Reasons for Children Enrolment in Private Primary Schools by their Parents Despite Existence of Free Primary Education in Public Primary Schools

Abstract

The implementation of free basic education in public primary Schools was an initiative by the government to make education available, as advocated by the United Nations under the millennium development goals (MDGs). However, not all parents took their children to the public primary schools; some opted for private primary schools. Its implementation was a cost cutting initiative in the provision and subsequent consumption of primary education especially for poverty stricken Kenyan masses. Millions of Kenyans who had been kept out of the system by cumulative cost of education enrolled in public schools irrespective of age. Development partners in the education sector were at hand to ensure smooth implementation of the new policy in line with the global concept of the Universal Primary Education (Wambua, 2004).  This study focuses on identifying the reasons why some parents still enroll their children in private primary schools when free primary education is provided Primary schools. The study was conducted through descriptive research using Ex post facto design. Eight public and eight private primary schools in Kitale Municipality were used in the study. The Municipality has 18 private and 26 public, mixed schools (boys and girls) making it a focal point for the study.  The study used Questionnaires, Interviews, document analysis and observation as methods of data collection. The academic performance of both public and private primary schools was computed using t-test case II while gender and type of school interactions were made using ANOVA case II.  The study found that  most of the parents who took their children to private primary schools were average income earners or the middle class group like; nurses, teachers, farmers, business men, pastors mechanics drivers carpenters masonry, civil servants etc. It was only one private school that acknowledged their pupils as belonging to the high-income earners like the Asian community.  Most parents who took their children to public primary schools were also from the middle income earners. Few poor ones had benefited from the Free Primary Education (FPE) project.

Keywords: Children Enrolment, Private Primary Schools, Parents, Free Primary Education, Public Primary Schools.