Creative Education
2013. Vol.4, No.3, 180-184
Published Online March 2013 in SciRes (http://www.scirp.org/journal/ce) DOI:10.4236/ce.2013.43026
Dropout among Male Pupils in Primary Schools of Igembe
District, Kenya
George M. Muthaa1*, Misheck M. M’muyuri2, David Bururia1, Eric E. Mwenda1
1Department of Education, Chuka University, Chuka, Kenya
2Burieruri Boy s High School, Meru, Kenya
Received November 12th, 2012; revised December 15 th, 2012; accepted December 30th, 2012
Education plays a key role in human development through the process of empowering people to improve
their well being and participation in national building. Dropout however poses a serious threat to gains in
education despite the Government emphasis on Education for All by the year 2015. In Igembe District the
problem is more pronoused among the male children. The study used the ex-post facto research design.
The target and accessible population constituted of educational officers, head teachers, guidance and
counseling teachers and pupils. A sample size of 364 was used for the study. This study sought informa-
tion on causes of dropout among boys and strategies that could be adopted to address this problem. The
study established that dropout of male pupils was a common problem that required urgent attention. The
major factors leading to dropout included; child labour, family instability, initiation, drug abuse and lack
of role models. The study recommends affirmative action for the boy child, abolishing of child labour and
initiation of boys after completion of primary school as strategies that could address dropout among male
pupils.
Keywords: Dropouts; Male Pupils
Introduction
Education is the foundation of economic development of
human resources without which limitations are bound to be
there (Kichakuri, 2002). Psacharopoulos (1985) in his study on
education for development found that education brought in high
social rates of return which he estimated to be 27% for com-
pleted primary education and 15% - 17% for secondary edu-
cation. Psacharopoulos (1985) also found that private returns
of education were significantly higher than social returns
reaching 49% for primary and 26% for secondary education.
Psacharopoulos (1985) concluded that education remains a
profitable occupation and its social rate of return exceeds. This
gave impetus to the current study.
Todaro (1994) observes that causes of wastage vary from
region to region, country to country, school to school and
individual to individual. The World Bank (1998) called for
various studies on dropout to be carried in various regions,
countries and localities to minimize dropout and improve ef-
ficiency in education. The Media pointed out that due to the
emphasis on “rerouting girls back to school”, the dropout rate
of girls had declined although it was still high in some dis-
tricts such as Kisumu and Suba. Currently the dropout rate in
the whole nation stands at 2.1% for boys and 2.0% for girls.
Despite these observations no study had been done to esta-
blish the cause s of higher dropout of boys. This gave impetus
to the current study. The same report points out that in fight-
ing dropout for girls the dropout of boys should also be con-
sidered because it can compound the problem. This was be-
cause the studies done at Suba District indicated that young
men who dropped out of school enticed young girls with
money earned from fishing and made them to also drop from
school (Mwaniki, 2008). The study sought ways of redu-
cing boys’ dropout which could also help in reducing girls’
dropout.
In Igembe District, Kimondo (2007) observed that the drop-
out rate of male pupils in primary schools was higher than that
of the females. Kimondo (2007) stated that from pre-school
to standard four, there was a balance between the two sexes but
later the number of males became very few. However he did
not explain what caused that situation and that issue became
the contention of this study. Gatere (2007) stated that the male
child was endangered due to mass dropout from school des-
pite the FPE. Gatere (2007) sited two cases of primary schools
visited in Mutuati division in which one class had 10 boys
against 30 girls in standard eight. The other case had only 5
boys in a class of 35 pupils in standard eight. Despite these
observations no study had been made by policy makers and
educationist in the region alike to establish the basis of the
problem.
Statement of the Problem
Basic education is a pre-requisite for attaining the Kenyan
Vision 2030 in which the country is expected to be industria-
lized. The major drawback in attaining EFA and vision 2030 is
the school dropout. Despite the huge expenditure by the Go-
vernment in providing free primary education, a substantial
amount of this expenditure is spent on those who drop out of
school. This is wastage of the scarce national resources since
the dropouts had not acquired the knowledge and skills ex-
pected of them. In Igembe District the report from Kimondo
(2007) and Gatere (2007) on education pointed out that the
*Corresponding autho r.
Copyright © 2013 SciRe s .
180

G. M. MUTHAA ET AL.
dropout rate of male pupils was higher to that of females. De-
spite these observations there was no research which had been
carried out on the causes of that trend. The study sought to
determine the causes of dropout of male pupils in primary
schools.
Objectives of the Study
The study was guided by the following objectives:
1) To determine the causes of dropout on primary school
male pupils.
2) To determine strategies of reducing the dropout of male
pupils.
Methodology
The study used the ex-post facto research design. This study
was carried out in Igembe District of Eastern Province. The
District was chosen since according to Kimondo (2007) and
Gatere (2007) it was among few Districts in Kenya in which the
dropout of male pupils was higher than that of the females. The
target and accessible population constituted of educational of-
ficers, head teachers, guidance and counseling teachers and
pupils. In the study, standard eight pupils were sampled pur-
posely. According to Kathuri and Pals (1993) a population of
6762 requires a sample of 364 individuals. This was obtained
from 30 primary schools which were sampled using simple
random sampling. The researcher used 30 head teachers and 30
guidance and counseling teachers from the sampled schools for
this study. 26 sampled primary schools provided 10 class eight
pupils each and the other 4 primary schools provided 11 class
eight pupils each and this made a total of 304 pupils. A sample
size of 364 was used for the study.
The data for this research was collected using questionnaires
and observation schedule. There were three sets of question-
naires, one for standard 8 pupils, the second for head teachers
and the third for guidance and counseling teachers. During
visits to sampled schools the researcher made observations on
the situation in the sampled schools and locations and paid
particular attention to distance to school, socio-economic ac-
tivities in neighborhoods of the school and engagement of the
boys outside the school in the sampled community. The pur-
pose of making personal observation was to obtain additional
and collaborative data which enhanced the data gathered
through questionnaire. In testing the reliability of the instru-
ment, the Spearman’s Rank Order Correlation Coefficient (r)
was used. The data acquired by the researcher was both quanti-
tative and qualitative data and was analyzed using the Statisti-
cal Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 11.5. Descrip-
tive statistics was used in analyzing data.
Findings
The study sought information on gender of both head teach-
ers and guidance and counseling teachers. Majority (83.3%) of
the head teachers were males and 16.7% were females. Simi-
larly majority (56.7%) of guidance and counseling teachers
were males and 43.3% were females. This indicates that fe-
males were under represented in both the headship and in
guidance and counseling in schools
The study sought information on the administrative experi-
ence of head teachers. This re fers t o the nu mber of years teach-
ers had headed a school. The questionnaire contained items that
sought information on administrative experiences of head
teachers. The study established that 43.3% of head teachers had
been in headship for 0 - 5 years, 36.7% had been in headship
for 6 - 10 years, 13.3% had been in headship for 11 - 15 years
and 6.7% had been in headship for over 20 years.
The questionnaire sought information on the experiences of
the guidance and counseling teachers. Majority of guidance and
counseling teachers (80%) had experience of only 0 - 5 years
whereas 16.7% of guidance and counseling teachers had ex-
perience of 6 - 10 years and only 3.3% of guidance and coun-
seling teachers had experience of 11 - 15 years. This indicated
that majority of guidance and counseling teachers are relatively
young in this area.
The researcher sought information on the courses undertaken
by the guidance and counseling teachers in guidance and coun-
seling. Only 6.7% of the respondents had diploma course in
guidance and counseling and 6.7% had certificate in guidance
and counseling. 16.7% of respondents had attended workshop,
6.7% had attended seminars while 36.7% had only covered
guidance and counseling as a unit in college. This shows that
majority of guidance and counseling teachers in primary school
in the area of study had not been equipped with relevant skills
to perform their duties. This may offer some explanation on the
causes of dropout of the boy child.
The researcher used 153 boys (50.3%) and 151 Girls (49.7%).
The researcher sought information on the age of the pupil re-
spondents. Majority of the pupils, 62.8% were in age of 14 - 15
years. 11.3% of respondents were in age of 12 - 13 years,
22.7% were in age of 16 - 17 years while 3.2% were in age of
18 - 19 years. This implies that majority of the pupils are above
the primary school going age. This may account partially for
the dropout rate.
Causes of Dro pout
A section was included in pupils’ questionnaire that sought
information on whether pupils knew any male pupils from their
school who had dropped out of school. In the study, 94.4%
pupils indicated that they knew male pupils who had dropped
out of school and only 4.6% of the respondents said they did
not know any male pupil who had dropped out. Majority said
that boys dropped out after circumcision since they became
rebellious in school. Such student demand share of parent’s
property and others drop out of school in order to inherit their
father’s property. Others dropped out of school in order to look
for money from lucrative miraa business. Other reasons stated
are: use of drugs, unstable families, laziness, peer pressure, lack
of motivation, forced repetition, lack of guidance, indiscipline,
lack of basic things like food and clothes.
The researcher sought information on the classes in which
dropout took place. Majority of male pupils (37.2%) dropped
out of school in class 5 - 6 while 14.8% dropped in class 3 - 4
and 30.1% in class 7 - 8 whereas 14.1% of pupils indicated that
dropout was uniform at all levels. 3.0% of pupils did not re-
spond to that item. The researcher sought further information
on what the dropouts did to earn a living. Majority (94.4%) of
the respondents indicated that the school dropouts were em-
ployed as casuals in miraa picking or did petty miraa trade
whereas 22.4% of the dropouts were employed as house boys
while 15.1% were employed to take care of cattle. 4.6% of the
respondents said that some of dropouts earned their living
through stealing.
Copyright © 2013 SciRe s . 181

G. M. MUTHAA ET AL.
Copyright © 2013 SciRe s . 182
Extent of Dro pout
The researcher sought information from head teachers and
guidance and counseling teachers on the extent of dropout of
male pupils in their stations. In the study, 13.3% of head teach-
ers and 13.3% of guidance and counseling teachers indicated
that the dropout of male pupils had affected their institution to a
very great extent, while 53.3% of head teachers’ respondents
and 63.3% guidance and counseling teachers’ respondents in-
dicated that the dropout of male pupils had affected their insti-
tutions to a great extent. Only 6.7% of head teachers respon-
dents had no opinion, while 23.3% of head teachers respon-
dents and 20% of guidance and counseling teacher respondents
said that dropout of male pupils had affected their institutions
to a small extent whereas 3.3% of both head teacher and guid-
ance and counseling teacher respondents said that the dropout
of male pupils had affected their institutions to a very small
extent. These findings implied that the dropout of male pupils
affected the sampled schools to a great extent hence the need to
seek for solutions to curb that problem.
Factors that led to the dropout of pupils could be school re-
lated or out of school. School related factors included: the
school administration and the indiscipline. The out of the
school factors were those found outside the school. Those in-
cluded parent’s social economic and marital status, child labor,
HIV/AIDS, and traditions of the community. The questionnaire
for pupils contained a section to inquire whether the respon-
dents had felt like dropping out of school and 15.8% of the
respondents said they had felt like dropping out of school. The
reasons which made them feel like dropping out of the school,
respondents gave the following reasons as illustrated in Table
1.
School Administration and Dropout of Male Pupils
The questionnaires contained parts that sought information
on the effect of school administration on dropout of male pupils
in primary schools. The views and opinions of head teacher,
guidance and counseling and standard 8 pupils on the items of
the questionnaire dealing with this aspect were analyzed as
shown in the Table 2.
Discipline and Dropout of Male Pupils
The questionnaires contained items that sought information
on the effect of discipline on school dropout of male pupils.
Causes of dropout related to discipline included: drug abuse,
indiscipline, rebellion against school environment, punishment
and desertion. The leading factor was drug abuse which was
mentioned by 66.7% of head teachers, 76.7% of guidance and
counseling teachers and 66.8% of pupils. It was noted that drug
abuse was mentioned more by the guidance and counseling
teachers than others. The second factor was indiscipline which
was stated by 70% of head teachers, 63.3% of guidance and
counseling teachers and 63.2% of pupil respondents. These
finding were similar to findings of Michieka (1983) who noted
that indiscipline was one of the main contributor of dropout in
Kisii. The effect of punishment on dropout was mentioned by
46.7% of head teachers, 33.3% of guidance and counseling
teachers and 51.6% of pupil respondents. Rebellion against
school environment was mentioned by 43.5% of head teachers,
50.0% of guidance and counseling and 39.1% of the pupils
while desertion was not mentioned by any of the head teachers
but was mentioned by 46.7% of guidance and counseling
Table 1.
Reasons for feeling like dropping out of school.
Frequency (F) Percentage (%)
Lack of basic needs such as food 24 37.5
Enticement from classmates who
dropped out of school 14 21.9
Divorce of parents 8 12.5
Irresponsible parents/drunkard
parents 7 10.9
Lack of motivation from pa rents5 7.8
Mistreatment by step mothers 4 6.25
Not doing well in exams 2 3.13
Totals 64 100
Table 2.
Administrative rela ted causes of school dropout.
Head teacher Guidance and counseling teacher Standard 8 pupils
Major cause F % F % F %
Lack of interest in enhancing activities 18 60.0 15 50.0 106 34.9
Lack of motivation 14 46.7 13 43.3 134 44.1
Lack of counseling 12 40.0 8 26.7 140 46.1
Poor relationship between administration and pup ils 11 36.6 1 3.3 63 20.1
Poor academic performance 10 33.3 16 53.3 160 52.6
Lack and conducive environm e nt 9 30.0 2 6.7 85 27.0
Poor relationship between head teacher and teacher 2 6.7 1 3.3 48 15.8
Lack of confidence with head teacher 2 6.7 0 0 27 8.9
Absenteeism of head te acher 0 0 0 0 31 10.2

G. M. MUTHAA ET AL.
teachers and 41.1% of the pupils.
The questionnaires sought information from respondents
concerning the effect of parent socio-economic factors on
dropout. The major factor which contributed to dropout in-
cluded: Lack of role models which was mentioned by 73.3% of
head teachers, 76.7% of guidance and counseling teachers and
47.0% of pupils. The second was low level of parental educa-
tion which was stated by 66.7% of head teachers, 90% of guid-
ance and counseling teachers and 53.9% of pupils. This was
followed by hunger which was stated by 66.7% of head teach-
ers, 76.7% of guidance and counseling teachers and 63.8% of
pupils. The effect of lack of uniform to dropout was men-
tioned by 40% of head teachers, 46.7% of Guidance and coun-
seling and 42.4% of pupils and that was found to be minor
since it scored below 50% in the t h r e e questionnaires.
The researcher sought information on the effect of child la-
bour on the dropout of male pupils in primary schools. Majority
of Respondents; with (90%) of head teachers, 96.7% of guid-
ance and counseling teachers, and 89.8% of pupils indicated
that child labour contributed to dropout. The effect of boys
taking parental roles was low since it was only mentioned by
40% of head teachers, 50.0% of guidance and counseling
teachers and 50.3% of pupils. 94.4% of the dropouts were ei-
ther picking miraa or doing petty trade involving miraa. The
observation schedule added more weight on that point since
most of boys of school age seen around schools catchment ar-
eas were picking miraa, preparing and packaging miraa, carry-
ing miraa from farms to towns and doing petty trade in miraa.
Traditions and Dropout of Mal e P upi l s
The questionnaires contained sections that sought informa-
tion on the effect of traditions on the dropout of male pupils in
primary schools. The effects of traditions and initiations on
dropout in the study was significant since was mentioned by
76.7% of head teachers, 83.3% of guidance and counseling
teachers, and 57.9% of pupils. The respondents explained that
after initiation boys are said to be grown up and have freedom
to engage in activities of their choice. These traditional gradua-
tes assume that they have power and authority and when they
go to school, they become rebellious and subsequently drop out
of school. These traditional graduates are also entitled to inherit
property of their parents, therefore most drop out of school to
acquire properties.
Sex Mainly Affected by Dropout
The questionnaires sought information on the sex that was
mainly affected by dropout. Majority (93%) of head teacher felt
that it was boys who drop out of school more than girls, while
87% of Guidance and Counseling teachers agreed with the head
teachers and 54.3% of pupils said that boys were mainly af-
fected by dropout than girls. That indicated that boys were
more affected by dropout than girls in the district.
The researcher sought further explanation on why boys were
dropping out of school more than the girls. The Head teacher
said that boys drop out to pick miraa an activity which does not
favor girls since it was a taboo for girls to climb trees. The
other reason given was that initiation led for demand for more
freedom and that caused rebellion and subsequent dropout from
school. Traditional graduates were also entitled to inheritance
of father’s property and that led to lack of concentration in
school and subsequent dropout from school. Contrary the girls
were not entitled to inherit parents’ property and the only way
available for them to make up in life was to remain in school.
Guidance and counseling teachers emphasized further that there
was no proper follow-up of boys after initiation since they were
said to be traditional graduates. The standard 8 pupils also em-
phasized that the money from miraa lured boys out of school
especially from orphaned and unstable families due to many
unmet needs.
An item was includes in questionnaires that sought informa-
tion on whether the dropout of boys had any effect to the girls.
Majority of head teachers (73.3%) said that the dropout of boys
also affected girls. That was supported by 60% of guidance and
counseling teachers and 62.8% of the pupils. When the respon-
dents were requested to give explanation for t h eir answers, he a d
teachers stated that the dropout of boys also affects girl since
boys who dropped out of school acquired money from miraa
which they used to lure girls leading to dropout. Guidance and
counseling emphasized that the boys who had dropped out of
school enticed girls in primary schools with money earned from
miraa and that led to early sex which led to pregnancy. The
pupils urged that the dropout acquired a lot of money from
miraa which they used to buy presents to girls like mobile
phones in exchange for sex which led to pregnancy and dropout.
Others reported that: Due to lack of basis needs, some girls opt
to borrow from classmates who dropped out of school and
when this happens boys are rewarded with sex which led to
pregnancy and subsequent dropout.
Suggestions on Ways of Reducing the Dropout of
Male Pupils
The head teachers, guidance and counseling and standard 8
pupils were asked to give suggestions on what could be done to
reduce the dropout of male pupils in primary school. The sug-
gestions by the three sets of respondents are presented on Table
3.
Table 3.
Methods of addressing the problem of dropout in schools.
Head
teachers
Guidance and
counseling
teacher
Standard 8
pupils
Method of addressing problem
of dropout F % F % F%
Stopping child labour 24 80 26 86.722473.7
Forcing parents to educate boy s25 83.3 22 73.321771.4
Initiating boys after primary
schools 21 70 23 76.722975.3
Strengthening gui dance and
counseling 21 70 20 66.722774.7
Improvement of discipline in
schools 20 66.7 18 6016955.6
Involvement of all stake holder s17 56.7 14 46.712541.1
Affirmative action for boy child16 53.3 15 5014547.7
Having activities to motivate
pupils 14 46.7 15 5014246.7
Abolish drugs such as miraa in
school 12 40 10 33.312942.4
Follow up of dropouts 12 40 11 36.711136.5
Copyright © 2013 SciRe s . 183

G. M. MUTHAA ET AL.
Conclusion
The study established that dropout of male pupils in primary
schools was a major challenge that requires to be addressed to
urgently. The findings of the study indicate that there are
shortcomings in the methods used by primary schools in curb-
ing the dropout of male pupils. The guidance and counseling
teachers have not been equipped with the relevant skills re-
quired to deal with the problem of dropout in schools. There is
need therefore to take them for induction courses in order to
equip them with necessary.
The study established the major factors that lead to dropout
which includes: child labor, family instability, initiation and
traditions, low level of parental education, drug and substance
abuses, hunger and lack of role models. In order to overcome
these problems, the study calls for joint effort among school
administration, parents, sponsors, NGOs and other stakeholder
in implementation of the suggested methods of curbing dropout
of male pupils. The study established that there is a relationship
between dropout of boys and that of girls since when boys drop
out of school; they make girls also to follow the same suit.
Recommendations of the Study
Based on the findings of the current study, the following
recommendati o ns we re made:
1) There should be affirmative action for boy child in the
District. This is because education offers the best opportunity
for one to come out of poverty and to be good managers of the
resources avail able.
2) Community mobilization programmes are essential to sen-
sitize people on the importance of education. This should be
carried out through seminars and workshops.
3) Child labour should be discouraged and those involved
prosecuted. The Provincial Administration should be vigilant
arrest members of the community who hire school children to
work in their miraa farms.
4) BOY’s initiations should not be done to boys after com-
pleting primary school to improve the transition from primary
to secondary.
REFERENCES
Abagi, O., & Ondipo, G. (1997). Efficiency of primary education in
Kenya: Situation analysis and implications for education reform.
Nairobi: PAR Publicati on.
Akeyo, Q. M. (2004). Determination of drop out among students from
secondary school in Homa-Bay District. Nairobi: University of Nai-
robi.
Gachoki, T. N. (2005). An investigation into the causes of drop out
among male students in secondary schools in Kipiriri division of
Nyandarua District. Nairobi: University of Nairobi.
Gatere, A. (2007). No schooling please, we are Igembe boys. Teachers’
Image, a Quartely Magazine b y the TSC, 14, 34-35.
Republic of Kenya (2002). Kenya gazette suplement, acts 2000. Nai-
robi: Government Printer.
Republic of Kenya (2003). Free primary education. A task force on its
implementation. Nairobi: Government Printer.
Republic of Kenya (2003). Economic recovery strategy for wealth and
employment creation. Nairobi: Government Printer.
Kathuri, N. J., & Pals, E. (1993). Introduction to education research.
Njoro: Egerton University.
Kichakuri, M. N. (2002). A study of wastage in primary schools of
Taita Taveta District, Kenya. Kenya: Nairobi University.
Kimondo, C. (2007). Girls beat boys in attendance. Teachers’ Image, a
Quarterly Magazine by the TSC, 14, 31.
Mwaniki, M. (7 May 2008). Pregnancies kick girls out of school. The
Daily Nation, 5.
Nafula, N. N. (2002). Achieving sustainable universal primary educa-
tion through debt relief. Nairobi: KIPRA.
NARC (2002). NARC Manifesto: Democracy and Employment. Nairobi:
NARC.
Psacharopoulos, G., & Woodhall, M. (1985). Education for develop-
ment, an analysis of invest and choices. Washington, DC: Oxford
University Press.
Todaro, P. M. (1994). Economic development (5th ed.). New York:
Longman Publishers.
Wangui, B. (10 September 2008). Alarms over boys dropout in central
province. The East African Standard, 13.
World Bank (2003). Achieving UPE by 2015. A chance for every child.
Washington, DC: International Bank for Reconstruction and World
Bank Publication.
Copyright © 2013 SciRe s . 184