Socio-Economic Factors and Internal Efficiency of Education: A Critical Analysis of Public Day Secondary Schools in Chepalungu Sub County, Bomet – Kenya

Abstract

Education plays a critical role in promoting economic, social, cultural and political development of individuals, communities, nations and humanities. The purpose of this study was to establish effects of parental income levels and students’ engagement in household duties on internal efficiency of education in public day secondary schools in Chepalungu Sub County, Bomet County, Kenya. The study was underpinned by the educational production theory which asserts that an education process is looked at as where inputs are converted into outputs. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design and targeted a population of 327 Class Teachers, 3277 students and 62 principals. A sample of 14 schools, 66 class teachers and 346 students were used as study respondents. Field survey method was adopted to collect data using questionnaires and document analysis. Data collected was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 21) and presented using tables, frequencies and percentages. The study findings revealed that the two factors of parental income levels and students’ engagement in household duties influenced internal efficiency in the provision of secondary education in Chepalungu Sub-County. The study found out that rates of student retention were very low due to low levels of parental income and students’ engagement in household duties. Also, most parents in Chepalungu sub-county were depicted to be poor or very poor as most parents were subsistence farmers, small scale business persons or casual workers. From the findings of the study, the researchers recommend that the impoverished status of the sub county should be addressed as a matter of urgency by the community with the assistance of the government for the parents to have reliable sources of income to economically support their children in school. There should be a departure from the reliance on formal or salaried employment which at the moment accounts for less than 30% of the total employment. There should also be sensitization against negative attitudes and values that tend to undermine the progress of students’ education such as child labour and other household duties.