Factors Influencing Implementation of The 100 Percent Transition Policy in Public Primary Schools in Sololo Sub-County, Marsabit County, Kenya

Abstract

To provide all students with 12 years of continuous learning, the idea of a smooth transition from elementary to secondary school has gained international attention. The low secondary school attendance percentage in Kenya is due to the country's high secondary education costs. The government introduced Free Tuition for Secondary Education and Free Day Secondary Education to lower the cost of education and speed up the transition from primary to secondary school. However, this initiative has not resulted in a 100% transfer rate across the majority of the nation. Finding the factors influencing Sololo Sub-County, Marsabit County's execution of the 100% transfer policy from public elementary schools was the study's main objective. The specific objectives were to; examine the impact of cultural factors, parents' socioeconomic status, parents' educational level, and delivery of KCPE to students on the implementation of the 100% transition policy in public primary schools. The study is informed by the manufacturing characteristic model. Descriptive survey design was used to anchor the study. The target population was 841 comprising one Director of sub-county Education, 25 Heads of primary schools, 25 chairpersons of primary schools BOM, and 790 KCPE candidates. Through the use of stratified, simple random, and purposive sampling methods, a sample size of 120 respondents was chosen. The key data collection instruments were interview schedules and questionnaires. Pilot testing of the research instrument was conducted and data was used to check for validity and reliability of the data collection instruments. Quantitative data that was presented in tables, percentages, means, and standard deviations were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The content analysis method was used to examine the qualitative data. The study's conclusions showed that cultural influences had a detrimental and significant impact on how the 100% transition strategy was implemented. Results showed that social-economic status and KCPE score had a positive and substantial impact on how the 100% transition policy was implemented. Additionally, the execution of the 100% transition policy was not significantly impacted by the educational level of the parents. The research concludes that cultural characteristics, social economic position, and KCPE performance have a major impact on the execution of the 100% transfer strategy from public primary schools. The government of Kenya should review policies relating to negative cultural practices such as early marriages, teenage pregnancies, and child abuse, support parents through substantial subsidization of tuition fees to ensure that children do not miss school due to lack of school fees, develop programs aimed at creating awareness to parents on the importance of taking their children to secondary schools, and encourage learners to work hard and perform well in national examination since it is a determinant of joining secondary schools of their choice. The study significantly contributes to our understanding of the factors that influence how the 100% transition strategy is implemented