is defined as both task- and skill-setting (NAAL). This task-based concept focuses on the day-to-day activities of adult literacy without assistance. The ability description implies that an adult must fulfill his or her qualifications from basic words to higher levels of skills (white S and Mc closkey, 2003).

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