Relationship Between School Feeding Programme And Pupils’ Transition From A Class To Another In Public Primary Schools In Kitui County, Kenya

Abstract

Abstract: School Feeding Programme (SFP) was implemented in Kenya in1980 by the government of Kenya in collaboration with World Food Programme (WFP). The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between SFPs and the pupils’ efficiency in learning in public primary schools in Kitui County which is detorioting regardless that there are SFPs. The study assessed transition from a class to another. The study used Classical Liberal Theory of equal opportunity and Maslow’s theory of Human motivation. The study used descriptive survey research design. The target population was 374 head teachers and class seven teachers. The sample size was 112 head teachers which was 30% of the target population. These schools were sampled randomly. The researcher wrote the names of all the schools under feeding Programme in separate pieces of papers, mixed them thoroughly and randomly picked 112 pieces in order to sample the head teachers of those schools. The researcher also sampled five percent (19) class seven teachers of the target population. The researcher wrote the names of all the schools with class seven in pieces of papers mixed them thoroughly and randomly picked 19 of them and sampled the class seven teachers of those schools. This made a total of 131 respondents. The research instruments used were the questionnaires for head teachers which produced quantitate data and structured interview questions for class seven teachers which produced qualitative data. To test validity of the research instruments, a piloting study was carried in two schools (10%) of the sample target of 19 class seven teachers. Reliability of the research instruments was done using test-retest method. Quantitatively collected data was analyzed using Descriptive Statistics and Pearson r product moment with the help of SPSS software while qualitatively collected data was analyzed using Focus by Question Analyses Strategy by establishing similarities and differences from the class seven teachers’ verbatim. Analyzed results were presented using tables, graphs and pie-charts. Results show that there was a significant relationship between SFP and transition of pupils in public primary schools in kitui County. Findings from the interviews further confirmed that there was a significant relationship between SFP and the pupils transition from a class to another. The Null hypothesis was therefore rejected and led to the acceptance of the Alternative hypothesis that there is significant relationship between SFP and the pupils’ transition from a class to anther in public primary schools in Kitui Count