Stakeholders’ intervention measures in curbing teenage pregnancy crisis in public secondary schools in Machakos county, Kenya

Abstract

Teenage pregnancy remains a persistent global crisis that profoundly impacts the socio-economic wellbeing of nations, citizens and families. It is a main contributor to school dropout rates, poor academic achievements, early marriages, and decreased school attendance for female learners. The study sought to investigate stakeholders’ intervention measures in curbing teenage pregnancy crisis in public secondary schools in Machakos County, Kenya. The aims of the research were to authedicate the relationship between parental socio-economic support to their daughters and teenage pregnancy; examine the relationship between school guidance and counseling programs and teenage pregnancy; assess the relationship between principal’s involvement of parents in student’s discipline and teenage pregnancy and investigate the relationship between Life Skills Education and teenage pregnancy in public secondary schools in Machakos County. The reviewed Literature was based on the research aims whereas the research was anchored on social learning theory postulated by Albert Bandura (1966). The research utilized a descriptive research design. The research target population was 360 principals, 360 Heads of Department (HOD’s) Guidance and Counseling (G&C), 360 Parent Association (PA) chairpersons and, 103,517 students. The study gathered data from a sample of 189 schools comprising Boys only, Girls only and Mixed schools. The participants of the study, who were proportionately sampled included; principals, HOD’s G&C, PA chair persons and form three students from the selected schools. Data was collected using questionnaires, interview schedules, Focused Group Discussions (FGD) and document analysis. The Collected data was analyzed using SPSS software version 25. Descriptive analysis was done using frequencies, measures of central tendency and dispersion particularly the mean and standard deviation. Hypotheses were tested using Pearsons’ correlation coefficient at the 0.05 level of significance. The study results revealed that teenage pregnancy was prevalent in Machakos county with an average of 173 cases recorded annually. Each school in the county also recorded at least 2 cases of teenage pregnancy yearly. Further, the findings from the research show that there was a positive and significant relationship between parental socio-economic support on their daughters and teenage pregnancy (rp =.550 & rh = 0.497; p≤ .05). There was also a positive and significant relationship between school G&C programs and teenage pregnancy (rp =.361 & rh = 0.497; p≤ .05). Additionally, the study found a positive and significant relationship between principal’s engagement of parents in student’s discipline and teenage pregnancy (rp =.379 & rh = 0.564; p≤ .05). Lastly, the research findings revealed that there was also a positive and significant relationship between Life Skills Education and teenage pregnancy in public secondary schools in Machakos County, Kenya (rp =.575 & rh = 0.414; p≤ .05). The study suggests that the Ministry of Education(MoE) should give incentives to inspire more education sector players to participate in giving socio-economic support to girls from lower socio-economic backgrounds as well as making G&C programs mandatory in all schools. Further, the research recommends that PAs should work collaboratively with principals to make sure that parents are engaged in all matters affecting their children and that KICD should review the Life Skill Education syllabus to include content on sex education. In addition, the MOE should include LSE in teacher education as a learning area or infuse LSE in a specific subject combination so that the Teachers Service Commission(TSC) posts teachers to teach LSE specifically, making it compulsory and examinable. It is hoped that through these interventions, teenage pregnancy cases in the county will significantly reduce.