The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that influence the retention of
female students in secondary schools in Muhoroni division, Muhoroni District of
Kisumu County. The study identified the gaps which paved way for the
recommendations of intervention measures that would improve the retention of
female students in secondary schools in Muhoroni District. This would enhance the
attainment of their primary purpose of retaining female students in secondary schools.
The schools studied included Koru Girls’ Secondary school, Chemelil Academy and
Muhoroni Mixed Secondary School.
Five research questions were formulated to guide the study. Research question one
was to identify how early marriage affected the retention of female students in
secondary schools in Muhoroni Division, research question two was to examine how
initiation rites affect retention of female students in secondary schools in Muhoroni
Division, research question three was to examine how the attitudes of parents affect
female education in secondary schools in Muhoroni Division, research question four
sought to investigate how roles in the society and domestic labour influence the
retention of girls in secondary school education in Muhoroni Division, research
question five was to examine how poverty influence the retention of girl – child
education in secondary schools in Muhoroni Division.
Literature review dealt with the retention of girls in secondary education. The areas
covered by literature review included:- Benefits of educating women, status of
enrolment in Kenyan education system, early marriages and retention of girls in
secondary schools, initiation ceremonies and the retention of girls in secondary
schools, attitude of parents towards secondary school education for girls, domestic
labour and the retention of girls in secondary schools, roles in society and how they
affect the retention of girls in secondary schools and lastly poverty and its impact on
the retention of girls in secondary schools. The sample consisted of three out of nine
head teachers constituting a quarter of the total administrators and twenty nine out of
two hundred and twenty six students constituting 1/8th of the total number of students.
The method of allocation was to ensure that the population size was reflected in the
sample size.The findings revealed that there were several factors that influenced the retention rate
of female students in secondary schools in Muhoroni Division ranging from early
marriage which affected the retention of girl child in Secondary Schools, initiation
rites which interfered with the normal school and class attendance, the attitudes of
parents which at times were negative on the girl child and most of the parents
preferred educating boys to girls, the roles in the society and domestic labour were
overwhelming for the girl child leaving the girls to be seriously exhausted and cannot
concentrate in the class work and lastly poverty which seriously affected the
education of girls as a result of the death of parents leaving the girl child to lack
school fees and depend on the guardians and well wishers. The result of these are
observed on the low retention rate of female students in secondary schools in
Muhoroni division.
The results also indicate that the school administrators used various methods in
handling female students’ retention in schools and these included guidance and
counseling, recommendations for bursary fund fees forms, punishments involving
parents in matters of student disciplines and mobilization of the community members
and well wishers to pay for the disadvantaged girls in secondary schools. However the
administrators also agreed that more funding and support from the government and
well wishers were needed for the retention of the female students in secondary
schools.
It was found out that the factors which influenced the retention of female students in
secondary schools in Muhoroni Division included early marriages, the initiation rites
especially the female genital mutilation, the attitudes of parents, the roles in the
society and domestic labour and lastly the poverty in relation to paying school fees for
female students in secondary schools.
In the light of the research findings the researcher recommends that peer
educators/counselors should be posted to the mixed and girls secondary schools to
survey the girl-child problems and encourage them to seek help to curb the drop out
of students in secondary schools.