Influence of private tuition on students’ academic performance in public secondary schools ingucha south sub county, Kisii County, Kenya

Over the last two decades, private tutoring has emerged as an important issue in determining the level of academic achievement, as its demand has been growing all over the world. Going for private tuition over the holidays is common practice despite the government’s policy that forbids it. However, the extent of the outcome of private tutoring is not yet clear and distinct. The study examined the influence of private tuition on students’ academic performance in public secondary schools in Gucha South Sub County, Kisii County, Kenya. The purpose of this study was to establish the influence of private tuition on students’ academic performance. The study was guided by the following objectives: To investigate the cost implication of private tuition on performance in public secondary schools in Gucha south sub county in Kisii County; To find out factors influencing participation in private tuition in public secondary schools in Gucha south sub county in Kisii County. Descriptive survey design was employed in the study and stratified random sampling was used to arrive at schools, the student, teachers and Parents’ Associations chairperson’s respondents. School principals were asked to respond to interviews while data was collected from teachers, parents and students using questionnaires. The study targeted a population of 47 public secondary schools in Gucha South Sub County. There are a total of 370 teachers. There are 1860 students in form three and 2770 in form four. Fourteen schools and 14 PA chairpersons were sampled while 110 teachers and 558 students in form three and 831students in form four were sampled. The validity of the instruments was established through scrutiny by experts from the department of educational administration, Planning and economics who were the thesis supervisors. A pilot study was conducted in 12 schools in the neighbouring Gucha Sub County using split half technique to establish the reliability of the instruments. The coefficient of reliability that resulted was 0.82. Data was collected using interview schedule for the principals and questionnaire for teachers, students and PA chairpersons. Quantitative Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequency counts, means, tables and graphs. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 23.0 computer programme. The study found out that despite government ban on private tuition, parents still spend a substantial amount of their weekly income on private tuition. The study recommends stringent and sequential policy to guide parents on private tuition involvement.The study would help the stakeholders in the sector to craft appropriate and relevant policies that affect the learning process.