Influence Of Social Amenities On Academic Performance In Primary Schools In Gichugu Constituency, Kenya

Abstract

Social amenities are important to primary schools as they endeavour to provide quality education. Social amenities in schools include play materials and sanitation but in majority of the schools, little attention is directed towards the influence of social amenities on academic excellence of learners. This study was to assess the influence of social amenities on academic performance in primary schools in Gichugu Constituency, Kenya. The study was guided by the following objectives: to establish the status of social amenities in primary schools; to examine how play amenities affected academic performance of learners in primary schools; to establish how sanitation amenities influences pupils’ performance in primary schools and assess the challenges faced by primary schools in provision of social amenities to learners. This study was guided by Social Constructionist. The target population consisted of 75 primary school head teachers. Kathuri and Pals Table for Sample Size Determination was used to arrive at a sample size of 63 school heads teachers who were randomly selected from the target population. The research instruments used in data collection were the questionnaires and an observation guide. A pilot study was conducted to establish the reliability of the instruments. Data was analysed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS Version 20) to generate charts, frequency tables, means and standard deviations. The study found out that majority of the head teachers agreed with the statement that their school children had access to clean and safe drinking water although there were some schools that used water from the rivers and streams near the schools. The study also found out that majority of the schools had access adequate sanitation amenities for their pupils. The study found out that social play materials play an integral part in assisting children to develop communication,persistence and other social skills. It was noted that sanitation amenities were not adequate for learners and these facilities did not cater for learners with physical disabilities. The study concluded that lack of sanitation amenities such as piped water and good toilets led to occurrence of diseases such as typhoid, cholera and other highly contagious diseases which affect learners’ access to education due to high absenteeism rates. The study recommends that the Ministry of Education and other education stakeholders should emphasis the role of social amenities in primary schools in order to improve learners’ motivation and overall academic performance of all schools in Kenya.