Effect of UPE policy implementation and home environments on children’s enjoyment of their right to elementary education in Mawokota county, Mpigi district

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate the level of children’s enjoyment of their right to elementary education and how this level was affected by the UPE policy implementation and home environments in Mawokota County. The study was occasioned by an observation that these environments were characterised by problems such as inadequate funding, high dropout rates, poor quality of provided education, high levels of head teacher and teacher demoralization, and parental laxity. It was however, not clear how such environments affected pupils’ enjoyment of their right to elementary education. The objectives of the study were, hence, to examine (1) the level at which pupils in UPE schools of Mawokota County enjoyed this right and how this level was affected by the (2) UPE implementation policy environment and (3) home environment in this county. The study employed a case study research design and used a mixed methods approach to data collection and analysis. While the quantitative method was used to establish and describe the effect of the two environments on children’s enjoyment of their right to education, qualitative approach was used to corroborate findings from the quantitative method. Data was collected from 157 respondents who included purposively selected district inspector, sub county education officer, parents and head teachers as well as randomly selected teachers and pupils. The data were collected using interview guides and questionnaires, and analysed using the narrative, thematic, descriptive, data transformation, and linear regression methods of analysis aided by the SPSS program. Results indicate that the level at which pupils enjoyed their right to elementary education was low, with some pupils not enjoying it all. The UPE policy implementation and home environments affected the level of enjoying this right in a significant and positive manner. Both environments were unfavourable with the home environment being characterised by parents not playing their role as expected, and the policy environment characterised by very inadequate government funding, overwhelmed internal school administration and overstretched and demoralised head teachers and teachers. School inspection was infrequent and ineffective. From these findings, it was concluded that both environments explained why pupils did not fully enjoy their right to elementary education. It was, therefore, recommended that the stakeholders responsible for ensuring that children enjoy this right should ensure that it is fully enjoyed by playing their respective roles effectively.