Impact of free primary education on the enrollment of the pupils primary schools in Ikutha sub – county, Kitui county.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of the introduction of FPE on the enrollment of the pupils in Ikutha Sub – County. The objectives of the study were;To investigate the influence of the introduction of FPE on the enrollment of the pupils; To determine the influence of FPE on the management of the staff personnel; To assess the influence of FPE on the management of physical resources; To investigate the influence of FPE on the management of the implementation of curriculum and instruction in primary schools in Ikutha Sub – County. This study targets all the 30 primary schools in Ikutha Sub – County. 5 public primary schools were chosen from the target population. Out of the 30 public primary schools only five public primary schools were selected.15 School Head teachers, 15 Teachers, and 15 Parents and 15 students in Each School. 300 respondents were sampled out to participate in the study. This represents 33% of the target population. Random sampling were used in selecting the school. The study found that FPE had positive impact on pupils’ retention and enrolment. It also improved pupils’ academic performance. There were challenges that encountered Implementation of FPE. Corruption, lack of support by NGOs and Donors were the main challenges identified. Tough measures on corrupt officials, transparency and involvement of parents in FPE by the government were some of the measures being used to solve challenges facing FPE