Projecting the demand for secondary school places in the year 2015 In Eldoret West District in Kenya

Abstract

One of the factors constraining secondary Education Enrolment is that the growth in number of secondary schools has not matched that of primary schools. The purpose of this study was to project the demand for secondary school places in the year 2015. The study was conducted in Eldoret West District in the Rift Valley Province of Kenya. The specific research objectives were; to establish the current enrolment rate of primary schools from 2006 - 2010; predict the number of students who will be in secondary schools in 2015; determine the primary school wastage trend from 2006 - 2010; determine the transition rate from primary to secondary schools and predict the demand of spaces in secondary schools in the year 2015. The data was collected by use of questionnaires, interview schedule and document analysis. The study was based on Social Demand Approach which argues that education is a basic human right that must be provided to every member of the society. The major goal in this approach is to provide education to as many individuals who may be in need of it. Descriptive statistics such as means, frequencies, and percentages were used in data analysis. The findings are presented in Tables, charts, and graphs. The study established an increase in enrolment in primary schools which should translate to an increase in enrolment in secondary schools. A high wastage rate was also noted. Measures should be put in place to curtail the high repetition in primary schools. The study findings are expected to benefit educational planners and policy and policy makers in the Ministry of Education. The findings indicate that the number of students expected to be in secondary schools in the year 2015 in Eldoret West District would be 19,362.