Influence of Periodic Mobility of Nomadic Pastoralist Parents on Retention of Early Years Learners’ Education in Turkana East Sub County, Kenya

Abstract

Completion of education involves access and retention of the learner in an institution of learning. However, retention challenges pose a great drawback. This paper assesses the influence of periodic mobility of nomadic pastoralist parents on the retention of early year's learner education. The study was guided by Ecological Systems Theory postulated by Bronfenbrenner in 1994. Descriptive survey research design was used. The target population was 402: comprising 300 ECDE teachers, 101 parents and 1 Sub County Director of Education in charge of ECDE. The sample size was 121 and categorized as follows: 1 Sub County Director of Education, 90 ECDE teachers, 30 parents, and 10 from each of the three wards in the Sub County. Structured and semi-structured questionnaires, and interview schedules were used to collect data. Quantitative data was analyzed by descriptive statistics using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25. Qualitative data was analyzed thematically and presented by table of frequency and percentages. The findings revealed that periodic mobility interferes with children's access to education. The researcher recommends the following: the community should collaborate with the nomadic pastoralists to enhance access to education; the government should provide adequate mobile schools furnished with learning resources; policy makers should come up with policies that will provide the nomadic pastoralists with voluntary room for some of their animals to be bought during dry season; feeding programmes should be provided at home and in school. A study is necessary on "the long-term effects of nomadic pastoralists' children on academic performance.