ABSTRACT

There has been a growing concern in Kenya that boys have gradually been left out of the gender equation with little research capturing their schooling experiences. When examined, boys’ underachievement is treated with suspicion that has led to few studies demonstrating their marginalisation. This paper explored the manifestations of boys’ underachievement in education in Busia and Kirinyaga counties in Kenya. The study was carried out in 12 primary schools targeted 12 headteachers, 24 teachers, 480 pupils, 8 education officials and 180 households. Enrolment, school attendance, and candidature for national examinations data showed boys were marginalised. In addition, they lacked adequate role models. However, on performance, boys still had better results than girls. The paper concludes that boys were beginning to under participate in education and recommends the need for gender interventions to target both boys and girls and tripartite efforts at communities, county governments and national government to re-enrol boys.

摘要

肯尼亚越来越担心男孩逐渐被排除在性别等式之外，很少有研究记录他们的上学经历。在检查时，男孩的成绩不佳受到怀疑，导致很少有研究证明他们被边缘化。本文探讨了肯尼亚 Busia 和 Kirinyaga 县男孩学业成绩不佳的表现。该研究在 12 所小学开展，对象为 12 名校长、24 名教师、480 名学生、8 名教育官员和 180 户家庭。入学率、入学率和国家考试候选人数据显示男孩被边缘化。此外，他们缺乏足够的榜样。然而，在表现上，男孩的成绩仍然好于女孩。