Not yet jubilee after 50 years of African scholarship and development: Factors against Secondary School girl-child academic excellence, Bungoma County, Kenya

Abstract

Education is an important tool for eradication of poverty; facilitation of economic development; and, development of human capital, the world over. Not surprisingly, the United Nations (UN)  have developed strategies such us Education For All (EFA) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) initiatives with the hope of enhancing development and poverty eradication through education access and equity by 2015. However, recent worldwide trends show that majority of teenagers out of the school system in the world are in Sub-Saharan Africa and most of them are girls. Also, r Research from the developing world indicates that, disparities in the quality of education between genders still abound with a negative bias against girls. With three years remaining to reach the target date for the EFA initiative and the famous MDGs, the current  scenario presents reason enough to decry the girl-child plight so much so as to and concretely declare that it is NOT YET JUBILEE celebrations for Bungoma County; this is ironical. To scientifically better understand the situation, this study was conducted. A sample of 300 respondents from 8 girls’ secondary schools and 6 district education officers was surveyed for data, using self-administered questionnaires; interview, document analysis as well as and observation check-list schedules. Data were analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The findings indicate that among the major challenges to excellence of the girl-child education include: culture and poverty. It is recommended that the government should increase student grants and guidance and counseling among others. For now, it is not yet jubilee; but it is hoped that this study will act as a benchmark for the management actions in promoting girls’ education and, that other unexploited areas related to this study will serve as a basis for further research in the education of girls not only in secondary schools but in all of the education system.

Keywords: Jubilee, culture, millennium, development, poverty, gender