SPATIAL ANALYSIS OF FACTORS INFLUENCING ACCESS TO PUBLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL, KIMUMU WARD- UASIN GISHU COUNTY

Abstract

Planning guidelines in Kenya recommends a school for a specified population. With regard to primary schools, it provides that pupils should attend a school close to their homes within a distance not exceeding 2 km. It is expected that all pupils who attend public primary schools will go to the nearest school. However, it has not been established if these provisions are met in siting of schools and also, if parents enrol their children to the closest public primary school. Descriptive and spatial analysis study was carried out in Kimumu Ward, Uasin Gishu County to determine school attendance patterns, factors influencing school choice and adequacy of schools in the study area. Four hundred and twenty-six pupils from 8 public primary schools participated in the study. Which involved mapping of schools and pupils’ homes. Questionnaires were used to collect data on factors parents consider when selecting schools. Projected 2018 study area population and 2 km buffer zones around the schools were used to mathematically and visually describe adequacy of primary schools. Voronoi maps were used to delineate school catchment areas for identification of those attending versus not attending close school. Logistic regression model was used to determine factors that influenced choice of a school. Findings on the Voronoi delineated catchments revealed that 69% of the pupils were enrolled in schools not close to their homes. The regression analysis depicted academic performance (P =.043), availability of public means of transport (P≤.001), pupil-desk ratio (P ≤.001) and home-school distance (P ≤ .001) influenced choice of a public primary school. Academic performance and availability of public means of transport were found to be the strongest factors that influence the choice of a school with beta (β) values of 2.348 and 0.705 respectively for unstandardized and standardized beta. The study concludes that schools in the study area are adequate but due to different parent tastes and preferences pupils are seen travelling beyond the recommended school distances. The study recommends that planning policy should not only consider distance in siting schools but also factors including academic performance, efficient transport system and availability of space in schools which make schools attractive