Lifestyle

TEENAGE MOTHERHOOD- A DOUBLE TRAGEDY

Prisca Jepchirchir Tarus

The ministry of education has a critical role to play in addressing issues of gender equality and equity in Kenya. The gender education policy provides a framework for the planning and implementation of gender responsive education and highlights the key concerns of retention, transition rates and persistent negative socio-cultural practices and attitudes, which inhibit the realization of equity (MOE, 2007). The high girlchild drop-out rates, early marriage, and teenage motherhood have caused prevalent gender inequalities in Kenyan Secondary schools. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of Teenage Motherhood in selected counties in Kenya. The objectives of the study were: To determine the secondary school girl success in education in selected counties in Kenya, to determine a secondary school girl retention in education in selected counties in Kenya, to find out reasons for dropout among secondary school girls in selected counties in Kenya, to determine the relationship between dropout and teenage motherhood among secondary school girls in selected counties in Kenya. The study employed ex post facto research design. The target population was one hundred and fifty nine thousand and thirty nine (159,039) girls while the accessible population consisted of twenty five thousand six hundred and fifty four (25,654). The sample size comprised of 378 secondary school girls. Simple random sampling was utilized to select school girls .The data was collected through the administration of questionnaires to students while content analysis was carried out to get vital information on education gender mainstreaming. The content validity of the instrument was ascertained with the assistance of the supervisors from the department of Counseling, Psychology and Education Foundation. The reliability was determined by conducting a pilot study. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was used to compute the reliability of the instrument. Which established a reliability coefficient of 0.7? This was considered to be acceptable and reliable. The data collected was analyzed using means and standard deviation. Analyzed data was presented using cumulative frequency tables and percentages. The findings of the study indicated high dropout rates, irregular patterns of school attendance and extensive interruption in education of girls. Further the findings revealed that gender mainstreaming in education has a significant relationship with access to and retention in education. The study recommends gender specific activities that facilitates girls’ access to and retention in education and psychological preparedness of parents and guardians in the support of girls’ education, change of public advocacy, carrying out follow-up surveillance, and mentorship programs and evaluation of existing policies and practices to identify their shortcoming and areas of improvement. The study suggests further research on, barriers to a gender enabling environment and an assessment of an effective mechanism of implementing, reviewing and intervention strategies of education gender mainstreaming in educational policy in schools

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