Abstract:
The objective of the article was to establish the impact of human wildlife conflict on acquisition of quality education in Narok West Sub County, Kenya. Human-wildlife conflict, particularly human-carnivore conflict, is a growing problem in today’s crowded world, and can have significant impacts on both human and wildlife populations. Rising global population pressure and associated increases in demands for natural resources have resulted in heightened pressure on areas containing valued biodiversity. Efforts to assist the development of marginalized communities, however, often contravene the conservation of these areas, preventing equal gains in the two. Inflaming this tension is the interaction between economically marginalized communities and protected fauna, which can result in human-wildlife conflict (HWC) of varying forms, including disease transmission, livestock depredation, crop loss and property damage. In Narok County human wildlife conflict poses a threat to acquisition of quality education. Wildlife causes
insecurity within a locality which in turn leads to absenteeism of the students. Wherever absenteeism occurs, its results are clear: Nationally, chronic absence in kindergarten was associated with lower acquisition of quality education in first grade, with the negative impact twice as likely among students from low-income families. Achievement gaps increase at all levels. The researchers found a strong correlation between sixth-grade attendance and the rate at which students graduated from high school on time. Further research shows students miss school for three primary reasons: They cannot attend, due to illness, family responsibilities, housing instability or involvement with juvenile justice; they will not attend because of bullying, unsafe conditions, harassment or embarrassment; or they do not attend because they (and/or their parents) do not value education. Some pupils are forced not to go school to guard their farms in case of crop raiding and also because of feeling insecure.
Key Words: human wildlife conflict, acquisition of quality education
