THE INFLUENCE OF RAINFALL VARIABILITY ON PRIMARY SCHOOL ATTENDANCE IN MBEERE NORTH CONSTITUENCY

Abstract

Climate change persists as a significant hurdle to sustainable development. In Mbeere North Constituency, Embu County – Kenya, unpredictable weather patterns and prolonged droughts have disrupted economic livelihoods and social structures contributing to increased absenteeism among primary school pupils. Grounded on the Sustainable Livelihood Framework this study adopted a convergent parallel design which integrated quantitative and qualitative data. This study examined the influence of rainfall variability on primary school attendance in Mbeere North Constituency - with the goal of identifying how this climate specific element hampers pupils’ consistence participation in education. The sample population were- 48 teachers whom questionnaires were administered to, 8 headteachers, 2 chiefs,1 National Drought Management Authority officer and 1 Sub County Education Officer who were the study’s key informants’ and 8 FGDs which were conducted across 8 primary schools each FGD having 6 participants. Based on the study objective – To examine the influence of rainfall variability on primary school attendance in Mbeere North Constituency, Quantitative data, gathered via questionnaires was analyzed using SPSS version 24, employing descriptive statistics while Qualitative data collected through interviews and FGDS were analyzed thematically. Correlation model was employed to determine the influence of rainfall variability on primary school attendance. 

This research seeks to enrich the broader discourse on climate emergencies along with education, highlighting the urgent need for adaptive strategies to ensure that children in vulnerable communities can access quality education despite the challenges posed by a changing climate.