Influence of free secondary education policy access, transition and student academic performance in Mbita and Suba sub-counties,Kenya

Abstract

Free Secondary Education (FSE) policy was introduced in Kenya in 2008 with an aim of making secondary education affordable to enhance access, transition and student academic performance. The influence seem to have been low in Mbita and Suba Sub- Counties, where Gross Enrolment Rates (GER) were low at 4948 (33%) and 3546 (25%) respectively for 2014 against national GER of 47.8%. The transition rates from 2010 to 2014 were 39.4%, 41.2%, 40.4%, 54.5%, 59.2% for Mbita, 56.2%, 54.4%, 61.1% and 59.2% for Suba which were lower than the national transition rates of 68.9%, 69.4%, 68.4%, 76.8% and 80.4% for the same period. The academic performance mean scores in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) for the period 2011 to 2014 were low at 5.0 and 5.1 for Mbita and Suba Sub counties respectively. The influence of FSE policy in the discrepancies noted in access, transition and academic performance in Mbita and Suba Sub- Counties were unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of FSE policy on access, transition and student academic performance in Mbita and Suba Sub- Counties. Objectives of the study were to determine the influence of FSE policy on access, determine influence of FSE policy on transition and determine the influence of FSE policy on student academic performance in Mbita and Suba Sub-Counties. A conceptual framework based on the Psacharopoulous and Woodhall (1985) concept of investment choices was adopted to determine the influence of FSE policy on access, transition and academic performance. The study adopted ex-post facto and correlational research designs. The study population consisted of 37 principals, 2775 form four students of 2014, 1 Sub-County Schools Auditor (SCSA) and 2 Sub –County Quality Assurance and Standards Officers (SCQASOs). The study sample consisted of 34 principals, 1 SCSAs, 2 SCQASOs who were selected using saturated sampling technique and 34 Focused Group Discussions (FGDs) of 6-12 participants from 34 schools. Questionnaire, Interview Schedule and FGDs were used to collect data. Face and content validity were established by supervisors whose input was included. Reliability coefficient of principal’s questionnaire was established using test re –test method and correlated using pearson’s r. The outcome was that the reliability coefficient was 0.8 at the set p-value of .05 meaning that it was reliable. The study findings revealed that FSE policy accounted for 74.1% of the variation in access, 70.1% of variation transition and 31.2% of variation in student academic performance as signified by coefficients of 0.741, 0.701 and 0.312 respectively. This means that increase in FSE funding of Kshs. 10,265 resulted in increase in access, transition and academic performance as indicated by the coefficients. The study concluded that FSE policy influenced positively access, transition and student academic performance. The study recommended that, the government should therefore increase capitation fees for each student to increase access and transition and student academic performance. The findings of the study are significant to the Ministry of Education, planners, educators, parents and policy makers by informing them on the need to develop strategies to improve or redesign FSE policy so as enhance further access, transition and student academic performance.