County Education Research Articles

Assessing the Effectiveness of TVET Training in Enhancing Youth Employability: A Case Study of Kisumu County, Kenya

Abstract: TVET offers opportunities to equip youth with industry-relevant skills, bridging the gap between education and employment. However, challenges such as inadequate funding, outdated curricula, limited access to modern equipment, and negative perceptions hinder its potential. This study assessed the effectiveness of TVET training in enhancing youth employability n Kisumu County, Kenya. Social learning theory and Human capital theory were adopted. A descriptive survey design was adopted. The study targeted a population of 20,857 consisting of 20,814 TVET students, 42 Heads of TVET institutions and 1 County Education Officer in Kisumu County Government. The sample size was 379 determined using Krejcie and Morgan (1970) formula. Sampling was conducted by means of disproportionate stratified random sampling. Structured questionnaires and interview guide were used to collect data. Data analytical methods were content analysis, descriptive and inferential statistics. Linear relationships between variables were determined using Pearson`s Correlation analysis method. The correlational coefficient for youth employment was=0.57 implying a moderate positive relationship between TVET training and youth employability. Government as policy-maker was recommended to institute regular reform for reviewing the existing TVET curricula in order to incorporate feedback from students and adapt to emerging dynamics of demographic dividends. The Government should increase funding, resources for TVET Institutions: The government should allocate more financial resources to TVET institutions to enhance infrastructure and support the development of industry-relevant programs and strengthen industry partnerships and collaborations between TVET institutions and industries to ensure that training programs are aligned with current labor market demands.

Influence of Teaching and Learning Resources Provided by BOM on Students’ Academic Performance in Public Secondary Schools of Kisii Central Sub County, Kenya

Despite interventions by policymakers and implementers in instituting BOM so as to ensure the delivery of quality education in Kenya, performance in some schools has remained poor. According to the Sub County director of education, Kisii has witnessed very poor performance in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination over the years. To address the situation, the Kisii Central County Education office conducted workshops to capacity-build the BOM members from the entire County in relation to their roles in schools. It was for this reason that the study was to establish the influence of board of management practices on students’ academic performance in public secondary schools of Kisii Sub County. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. The target population consisted of 53 public secondary schools in Kisii Central Sub County with 53 principals, 391 teachers, 689 members of the Board of Management, and 14,776 students. The sample size comprised 44 secondary school principals, 44 assistant teachers, 42 students and 248 members of the Board of Management. This constituted a total sample size of 378 respondents. Data was collected through self-administered questionnaires as well as through interview schedules for the BOM members. A pre-test of the instruments was conducted in three schools using 38 respondents constituting 10% of the study sample. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency counts, the mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (correlation) by employing SPSS version 21.0 and excel computer packages. Qualitative data was organized into themes, and categories as they emerged from the field and presented in narrative form. The analysis of results revealed that teaching and learning resources, staff recruitment and incentives positively and significantly influence the academic performance of students in secondary school. The study recommended that in order to improve the academic performance of students in secondary schools, the BOM should ensure that they provide enough teaching and learning materials to schools to guarantee the performance of students in their academics, recruit competent teachers to improve the teacher-student ratio which is a necessary measure in improving the performance of students in academics, establish the most appropriate method of appreciating teachers and students so as to motivate them to work positively toward improving the academic performance of students

Beyond Hunger: Assessing Influence of School Feeding Programmes on Primary Education Enrolment Rate in Twic East County, South Sudan.

School feeding programmes attract learners in developing countries, improves enrolment rates, academic performance, nutrition and participation. However, challenges like persistent hunger and food scarcity greatly impede their ability to learn and grow. Therefore, in this paper we investigate the influence of school feeding programme on learners' enrolment rates in primary education in Twic East County, Jonglei State, South Sudan. The paper employed descriptive survey design, the sample size was 371 respondents who included; County Education Director (CED,1), Headteacher (10), Teachers (30), Leaners (300), and Parents (PTA, 30). The paper primarily collected data through questionnaires and interviews. The study established that 90% of head teachers, 97% of teachers, 87% of learners, 96% of parents, and one CED acknowledged the presence of the School Feeding Programme (SFP) and meals in primary schools. The paper established that School feeding programmes (SFP) during education in emergencies (EiE) had a positive effect on enrolment rate in primary education in Twic East County, Jonglei State, South Sudan. The paper recommends the upscaling of school feeding programmes to other schools to enhance learners’ participation and academic performance in South Sudan.

Effectiveness of TVET Training in Harnessing Skills Development amongst the Youths in Kisumu County, Kenya

The global challenge of TVET is ensuring that vocational education systems are inclusive, industry-relevant and aligned with the needs of the 21st-century labor market. Without addressing issues like funding, perception and curriculum development, TVET systems may continue to fall short in equipping young people with the skills needed for employment, entrepreneurship and sustainable economic development. For this reason, this study sought to examine effectiveness of TVET Training in Harnessing Skills Development Amongst the Youths in Kisumu County, Kenya. The founding theoretical frameworks were: Human capital theory, social learning theory and empowerment theory. Descriptive survey was used. Target population was 20,857 comprising of 20,814 TVET students, 42 Heads of TVET institutions and 1 County Education Officer in Kisumu County Government. A sample size of 379 was determined using Krejcie and Morgan (1970) model. Disproportionate stratified random sampling was used to select respondents. Data was collected using structured questionnaires and interview guide. Data was analyzed through content analysis, descriptive and inferential statistics. Pearson`s Correlation analysis was used to determine linear relationships between variables. For the coefficient of correlation (r) of 0.96, it implied a very strong positive relationship between TVET training and skill development. Government as policy-maker was recommended to institute regular reform for reviewing the existing TVET curricula in order to incorporate feedback from students and adapt to emerging dynamics of demographic dividends.

Dialysis More Available Than Patient Education in Counties With High Diabetes Prevalence.

Poorly controlled diabetes is a principal cause of end stage renal disease (ESRD), generating an estimated 44% of new cases. Diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) has been documented to reduce adverse outcomes such as ESRD. Helping patients better manage their condition could ultimately reduce ESRD prevalence. We compared the county-level availability of DSMES and dialysis as of November 2022 sorted by the estimated prevalence of diabetes among residents aged 18 years or older. The locations of DSMES programs and ESRD dialysis facilities were obtained from 2 professional organizations and the Centers for Medicare & Medicade Services. Estimated diabetes prevalence was obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's PLACES data set. Counties were considered to have high diabetes prevalence if they fell into the top quartile for diabetes prevalence in 2019 (≥14.4% of adults). Analyses were conducted in 2023. DSMES was available in 41.0% of counties but in only 20.7% of counties with high diabetes prevalence versus 47.9% of low prevalence counties. Dialysis facilities were present in 59.2% of all counties, in 52.8% of all high diabetes prevalence counties, and in 61.4% of other counties. DSMES availability was linked to the presence of a hospital in the county, with only 6.3% of counties without a hospital offering the service. DSMES could play a role in reducing the prevalence of ESRD. Public health professionals need to be aware of the differing levels of local availability of this service and work to develop partnerships to provide DSMES in high-prevalence areas not currently served.

Students’ Councils Involvement in the Formulation of Rules and Regulations on Discipline in Secondary Schools Migori County, Kenya

Students’ councils leadership is a participatory form of governance, which exist worldwide and can improve discipline of learners. In Kenya, it was established in 2009 after the burning of caporal punishment, between the years 2015-2018, 21.2 % of secondary schools in Migori County went on strike, 11.7% in Homa Bay, 10.2 in Kisii and 5.7% in Narok despite government directive that these student councils to be involved in the management of schools among other policies to reduce the conflicts. This is therefore prompting a study in Migori County. The objective which guided the study was to analyze the influence of student councils’ involvement in the formulation of rules and regulations on discipline in secondary schools Migori County. The study used conceptual framework. The study used descriptive survey and ex-post facto research designs. Targeted population was 1140 respondents. Principals, Deputy Principals (DPs), heads of guidance and counseling (HGC) and Presidents of Student Councils (PSCs) and 8 Sub- County Education officers (SCDE). The researcher used purposive sampling to find 8 SCDEs and use 30 percent to get a sample of 85 Principals, DPs, HGC and PSCs from a population of 283 respectively. Data collection instruments will be questionnaires for principals, DPs and students. Interview schedules for HGC and SCDEs. Two experts from the department of Educational Administration at Maseno University will scrutinize the instruments to ensure their validity. Reliability of the instruments will be determined by employing Pearson’s product moment for the test-retest and reliability coefficient of 0.75 up to 0.99 was realized, hence the instruments were termed reliable. The study findings indicated that there was weak, positive correlation between the two variables [r =.428, n=63, p> 0.01], with high levels of Students’ councils formulation of rules and regulations connected with high levels of students discipline in secondary schools, and it was statistically significant as p-value (0.211) ˃ 0.01 level (2 tailed). The study concluded that students’ council should be more involved in the formulation of rules and regulations on their’ discipline. It was recommended that students’ councils should be sufficiently prepared in their involvement in formulation of school rules to enhance discipline. The data was analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The study was significant to students; principals and education stakeholders. The researcher adhered to research ethical considerations.

The Influence of Training Teachers on the Implementation of Peace Education Programme in Selected Primary Schools at Nakuru County, Kenya

Peace is a critical component for the development of human beings in the whole world, without peace there can be no development. An atmosphere of no peace is a major cause of physical and economic suffering upon individuals, families, communities, businesses, nations and regions in many countries. In 2007 Kenya experienced incidents of conflicts which led to loss of workforce, learning time and disruption of education services which negatively affected the quality of education across in the county of Nakuru formerly Rift Valley Province. Since then Kenya has put several strategies to promote peace with deep recognition that it is the only vehicle to development, it was on this basis that Kenya introduced peace education programme in the primary schools curriculum since 2008. Peace education sets out to redress this culture of violence and aggression and to inculcate values of peace, the concept of human dignity and human rights with specific reference to economic equity, political participation and ecological balance that could be employed through counseling strategies. This therefore reveals that development of peace education was timely and critical in addressing both short term and long-term societal and national issues that promote conflicts. Peace education is in tandem with the Kenya vision 2030 under the political pillar on security, peace building and conflict management. The purpose of this study therefore was to determine “the influence of training teachers on the implementation of peace education programme in selected Primary schools at Nakuru County, Kenya. The study was carried out amongst standard 8 pupils and teachers. To achieve this objective, the study adopted descriptive survey design and used probability sampling technique in the selection of the study sample. A study sample made up of 138 pupils and 45 teachers was used for the study. Primary data was collected by use of self administered questionnaires and interview schedules, while secondary data was collected from Nakuru County Education offices and libraries. Data collected was analyzed with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences and Microsoft Excel software. The results of the data analysis were presented in form of tabular summaries. Teacher training, resource availability and curriculum content emerged from the study as highly influential factors in the implementation of peace education programme in the schools. The study also revealed the key challenges hindering successful implementation of peace education programme in primary schools which included: lack of trained teachers on peace education, lack of sufficient time and lack of learning and teaching materials. The teachers and pupils’ suggestions were that the Government facilitate training of teachers on peace education and provide sufficient teaching and learning materials. Following this, the study recommended that, the Government of Kenya puts in place policies and measures that could facilitate training of teachers on peace education provide sufficient teaching and learning materials and strengthen programme supervision. The study gave further recommendation to the Kenya Government which could facilitate more uptake and adoption of peace education from primary schools up to university level as well as the entire society as a very important vehicle to foster development and national cohesion. The findings of this study are quite critical and of significant benefit to the Kenya government, communities, policy makers and the teachers in addressing some of the peace education curriculum initiatives and school best practices which will enhance peace promotion and national cohesion among Kenyan people. The implementation of this programme will enable people re-evaluate their behavior and develop commitment and endeavor to promote national values and peaceful coexistence.

A Policy Analysis of the Development of Balanced Compulsory Education in Chinese Counties

The development of balanced, high-quality compulsory education is a national strategy of China. County-level education serves as the building block of its basic education. The nation’s realization of equitable compulsory education largely depends on its endeavors at the county level. The Chinese government has issued a series of educational policies to support developing balanced compulsory education in counties. This article focuses on studying governmental policies on this issue and examining them in detail according to their distinct purposes.

"Sustainable DevelopmAutonomoent of Education in Deeply Poverty-stricken Districts in " Three Districts and Three us Prefectures" The Case of Nujiang Prefecture

Based on the three principles of sustainable development, educational inequalities in deep-poverty areas need to be eliminated. Nujiang prefecture is a deep-poverty region comprised of "Three Districts and Three Autonomous Prefectures." This paper analyzes the features of education development in Nujiang prefecture and its impact on development of education in Nujiang prefecture from the perspectives of geographical location, economic model, and demographic structure. The main demands of education fairness are presented, as well as related actions and proposals for further promoting the sustainable development of education in Nujiang Prefecture. This paper found that Nujiang's unique geographical location, single economic model and specific demographic structure make its development difficult. While increasing economic investment, the choice of strategies to address the sustainability of education needs to be considered in a variety of ways: (1) localization; (2) determination of the direction and path of education; (3) educational equality, etc. At the same time, there is still a great gap between the education level in the deep-poverty areas and the national average, whereas scholars in China rarely study the education in the deep-poverty counties of Nujiang Prefecture. Therefore, the research on the deeply-poverty areas in the "Three Districts and Three Autonomous Prefectures" has great research value and significance, and can help people understand the current deficiencies in the education field in the "Three Districts and Three Autonomous Prefectures" regions, as well as the gap between them and the national basic education level; Clarify the future development planning direction of these deeply-poverty areas, help these areas develop more efficiently and with high quality, and to inform the provision of quality education, the sustainability of education and the empowerment of the underprivileged.

Development Dilemma and Governance Strategy of County General High Schools in Guangxi

In recent years, the construction of a high-quality, balanced, universal and inclusive senior high school education system has been placed in a more important position, especially for the development of county general high schools, which has been emphasized more and more strongly. This paper analyzes the reality of social conflict in the development process of county general high schools in Guangxi from the perspective of social conflict theory, and finds that there are multiple problems such as resource allocation conflict, internal structural conflict and value conflict. Therefore, this paper proposes three paths to resolve and avoid the real conflicts in the development of Guangxi county general high schools by establishing a reasonable resource allocation mechanism, constructing a county education community, and improving the quality of county general high school education, which not only faces the real conflicts in the development of county general high schools, but also tries to solve the diversified problems of the resource allocation mechanism, the construction of teachers’ talent team, and the education and teaching community in the county education system.

Implementation of Diabetes Education and Support in Appalachia.

Limited research on diabetes education and support implementation in Appalachia, which is a critical knowledge gap considering barriers to care, and high prevalence rates. The aim was to understand what each facility is providing regarding diabetes education and services within West Virginia. This study reports cognitive interview qualitative findings from a multi-methods study. Individuals were recruited through an online search to identify clinics, organizations, and hospital staff that provided diabetes education in the state of West Virginia. Eligible participants were individuals who facilitated and managed diabetes education and support in counties of West Virginia. The interviews followed an 11-item interview guide, approved, and reviewed by a practicing Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Care Education Specialist in West Virginia. All qualitative data from the interviews were hand-coded using grounded theory, by two researchers. 15 participating organizations from the state of West Virginia were included and described three phenomena: Diabetes Education Implementation (differences in: evaluation measures, modality, delivery format, topical areas); Barriers to Care (staffing, lack of training, evaluation, loss of research partnerships and funding); and Facilitators to Care (community-based involvement, interdisciplinary collaboration, capacity building (trainings). There are concerns with program drift and "risky" adaptations such as inconsistent evaluative measures, lack of training for program facilitators, variety of delivery formats, and content material. Findings recommend more alignment in program delivery to better implementation. Further studies should assess patient experiences with implemented diabetes education programs in West Virginia to further support the current research findings.

Practice and Exploration of the English Teaching Model of "Promoting Teaching through Competition and Integrating Competition and Curriculum" in County Vocational Schools

Exploring and verifying the English teaching model of "promoting teaching through competitions and integrating courses" in county-level vocational schools is an effective way to promote the continuous updating of English teaching in China. This article mainly discusses the characteristics of the English teaching model of "integration of competition and curriculum", the current situation of vocational English education in counties, and the practical exploration path of the English teaching model of integration of competition and curriculum. By analyzing the current situation and existing problems of English education in vocational schools, this article believes that adopting an English teaching model that integrates competition and curriculum can help vocational schools better cultivate skilled talents and improve students' competitiveness in the workplace. At the same time, this article explores how teachers and students should transform their teaching concepts and learning attitudes, innovate teaching models and evaluation methods, position their career direction, and improve their overall quality in practice. I hope that the ideas and methods described in this article can provide some reference for the reform and development of vocational English education.

Nature of Drug and Substance Abuse in Kilifi and Mombasa Counties of Coastal Kenya

Drug and substance abuse has become one of the looming human-induced disasters globally, making it a profound concern among the comity of nations owing to the significant detrimental effects it has in almost every aspect of life and development. In Kenya, it has become one of the major social catastrophes with the commonest and most easily identifiable manifest in public health. Specific objective of the study was to examine the nature of drug and substance abuse in selected counties in the coastal region, Kenya. The study was guided by the social learning theory and functionalism theory. The study was further underpinned by the interpretivism approach. The study used descriptive and evaluative research designs, with data collected through interviews and focus group discussions. The study was conducted in Kilifi and Mombasa Counties. Data was collected from 552 respondents, who included 384 household heads, 20 victims, 2 county education officers, 2 county commissioners, 2 county health officers, 70 administrative chiefs, 102 village elders, 9 head of NACADA officers, and 8 religious leaders. The study revealed that drug abuse is a significant problem affecting individuals of all ages and socio-economic backgrounds. Commonly abused substances include alcohol 99% (383), khat 98% (378), tobacco 97% (376), cannabis 94% (364), heroin 89% (341), cocaine 88% (337), prescription drugs 85% (326), and methamphetamine 80% (307). Both males 75% (289) and 25% (95) females engage in drugs and substance abuse. The main causes of the menace are unemployment 99% (380), poverty 98% (376), mental illnesses 97% (373) and curiosity and experimentation 96% (370). The study recommends strict border control, adequate provision of adequate security personnel at the border posts, and adoption of new technologies to aid in surveillance and monitoring and tracking of the smugglers.

Factors that Influence Place of Delivery for Women of Reproductive Age in Narok South Sub County

Purpose: The main objective of this study was to explore the factors that influence the place of delivery for women of reproductive age in Narok South Sub County.
 Methodology: The study adapted a descriptive, cross sectional study design which focused on all women of reproductive age who delivered at home after antenatal hospital care visits in the last 24 months. The research was completed in Narok South Sub County, Narok County in Kenya. The target populace included all women with children below two years of age who gave birth at home yet attended antenatal care visits in a health facility in Narok North Sub-County. The study population included all women of reproductive age which were in the age bracket of 15 and 49 years from Narok south sub-county in Narok County. The study adapted two sampling techniques (purposive sampling and simple random sampling) first, purposive sampling was used to obtain women who have had delivered in the last 24 months and also key informants like TBAs and community elders. A sample of 30% of the targeted population was selected; this is coherent with the proposition by Mugenda and Mugenda (2009) that 30% of the population is deemed to be sufficient for statistical analysis in research. A semi structured questionnaire was utilized to gather data. The study utilized primary data only. The primary data was collected through semi structured questionnaires by visiting households with women of reproductive age who gave birth in the last 24 months in a non- hospital set up. Data was analyzed using excel and statistical package for social sciences SPSS version 22.0.
 Findings: The study found that emergencies during delivery are well handled in a hospital setup and will greatly improve delivery outcome, the health of the mother and baby. The extended walking distance nearest health facility, the lesser the expectation of mothers to make use of skilled and trained delivery service. The absence of trouble-free transportation service to the nearest health facility is also an essential significant convolution. Source of information on reproductive health matters and more so about pregnancy, labor, and place of delivery can highly influence decision-making on the place of giving birth. Majority of women in rural areas receive advice on reproductive health matters from their 'mothers-in-law and extended family members. When pregnant mothers attend ANC they are taught about delivery and how to prepare for it.
 Recommendations: County Education officers in liaison with social development officers to promote adult formal education to improve literacy levels, which will go a long way in influencing reproductive health decisions. County health management team, together with the reproductive health section to network with other relevant stakeholders to increase sensitization on utilization of hospital-based deliveries. Health education by all relevant stakeholders on the advantages of hospital delivery. Establish community health units and train community health volunteers and traditional birth attendants to be safe motherhood promoters.

Evaluation of Government Programs in Mitigating Drug and Substance Abuse in Kilifi and Mombasa Counties, Kenya

The issue of drug and substance abuse has become a major concern in Kenya, particularly in the coastal region. In response, the government has implemented various programs to mitigate the problem. The objective of this paper was to evaluate the government's programs for mitigating drug and substance abuse in the Kilifi and Mombasa counties of the coastal region of Kenya. Social learning theory and functionalism theory served as the study's guiding principles. The study was further underpinned by the interpretivism approach. The study used descriptive and evaluative research designs, with data collected through interviews and focus group discussions. The study was conducted in Kilifi and Mombasa Counties. Data was collected from 552 respondents, who included 384 household heads, 20 victims, 2 county education officers, 2 county commissioners, 2 county health officers, 70 administrative chiefs, 102 village elders, 9 senior NACADA officers, and 8 religious leaders. The data collected included the existing programs that are directly or indirectly implemented by the government, as well as their impacts on the residents of the study area. Government programs in the study region focused on prevention, treatment, law enforcement, and harm reduction, proving effective to varying degrees. The study revealed that law enforcement programs were more effective than the others. The study recommended the re-evaluation of these programs, including reinforcing their weaknesses and conducting constant evaluations to maximize the strengths of the organizations.

PERFORMANCE REWARD STRATEGIES AND TEACHERS’ COMMITMENT IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN TESO-NORTH SUB-COUNTY, KENYA

The purpose of the study was to determine the extent to which performance reward strategies influence teachers’ commitment in public secondary schools in Teso-North Sub-County, Kenya. Descriptive survey research design was adopted study. The target population of the study was 1215 persons that encompassed 3 Sub- County Education officers and 1212 teachers from public secondary schools in Teso North Sub-County. Krejcie and Morgan (1970) Table was used to determine the sample size. Hence a target of 1212 persons gave a sample size of 291 persons. The study then used stratified random sampling technique to identify the respondents. Structured questionnaires and interviewing guides were the main primary data gathering tools for the study. The instruments were approved by the experts in subject area. A pilot study was used to determine the instrument's reliability, of which they yielded a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.79. This demonstrated the instrument's dependability. While qualitative data was broken down into themes as well as sub-themes and presented using quotations, quantitative data was, examined utilizing descriptive as well as inferential statistics and presented in tables. 
 The study found a statistically significant relationship amongst teachers' commitment as well as performance appraisal procedures, assessor feedback, objectivity, and performance reward strategies in public secondary schools. The research will help academics, decision-makers, and community people. Therefore, it can be, said that the performance evaluation system implemented by the Teachers' Service Commission increased teachers' dedication in public secondary schools.

Income Generating Activities and Its Contribution to Financial Performance of Public Secondary Schools in Nyamira County, Kenya

This study intended to document the contribution of IGAs to the financial performance of the public secondary schools in Nyamira County. The introduction of Free Secondary Education brought massive financial calamities, and most schools are operating negatively in relation to cost. The objectives were to examine the type of IGAs engaged in public secondary schools in Nyamira County and to ascertain the factors influencing the performance of income-generating Activities in public secondary schools in Nyamira County. This research used Resource Dependence Theory. The study embraced a descriptive research design. Target population was 5 County education officers, 147 principals, 1076 teachers, and 37,070 students in Nyamira County. The researcher purposefully sampled 5 County Education Officers. Simple random sampling was embraced to get 15 Principals, 108 teachers, and finally 240 students. A total of 368 respondents took part in this investigation. Interview schedules and research questionnaires were used to gather data. Piloting of the instrument was done. The data were gathered through editing, coding, tabulating, and then analyzed, and SPSS 23 was applied. Quantitative data were displayed by descriptive statistics like tables. The qualitative data were presented in narrations. The research revealed that income-generating activities contribute immensely to the financial performance of learning institutions in Nyamira County. The research revealed that participation in IGAs is done in many schools with activities like crop cultivation, livestock rearing, school bus hiring, renting school premises, and agro-forestry. Numerous factors, such as the size of the project, school liquidity, inadequate finances, politics, supervision, operating costs, management capacity, and level of development in learning institutions, influenced income-generating activities in schools. The study recommends that a policy framework on income-generating activities to engage in should be formulated, regular training to equip teachers with skills to manage income-generating activities, proper record keeping should be embraced to ensure there is accountability in learning institutions, the ministry of education should encourage schools to partner with different agencies and sponsors to finance in this county and beyond.

Provision of Nutrition Meals and Learner Participation in Public Primary Schools in Makueni County, Kenya

The provision of nutrition meals has been implemented in an attempt to increase food security, reduce hunger, improve health status, increase school enrollment, and enhance learner participation. The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of the provision of nutrition meals and learner participation in public primary schools in Makueni County, Kenya. This study was guided by an objective; to determine the extent to which the provision of nutrition meals influences learner participation in public primary schools in Makueni County, Kenya. Thus the study was grounded on a pragmatic paradigm that customizes both quantitative and qualitative methods of research. Descriptive survey and correlational research designs were employed. A Target population of 875 was considered which consisted of; County Education Officers, Sub County Education Officers, and Chairpersons- Board of Management, Headteachers, Teacher, and Learners in School feeding programme strategies. Yamane’s formula was applied to obtain the sample size of 275, and simple random and purposive sampling methods were employed to choose sample sizes from the population strata. Out of 66 questionnaires administered to learners in the school feeding programme in public primary schools, 58 were completed giving a return rate of 87.9%. Among 198 questionnaire given to school Headteachers, Teachers, and chairpersons-Board of management, 193 were completed, and a return rate of 97.5% was achieved. An interview guide and open ended questionnaire were employed to gather information. Null hypotheses were tested at α= 0.05 significance level and the outcomes were: There was a significant association between the provision of nutrition meals and learner participation in public primary schools in Makueni County, Kenya. Since P = 0.01<0.05 from the learners' perspective thus the study rejected the null hypothesis and concluded an association between provision of nutrition meals and learner participation in public primary schools in Makueni County, Kenya. However, there was an insignificant association between the provision of nutrition meals and learner participation in public primary schools in Makueni County, (P = 0.583 > 0.05) from head teachers, teachers and BOM chairpersons’ perspective, and hence the study failed to reject the null hypothesis thereby concluding there was no significant relationship between the provision of nutrition meals and learner participation in public primary schools in Makueni County. In view of the study outcomes and deductions, these recommendations were raised: School stakeholders, pertinent Government educational Departments, and Authorities need to improve governance and prudent management of nutrition interventions, including policy and regulations that ring-fence resources for the provision of nutrition meals to enhance learner participation in public primary schools in Makueni County, Kenya.

The Differences in the Impact of Economic Structure Adjustment on the Ecological Carrying Capacity of County Education—A Case Study of Chongqing, China

Basic education is a foundation-laying project of national quality education. Improving the ecological carrying level of basic education is of great practical significance to the coordinated and sustainable development of regional society and economy. Based on the panel data of Chongqing from 2011 to 2017, combined with the DPSIR theoretical model, a comprehensive evaluation index system was conducted, and the spatial and temporal evolution characteristics of ecological carrying capacity of county education in Chongqing was explored by using statistical analysis and spatial analysis methods. The multiple linear regression model was used to analyze differences in the impact of economic structure adjustment on the ecological carrying capacity of county education. It was found that the level of ecological carrying capacity of county education in Chongqing showed a steady upward trend in terms of time sequence, and all the five subsystems showed the characteristics of steady development, but the influence of each subsystem on the overall carrying capacity was different. From the formation mechanism, Chongqing’s educational ecological carrying capacity is the result of a multi-factor complex system, and there are obvious differences in the influencing factors at different development stages. Therefore, it is necessary to narrow the regional differences of education ecological carrying capacity, promote the coordinated development of education among regions, and take multiple measures to effectively ensure the high quality and sustainable development of county education in Chongqing.

Association of Physician Densities and Gynecologic Cancer Outcomes in the United States.

To evaluate whether there is an association between county-level obstetrician-gynecologist (ob-gyn) and primary care physician (PCP) densities and gynecologic cancer outcomes in the United States. A retrospective cohort study of gynecologic cancers (uterine, ovarian, and cervical) in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was performed from 2005 to 2018. County-level demographics were abstracted from the SEER database, population density from the United States Census Bureau, and physician density (ob-gyns and PCPs/100,000 females) from the Area Health Resources File. Backward stepwise regression models were used. Final analysis included 113,938 patients for stage at diagnosis analysis and 98,573 patients for 5-year survival analysis. Uterine, ovarian, and cervical cancers represented 60.0%, 25.0%, and 15.0% of patients, respectively. Most counties (57%) were nonmetropolitan and had a mean ob-gyn density of 8 per 100,000 females and a mean PCP density of 89 per 100,000 females. Multivariate analysis showed that increasing PCP density was associated with earlier stage at diagnosis (95% CI -6.27 to -0.05; P <.05) and increased 5-year survival rates in cervical cancer (95% CI 0.03-0.09; P <.05). Obstetrician-gynecologist density was not found to affect stage or survival outcomes for uterine or ovarian cancer. Analysis of sociodemographic factors for cervical cancer showed that median household income was negatively correlated with stage ( P =.01) and that the percentage of those with bachelor's degrees and metropolitan status were positively correlated with 5-year survival rates ( P <.01). For uterine cancer, the percentage of Black females was positively correlated with stage ( P <.01) and negatively correlated with 5-year survival rates ( P <.01). Increasing PCP density, but not ob-gyn density, is associated with earlier stage at diagnosis and improved 5-year survival rates in cervical cancer. County-level sociodemographic factors, including population diversity, metropolitan status, educational attainment, and household income, were also correlated with outcomes across all cancer types. Targeting PCP supply and education in lower density counties may improve population-based care for cervical cancer.