Re-Entry Strategies and Retention of Teen Mothers in Public Secondary Schools in West Pokot County, Kenya

Millions of children world over, are deprived of their right to education and among them teen mothers’ exclusion. Thus, Kenya government responded to issue of learner exclusion especially teen mothers by formulating re-entry policy that allows teen mothers retention in schools. The statistics indicate that teen mothers’ failure to return to school lower their chances of employment opportunities and make them more vulnerable. The situation is worse in West Pokot County one of Arid and Semi-Arid Counties where the prevalence of teen mothers’ rate is higher than national averages which can worsen high disparity rate between boys and girls. Thus, there is need of the urgent interventions for retention of teen mothers in schools to enable teen mothers enjoy education opportunities. The purpose of this study was to evaluate re-entry strategies on retention of teenage mothers in Public Secondary Schools in West Pokot County, Kenya. The study was guided by four study objectives: to evaluate influence of school preparedness on retention of teen mothers, to examine influence of parental perception on retention of teen mothers, to assess influence of financial support available on retention of teen mothers and to determine influence of social cultural factors on retention of teen mothers in public secondary schools in West Pokot County, Kenya. The research is based on Resiliency theory. The research focused on 1203 individuals categorized as principals, guidance and counseling teachers, and teen mother learners in West Pokot County, Kenya. A sample size of 447 respondents was selected: 11 principals, 105 guidance and counselling teachers and 331 teen mother learners. The research used a descriptive design and gathered quantitative data through questionnaires, while qualitative data was collected through interview schedules. The survey was employed to gather quantitative data from guidance and counseling teachers, and teen mother learners, while the interview schedule gathered qualitative data from principals. The supervisors and experts from Educational Planning and Management verified the credibility of data collection tools, while reliability was assessed through Cronbach alpha. Descriptive statistics helped to summarize sample characteristics like means, frequencies, and standard deviation, while inferential statistics determined relationships between independent and dependent variables (regression and correlation) using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. The results of the research were displayed in tables, line graphs and pie charts. The findings of the study showed that re-entry factors contribute positively to retention of teen mothers in secondary schools in West Pokot County. The study further revealed that school preparedness, parent perceptions, availability of support and cultural factors had positive significant influence on retention of teen mothers in schools. The study first recommends that Ministry of Education should create awareness of re-entry policy among school administrators for effective implementation. Secondly, the study recommends that schools should make learning environment friendly to retention of teen mothers. Lastly, the government and other supporting agencies should increase support for teen mothers to improve their retention in Secondary Schools in Kenya.