Vol. 9(2), pp. 116-125, 2019
ISSN: 2276-7789
Copyright ©2019, the copyright of this article is retained by the author(s)
DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.15580/GJER.2019.2.101319184
https://gjournals.org/GJER
Retaining Teenage Girls in Kenya: The Effect of Provision of Sanitary Pads in Ainamoi Sub-County Primary Schools, Kericho County
University of Kabianga, Kenya
Article No.: 101319184
Type: Research
DOI: 10.15580/GJER.2019.2.101319184
Teenage years of every child are challenging emotionally, physically and psychological especially for the girl child. Studies have indicated that one out of ten girls miss school in Africa during their menstruation periods and eventually drop out as a result. This is due to lack of sanitary towels which the Kenyan Government started providing since 2011. This study sought to determine the effects of provision of sanitary pads on retention of teenage girls before and after the provision of sanitary pads in primary schools. This study adopted liberal feminist theory. A conceptual framework was also formulated. The independent variable was provision of sanitary pads while the dependent variable was retention of teenage girls in primary schools in Ainamoi Sub County, Kericho County. Comparative and ex-post facto research design was adopted. Study population was 99 head teachers and 686 teenage girls. The sample size was 20 head teachers and 140 teenage girls. Data was collected in the form of focus group discussion, questionnaires’ and document analysis to get data on girls’ attendance. Quantitative data was analyzed in the form of descriptive and inferential statistics. While qualitative data was analyzed using themes and sub themes. The study established that there was a strong negative relationship between the provision of sanitary pads and retention of girls in school with a coefficient of -0.724 accounted for 52.42% of the variation. The study concluded that provision of sanitary pads has reduced absenteeism among the girls in primary schools in Ainamoi sub-County, Kericho Count, hence improving teenage girls’ retention in schools. The study recommended that sanitary pads be provided to all teenage girls both in primary schools and secondary to improve on girl child retention in school. The findings of this study are significant to stakeholders in education guiding them on ways of improving teenage girls’ retention in the school.
Submitted: 13/10/2019
Accepted: 22/10/2019
Published: 31/10/2019
*Corresponding Author
Viviline Ngeno
E-mail: vivilinengeno@ yahoo.com
Keywords:
Provision of sanitary pads; Teenage Girls Retention; primary schools
[Full Article – HTML] [Full Article – EPUB]
REFERENCES
Acker, S. (1987). “Feminist Theory and the Study of Gender and Education“, International Review of Education, 33 (4): 419-435.
Arnott, M. (1982) “Male Hegemony, Social Class and Women’s Education”, Journal of Education, 164 (1): 64-89.
Coleman, J.S., Campell, E, Q., Hosbon, C.J., MC Partland, J., Mood, A.M., Weifeld, F.D and York, R, L (1966). Equality of educational opportunity, Washington, D.C. Government printing office.
Creswell, J.W. (2009). Research Design, Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods Approaches. California SAGE Publications.
Gall, D.M., Gall, J.P. & Borg, R.W. (2007). Educational research, an introduction. New York: Longman.
Gathigah, M. (2011). Kenya Parliament opts to Help Girls with Sanitary Pads . Women News Network (WNN); IPS; the Guardian Development Network. Retrieved from www.womennewsnetwork.net/2011/08/16/Kenya-sanitary-pads/ on January 19, 2012.
Gordon, R. (1996) “Legislation and Educational Policy in Zimbabwe: the state and the reproduction of patriarchy” Gender and Education 8(2): 215-229.
Hanushek, E.A, (2008). Education Production Functions. The New Palgave Dictionary of Economics, 2nd edition. Abstract. Basingtoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Hopkins, G . (1990). the poor die young: housing and health. Earth Scan Publications, London.
Jewitt, , S. & Ryley, H (2014). It’s a girl thing: Menstruation, school attendance, spatial mobility and wider gender inequalities in Kenya. Elsevier journal Geoforum. Volume 56, September 2014, Pages 137–147
Liston, V. (2006). NGO’S and Spatial Dimensions of Poverty in Kenya. Dublin: Department of Political Science, Trinity College.
Marlaine, L. and Hanushek, E. (1988). Improving Educational efficiency in developing countries.
Monica J. Grant, Cynthia B. Lloyd & Barbara Mensch, (2013). Menstruation and school absenteeism: Evidence from rural Malawi. Comparative Education Review 57(2): 260-284 (PMC4286891).
Montgomery P., Ryus C.R., Dolan C. S., Dopson S & Scott L. M. (2012). Sanitary Pad Interventions for Girls’ Education in Ghana: A Pilot Study http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0048274.
Mugenda, O.M. & Mugenda, A.G. (2003). Research Methods: Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches. Nairobi: ACTS Press.
Ngayila, L and Zani, A. (2014). An Evaluation Of The Perception Of Secondary School Students Towards Menstruation In Kenya. African Journal of Education and Technology, Volume 4 Number 1 (2014), pp. 83-96
Ngeno, V.C., Simatwa, E.M.W. & Soi, D.C. (2013). Determinants of Girl Students’ Academic Achievement in Mixed Day and Boarding Secondary Schools in Kericho District: An Analytical Study. Educational Research Journal.Vol. 4 (7):543-554. http://www.interesjournals.org/er/.
O’Brien, M. (1983) “Feminism and Education: A Critical Review Essay”, Resources for Feminist Research, 12 (3):3-16.
Phillips, P.A. at el (2011). Menstrual cups and sanitary pads to reduce school attrition, and sexually transmitted and reproductive tract infections: a cluster randomised controlled feasibility study in rural Western Kenya
Pritchett, L and Filmer, D (1997). What Education Production functions Really show; a positive Theory of Education expenditure. World bank.
Psacharapoulos, G. & Woodhall, M. (1985). Education for development. An analysis of investment choices. Washington D.C: Oxford University Press.
Sommer, M. (2009).“Ideologies of sexuality, menstruation and risk: Girls’ experiences of puberty and schooling in northern Tanzania, Culture, Health and Sexuality.” 11, no. 4 (2009): 383.
Stromquist, N. P. (1990a) “Gender Inequality in Education: Accounting for Women’s Subordination,” British Journal of Sociology of Education, 11 (2): 137-153.
UNICEF, (2011). Menstrual Hygiene Key to Keeping Girls in School. UNICEF, INDIA http://www.unicef.in/Story/122/Menstrual-Hygiene-Key-to-Keeping-Girls-in-School
United Nation, (2010). Study on menstrual management in Uganda Main report on the study results. The Netherlands Development Organization (SNV)/IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre.
Wang’anya A, (2018) Effects of provision of sanitary towels on performance of adolescent girls’ in primary schools in Kenya: A case of Matungu Sub-County, Kaka mega County. University of Nairobi.
Woodhall, M. (2004). Analysis in Educational Planning Cost Benefit Analysis in Education. Paris: IIEP .UNESCO.
World Bank, (2017). Education for Global development. A blog about the power of investing in people. World Bank Group. https://blogs.worldbank.org/education/globally-periods-are-causing-girls-be-absent-school
Journal Name : citation_journal : Greener Journal of Educational Research
Publication Status/Date : usp_status_date : 31/10/2019
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Comment *
Name *
Email *
Website
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
Post Comment
