Free

Free Primary Education in Kenya Essay Acknowledgement I acknowledge my God for provision of good health, sound mind and in tender caring. I also express the same to my lecturer Mr. Malel for his diligent and industrious work he did to me in the process of writing up the project. I also acknowledge the contributions of my colleagues and my family for the patience and encouragement that they have given me since I begun the project. I also acknowledge the free access to the Kenya National Library Service in Kericho. Dedication I dedicate this report to my Almighty Father for His countless Mercies and Eternal Providence. I also dedicate it to my family, my parents and my children. Abstract The study investigated the statistical relationship between the introduction of FPE and the enrolment of kids in ECD centers. The paper begins by assessing the changes in enrolment prior and after the introduction of FPE in 2002. It then delves into the question of why this happens. The covered Mogogosiek Zone although the findings is relevant for the whole country. The researcher sampled six schools as the sample to represent twenty schools in the zone. The random sample technique was used since all schools are homogeneous. The researcher used questionnaires and observation to collect data in the field. The project is useful for the stakeholders in the ECD sector ranging from school heads to government administrators involved with ECD work. Table of Contents DECLARATION BY CANDIDATEii DECLARATION BY THE SUPERVISORii Acknowledgementiii Dedicationiv Abstractv Abbreviations and Acronymsviii CHAPTER ONE1 Introduction1 1. 1Background of the Problem1 1. 2 Statement of the Problem3 1. 3Objectives of the Study4 1. 4 Purpose of the Study5 1. 5 Justification of the Project6 1. 6 Significance of the Study7 1. 7 Limitations8 1. 8 Delimitations9 CHAPTER TWO10 Literature Review10 2. 1 The effects of the introduction of FPE on enrollment10 2. 2 Factors that have led to low enrolment as a result of introduction of FPE in Kenya13 2. 3 Impact of FPE on enrolment in ECDs16 CHAPTER THREE18 Methodology18 3. 1 Research Design18 3. 2 Location of the Study19 3. 3 Target Population20 3. 4 Sample Population21 3. 5 Sampling Method22 3. 6 Research Instruments23 CHAPTER FOUR24 Data Representation24 4. 1 The Extent to Which ECD Enrolment Declined as a Result Of Introduction of Fpe in the ten Sampled Institutions24. 4. 2 Reasons for the Decline Of ECD Enrolment as a Result Of Introduction Of FPE26 4. 3 Impact of FPE on ECD Enrolment per Economic Class27 CHAPTER FIVE28 Conclusions28 5. 1 The Relationship between the Introduction of FPE and Enrolment in ECDS Attached to Public Primary schools28 5. 2 The Effects of Introduction of FPE on Enrolment in ECDS in Private Primary Schools28 5. 3 Causes for the Low Enrolment of Pupils in Public Primary School ECDS as A Result of Introduction Of FPE. 28 5. 4 Effects of Introduction of FPES on ECD per Economic Class29 APPENDIX A30 QUESTIONNAIRE FOR ECD TEACHERS30. APPENDIX B35 BIBLIOGRAPHY35 APPENDIX C36 Work Schedule36 APPENDIX D37 Budget37 APPENDIX D38 Introduction letter38 Abbreviations and Acronyms ECD = Early Childhood Development ECDE = Early Childhood Development and Education. MDG = Millennium Development Goals. UN = United Nations FPE = Free Primary Education. GER=Gross Enrolment Rate is calculated by dividing the number of children of whatever age enrolled in preschool by the estimated number of 3-5 year olds. UNESCO= United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural organization. OECD=Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. MOEST=Ministry of Education, Science and Technology CHAPTER ONE Introduction This chapter introduces the research topic. It begins with an introduction followed by a statement of the problem and finally the purpose of the study. 1. 1Background of the Problem As part of his campaign manifesto, President Kibaki introduced the Free Primary Education program in Primary schools. The program was meant to lead to high enrollment of pupils in both primary school and ECD centers in Kenya. The natural corollary was that the ECD enrollment would rise as a result of the introduction of FPE. However, statistics show the contrary. The rate of enrolment in ECD centers has reduced following the introduction of FPE. This shows a negative correlation between enrolment and FPE. This project sought to establish the fact that indeed enrollment in FPE has declined since the introduction of FPE in schools. Paper also sought to give reasons why the rate of enrolment in ECD bears a negative correlation with the FPE funding. This has been a surprise finding given that the aim of the government is to develop education in Kenya holistically. The project also assessed the likely statistical relationship between enrolment in primary and ECD It showed that . the higher the enrolment rate in primary school the lower the enrolment in ECD. This project sought to give reasons for that relationship and provide for suggestions on how the problem can be solved. 1. 2 Statement of the Problem The problem was to study the effects that FPE has had on enrollment in ECDCs. The project also studied the causes of the negative relationship between FPE funding and low enrollment in ECDCs. The problem is that due to the introduction of FPE, pupils have been joining class one without going through the ECD classes. This is a worrying trend as it suggests a low level of preparedness of the pupils in lower primary school. It also points to the need to consider ECD in public funding 1. 3Objectives of the Study The project studied the following objectives: [a] To establish the effect of the introduction of FPE on enrolment in ECDS attached to public primary schools. [b]To establish the effects of the introduction of FPE on enrolment of pupils in ECDS attached to private primary schools. [c] To determine the extent to which enrollment in ECDCs have declined in Mogogosiek zone as a result of the introduction of FPE. [d] To determine the effects of introduction of FPEs on enrolment in ECDS per economic class. 1. 4 Purpose of the Study The purpose of the study was to determine the effects of the introduction of Free Primary Education on enrolment in ECDs in primary schools in Kenya. 1. 5 Justification of the Project This project is justified on the following grounds. First, little attempt has been made to determine the relationship between the introduction of FPE nationally and enrollment of pupils in ECDs locally. There is also need to determine the causes of the decline in enrolment in ECDs as a result of introduction of FPE. The decline has mostly affected the poor who consist of the most vulnerable group. That the introduction of FPE has negatively affected the poor in terms of taking their children to the ECD has great implications to fighting poverty in the country. It shows that the children of the poor have poor foundation and will most likely perform poorly later in life thereby widening the poverty gap wider still 1. 6 Significance of the Study This study is important because of a number of reasons. First, the government must know the impacts of its funding primary schools or other institutions. The FPE is an integrated development program and it should lead to a holistic development of the education sector in general and not a lopsided development of the country. Secondly, the government will get information on the level of foundational education in rural areas and design effective policies that will aid the state in ensuring high standards of education in ECD and ensure effective transition from ECD to primary school. Thirdly, there is an ongoing pressure on the government to fund the ECD sector in Kenya. This paper is meant to ensure that this goal is attained. Lastly, educational practitioners particularly ECD teachers and administrators will be reminded of the need to ensure a high level of enrolment in ECDs and effective transition to primary schools 1. 7 Limitations During the study, the researchers were limited by the following factors. First and foremost, rural ECD managers were not willing to talk about the low enrolment in ECD centers. They feared that releasing the information would lead to negative publicity. Secondly, most residents were not very open to give information on where their children were learning to outsiders. Thirdly, the county is very large and expansive. It was not very easy for the researchers to travel from one location to another due to poor and rugged terrain. Fourth, most residents have just recovered from the post electoral violence that affected most of the Republic. They are very suspicious of new comers and more so even residents asking questions. They easily take such gestures as police investigations. Fifth, though not least, the researcher was affected by lack of enough funds to carry out an in depth analysis covering the entire zone. Even if funds were availed, there was still the need for more time to carry out the work. The researchers were affected by lack of sufficient time since they are full time teachers who need time to run their institutions apart from conducting research work. The project was also be affected by low literacy rate since most parents are not literate enough to interpret and respond to questionnaires. 1. 8 Delimitations The delimiting factor is that the researchers come from the study location and are highly familiar with the area. Secondly, the researchers being ECD and Primary teachers, have long and extensive experience and contact with ECD and primary school children. They are also conversant the running of ECD centers in the country. Thirdly, the researchers used written questionnaires distributed to schools. This minimized the time needed to move from one institution to another and effectively reduce the time needed to talk with an interviewee. CHAPTER TWO Literature Review 2. 1 The effects of the introduction of FPE on enrollment Many studies have been conducted to ascertain the actual effect of FPE on ECD enrolment. Most of the studies have been conducted by International development Agencies such as USAID and DANIDA. The most comprehensive overview, however, are the studies conducted by UNESCO and approved by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. A UNESCO Policy Review Report, UNESCO/OECD Early Childhood Policy Review Project, 2005, hereafter to be referred simply to as the UNESCO report 2005, reports that, ‘A 1969 survey counted about 200,000 children enrolled in 4800 ECD centers with about 5,000 teachers. The number of ECD Centers and teachers have been growing steadily and, after a stalled increase of only 15% between 1993 and 2000, the enrolment ratio leaped by 50% over the next three years. The current (2001/02) GER in preschool is officially 35%, although the Government’s own statistics appear to show a GER of 48% in 1998, falling to 41% in 2002. † Such a report shows a decline in GER in ECD. The year in which the FPE was introduced is 2002. Therefore, changes occurring between 2001 and 2002 truly indicate effects of FPE on enrolment. A UNESCO Policy brief on Early Childhood entitled the Impacts of Free Primary Education on Early Childhood Development in Kenya, Jan. to Feb. 2006, by Yoshie Kaga, claims that the overall effect of FPE has been the reduction of enrollment in ECD. Here is an excerpt from the report, â€Å"Studies have been conducted to assess the effects of FPE on ECD centers. Some report on negative effects, while others note no major draw backs. While the overall impact of the policy is yet to be determined, the UNESCO/OECD Early Childhood Policy Review Mission, which took place in September 2004, observed that the policy did have a negative impact of FPE on ECD in Kenya and outline two major options that may mitigate possible negative impact. † EFA Global Monitoring report, 2005, UNESCO Publishing reports that the gross enrollment rate for the age group 3 to 5 was 44. 4% in 2001. However, the theory that enrollment rates declined as a result of the introduction of FPEs is not automatically to be accepted. Some reports indicate that the GER increased as a result of the introduction of FPE. The UNESCO/OECD Report, 2005, reports in item number 3. 4. 1, â€Å"The Background Report of Kenya shows that, while enrollment increased substantially from 1,076,606 to 1,281,846 between 1998 and 2002. A closer look at the figures, however, suggests two rather disturbing trends. First, GER’s in preschool have clearly declined since 1998 from 48% to 41%, and the major overall decline took place between 1998 and 1999 before the FPE option arose. In fact, a small increase occurred from 2002 to 2003, after FPE was introduced in January 2003. Second, while he 1998 GER was about the same for boys and girls, a gap of about 4% in favor of boys opened up in 2001 and grew to 6% in 2002. â€Å" The figures in the above report are not the same as other documents. According to the Quantitative Study of the Early Childhood Development Project : Final report to MOEST statistics, the 2002 figure is 1,416,048 and not 1,281,846. These dissenting views and conflicting figures show that the inverse relationship between FPE and ECD needs to be verified by qualified actuarial review. The extent of the relationship may need other factors to explain other than the factors stated above. 2. 2 Factors that have led to low enrolment as a result of introduction of FPE in Kenya Many workers have tried to give reasons for the decline in ECD enrolment as a result of the introduction of FPE. However, these are not in the form of complex scientific theories. The UNESCO Policy Brief on Early Childhood is one such document. It explains the phenomenon in the following terms, â€Å"The main reason for this phenomenon is that since the implementation of FPE, poor parents are choosing to withdraw their children from ECD centers and/or keep them at home until they reach the age of primary school entry. They refuse to pay the fees for ECD on the grounds that ECD, lie primary education, should be free. † However, this assertion needs to be corroborated by more extensive scientific studies on the causes of the inverse relationship. Economic theories may help to describe the situation better. According to Ricardian analysis, low cost items such as table salt are already sold cheaply and are therefore associated with poor sections of the population. If the price of salt, for example is reduced further, it becomes too cheap and the buyers may shift for more costly brand of salt. This theory seems to hold true for the ECDs in rural areas of Kenya. They are considered very cheap. Due to government subsidy, the parents may actually feel that the quality of primary education in public primary schools will decline. They see children who have been idle at home, such as street children being brought to school. This makes them to hate public school education and instead opt for the costly private schools. As a basic strategy, they decide to enrol their children in private ECDs with the reasoning that by the time the child enters primary school, he or she will have laid a strong foundation in ECDE. The UNESCO/OECD Report in section 3. 3. 5. Reports that, â€Å"Meanwhile, an assessment study of FPE on ECD carried out jointly by the MOEST and UNESCO in February 2004 found that ECD programmes had almost collapsed because children’s enrolment had decreased after the introduction of FPE. The study found that parents opted to send their children straight to standard one, which became free, without having them go through ECD, which was still fees paying. Moreover, Standard one teacher reported that children who skipped ECD had difficulty coping with lessons in primary school and poorly performed. † Section 3. 3. 4 reports that, â€Å"The Review Team found widespread anecdotal evidence of drops in enrolment at ECD centres, especially in poor provinces such as North Eastern†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ many parents have by passed ECD altogether ; many others send their children only to pre-unit class of ECD to prepare them for primary school. In some areas, parents are keeping their children at home until they reach the age of 6 entitling them to free education. † Yet other factors have been suggested by the UNESCO Policy Briefs on ECD. Calling it the unintended consequence on ECD, the report went on to report that, â€Å"ECD classrooms set up on the premises of public primary schools have been shut down in order to accommodate the surge of enrolment in primary schools sparked by FPE. In some cases, ECD children and teachers must put up with reduced space; in others, they have been moved to the worst classrooms in the premises. At the district level, inspection and supervision of ECD centres some of which is carried out by the district based Zonal Inspector of schools, have reportedly become less frequent. † The UNESCO/OECD report presents a critique of the situation thus: ‘Despite these observations, the impact of FPE on ECD is still subject to dispute. For example, it is unclear whether FPE has been the main cause of falling ECD enrolments, given the evidence that the decline may well have begun well before the introduction of the policy. Also, it is yet to be determined how many of the unprepared pupils newly flowing into standard one would have gone to ECD centres if FPE had not been in place. The influx could simply be explained by a rising enrolment of at risk children who would not have been able to afford primary education when it was fee paying, let alone ECD centres. 2. 3 Impact of FPE on enrolment in ECDs There is an indication that poverty may be a great factor determining patterns of enrolment in ECDs. The UNESCO/OECD Report 2005, reports in section 3. 3. 8. Suggest that there is no direct relationship between FPE and ECD. Otherwise, such relationship could exist between FPE and other factors that mitigate leading to low enrolment. The paper points at poverty as one of the factors that lead to low enrolment as a result of the introduction of FPE. Section 3. 4. 3 on inequalities in the same report shows that, â€Å"There are obvious geographical inequalities. In Nairobi, for instance, far more children are likely to be enrolled in ECD than in other provinces with similar poverty levels. Meanwhile, North Eastern Province has the highest poverty level and the lowest enrolment rates. There are also gender disparities. In Nairobi, girls are more likely to be enrolled whereas in North Eastern province, the reverse is observed. ‘The report claims that the poor are generally not able to access ECD services. â€Å"Even within Nairobi, middle and upper class children benefit most from preschool experiences. Overall, those lacking access to preschool services tend to be children from disadvantages communities such as semi arid and arid areas and urban slums. This observation is reinforced by the findings of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey. (UNICEF/Government Survey, 2000) showing that 29. 5% of children whose mothers had secondary education were enrolled in some form of ECD compared to 10. 7% of those whose mothers had only completed primary school and 12. 4% of 2002 of those whose mothers had no schooling. There is also a clear association between GERs in 1998 and 2002 and the absolute poverty index (1997) at the district level, with eight of the ten correlations being negative and statistically significant though not very large. ’ The table below was meant to encapsulate the correlation between poverty index and Ger at district level. If these reports are anything to go by, the researcher expects to find the decline in ECD enrolment to affect mainly the public ECD centres as opposed to the private ECD units. | 1998| 1999| 2000| 2001| 2002| Boys| -0. 355| -0. 252| +0. 145| -0. 096| -0. 271| Girls| +0. 007| -0. 287| -0. 272| -0. 048| -0. 290| Correlations between poverty index (1997) and GERs at District Level Ref: Kenya Human development report (2001). UNDP/Background Report of Kenya for the UNESCO/OECD Early Childhood Policy Review Project (2005). MOEST , Govt of Kenya. Statistically significant p is less than 0. 05. The researcher will therefore study the impacts of socio economic status on enrolment in ECD centres. CHAPTER THREE Methodology 3. 1 Research Design The researcher adopted the diagnostic research design. According to Kothari, diagnostic research studies are necessary to establish causality and causal nexus of two or three phenomena. The diagnostic research design was be inevitable as the researcher was needed to establish causality among variables: school enrolment and enrolment. 3. 2 Location of the Study. The study was carried out in Konoin District, Mogogosiek Zone. It targeted three schoo 3. 3 Target Population The study targeted ECD children, ECD teachers and primary school Head Teachers in Early Childhood Development centres. 3. 4 Sample Population The study sampled ten schools from a total of twenty two in Mogogosiek Zone, Konoin District, Bomet County. 3. 5 Sampling Method The researcher used simple stratified sampling. The listed schools were classified as boarding and day schools. Two schools were picked from private and three schools will be picked from day public schools category. The proportion was used since there are only 1 out of 5 boarding schools in the zone 3. 6 Research Instruments The researcher used questionnaires and study schedules as the basic research instruments. The questionnaires will be designed and tested on a school that is not part of the samples. The test will enable the researchers to determine the efficacy of the questionnaire. The researcher then wrote to the heads of the sampled schools seeking permission to conduct research in their institutions. The researcher sampled three schools representing all types of primary schools in the study locale. CHAPTER FOUR Data Representation 4. 1 The Extent to Which ECD Enrolment Declined as a Result Of Introduction of Fpe in the ten Sampled Institutions The researcher studied the data from ten schools relating to the rate of enrolment just before and after the introduction of FPE. The results were as under: SCHOOL| ECD ENROLMENT IN 2000| ECD ENRLMENT IN 2001| ECD ENROLMENT IN 2002| ECD ENROLMENT IN 2003| 1| 51| 50| 53| 43| 2| 48| 47| 53| 44| 3| 67| 69| 71| 58| A| 41| 43| 44| 61| B| 47| 52| 51| 58| The graph below depicts these data. The results show that there was a general trend for the enrolment in ECD in public primary schools to decline in the year following the introduction of FPE in 2002. There was increase of the number of pupils enrolling in ECDs manned by private schools following the introduction of FPE. 4. 2 Reasons for the Decline Of ECD Enrolment as a Result Of Introduction Of FPE The researcher sought to establish the causes of declined enrolment in public ECDs following the introduction of FPE in 2002. The following responses were established. REASON GIVEN| % OF RESPONDENTS| | Fear of low quality due to high enrolment in class| 44%| | Fear of poor foundation in public ECDs| 23%| | Need to give children good ECD foundation before joining private ECDs| 76%| | Decline in the status of public ECDs| 39%| | Demand for free education in class one | 17%| | These data show that most parents preferred private school ECDs to public school ECDs due to the reasons above: fear that the free primary education would lead to high enrolment hence low quality of education; the fear that the public school ECDs were not preparing pupils adequately for primary  school education; need to children good ECD foundation and the decline of the status of public school ECD. This was aggravated by the introduction of street boys enrolling in public primary schools. 17% wished to get free education in class one hence skips the ECD class in order to achieve this. 4. 3 Impact of FPE on ECD Enrolment per Economic Class The researcher sought to establish the effects that the introduction of FPE has led to decreased enrolment in ECD by economic class. She studied the composition of ten pupils in each sampled school to determine their economic class. It is found that most of the high class parents of course send their children to schools A to D. However, the following statistics relate to the composition of the pupils in the ECDs attached to public primary schools. The parents were classified as either poor [earning less than 3000 per month] or average [earning between 3001 and 6000] per month. The statistics below show the effect that the introduction of FPE affected the composition of pupils enrolling in public school ECDs. SCHOOL| POOR| AVERAGE| LOWER MIDDLE| 1| 88%| 8%| 4%| 2| 78%| 9%| 13%| 3| 91%| 5%| 4%| CHAPTER FIVE. Conclusions 5. 1 The Relationship between the Introduction of FPE and Enrolment in ECDS Attached to Public Primary schools The study established that there is a negative relationship between the introduction of FPE and the enrolment in ECD centres in ECDs attached to public primary schools. The introduction of FPE led to reduced enrolment in primary schools in these schools. 5. 2 The Effects of Introduction of FPE on Enrolment in ECDS in Private Primary Schools The study established that the introduction of FPE in 2002 led to increased enrolment in ECDS in private primary school 5. 3 Causes for the Low Enrolment of Pupils in Public Primary School ECDS as A Result of Introduction Of FPE. The study established that the introduction of FPEs led to low enrolment in ECDS in public primary schools due to the following reasons: First, most parents feared that the admission of many pupils in primary schools will lead to low quality of education. They therefore sought to enrol their children in private institutions to escape from the low quality education to be experienced in public primary schools. Secondly, the parents associated the introduction of FPE in public primary schools to low prestige. The poor class could now take their children to school. This was not possible before. Those in the average class sought to take their children to better schools in order to maintain their status ahead of the poor class. Thirdly, the introduction of free education in primary school led to the poor class parents taking their children direct to class one in order to escape the fees paid in ECD and directly benefit from the FPE program 5. 4 Effects of Introduction of FPES on ECD per Economic Class. The introduction of FPE led to decline in the number of the children of the economically poor members of the community as compared to the middle class and the rich who continued to take their children to private school ECDs. APPENDIX A Questionnaire for ECD Teachers This questionnaire is part of a research project carried out by the researcher in partial fulfilment for award of the Diploma in ECD. The information obtained will be used for academic purposes only and will not be divulged to third parties. PART ONE General Information 1. Number of Years You have worked in the station:____________________ Current position held:_______________ 2. Kindly give the pupils enrolment in your class by filling the form below: YEAR| BOYS| GIRLS| TOTAL| STREAMS| 2002| | | | | 2003| | | | | 2004| | | | | 2005| | | | | 2006| | | | | 2007| | | | | 2008| | | | | 2009| | | | | 2010| | | | | 2011| | | | | 3. Who pays for your wages? Parents NGO County Council 4. Who collects the fees? Heat Teacher Pre-School Teacher 5. How is the fee collected if parents fail to pay? Sending pupils Teachers visiting parents 6. How are you paid your wages? Monthly Quarterly 7. Are parents willing to pay school fees? Yes No 8. Is the fees paid enough for your wages? Yes No 9. Are defaulters of fees common? Yes No 10. If yes, what reason do they give for defaulting? ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ 11. Are head teachers supportive in dealing with defaulters? Yes No 12. - What is your suggestion to the government in relation to free primary education and the way it affects preschool parents? - ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ 13. Briefly give the age range of the pupils in your current class. SEX| 3| 4| 5| 6| 7| 8| 9| BOYS| | | | | | | | GIRLS| | | | | | | | TOTAL| | | | | | | | 14. Briefly give the range of pupils in 2003 class. SEX| 3| 4| 5| 6| 7| 8| 9| BOYS| | | | | | | | GIRLS| | | | | | | | TOTAL| | | | | | | | 15. In your opinion, has the entry age changed since introduction of FPE? Yes No 16. Do your pre school classes have a committee? Yes No 17. How often are parents meetings held? Once a term. Once a year. 18. Do you keep financial records of fees collected? Yes No 19. If yes, how many pupils failed to complete fees in the previous year ? _____________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Thank you very much for responding to questionnaire truthfully and for being mindful of our research. God bless you. APPENDIX B. Bibliography 1. Economics Simplified, 2009, Saleemi Publications, Kenya. 2. EFA Global Monitoring Report(2004). New York: UNDP. S 3. MOEST, Government of Kenya,2005, Background report of Kenya for the UNESCO/OECD Early Chidhood Policy Review Project, Government of Kenya. 4. Ngwere M. W. et al (2004). Quantitative Study of the Kenya Early Childhood Development Project, final report to the MOEST, June 2004. Nakuru: Sermon educational Consultants. 5. UNESCO/OECD Early Childhood Policy Review Project, Policy Review Report: Early Childhood Care and Education in Kenya, by UNESCO, Paris, February, 2005. 6. Yoshie Kaga, 2006,UNESCO Policy Brief on Early Childhood, Impacts of Free Primary Education o Early Childhood development in Kenya, Paris. APPENDIX C Work Schedule MONTH | YEAR| ACTIVITY TO BE DONE| December | 2010| Preparation for the research proposal and budgeting| January-March| 2011| Writing of the proposal| April| 2011| Approval for the proposal| May| 2011| Compiling and revising of the research proposal| June-July| 2011| Collection of the data| August| 2011| Analyzing of the data| September-December| 2011| Compiling and presenting the final project. | APPENDIX D Budget. ACTIVITY| PLACE/ITEM/USE| AMOUNT KSH| Travelling | For Literature review during data collection while typing and compiling the project. | 5001,5002,000| Stationery| Papers, pens, ruler, books, foolscaps, stapler, paper bunches | 2,000| Typing/photocopying | Research proposal and final project. | 3,500| Food| Lunch, tea break, snacks| 1,500| Miscellaneous Expenses| Emergencies| 2,500| TOTAL| | 13,500| APPENDIX D Introduction letter CHEBET JOYCE, KIRIMOSE PRIMARY SCHOOL, P. O BOX 174 , LITEIN. 25TH JUNE 2011. TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN Dear Sir/Madam, REF: PERMISSION TO CONDUCT RESEARCH IN MOGOGOSIEK ZONE. I wish to seek for permission to conduct a research in your pre-school centre on THE EFFECTS OF INTRODUCTION OF FREE PRIMARY EDUCATION PROGRAM ON ENROLMENT IN ECD CENTERS in MOGOGOSIEK zone. I am a Diploma Student at Valley Teachers Training College The Kenya National Examination Council is requiring a research as part of examination from me. I am therefore required to collect data from your E. C. D. E teachers, parents, and head teachers of the selected school. I look forward for your positive respond. Thanks in advance Yours Faithfully Chebet Joyce.

The Lord Of The Flies :: essays research papers

The Lord of the Flies The adventure novel, The Lord of the Flies, was an epic tale that depicted the different facets of the human spirit. It was written by William Golding in the 1950's and recieved many awards. It was declared the "Outstanding Novel of the Year" by E.M. Forrester. The author did in no wat mean for this story to be biographical, but Mr. Golding depicted well the many different aspect of human nature. The book has been described as "provacative, vivid and enthralling," but Time and Tide said it best when they wrote, â€Å"It is not only a first-rate adventure story but a parable of our times." The novel took place on an island probably somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic. This can be inferred because of the fact that the boys are British and that they arrived on the island by way of a plane cradsh. The story also occurred during wartime. The story begins when a group of British boys crash on an uninhabited island. In the beginning they area all unruly and unmorginized. Finally, a boy by the nakme of Ralph decides to take charge and call a meeting. The boys declare him â€Å"chief† and then begin to follow his lead. Ralph is also assisted by another lad by the name of Piggy. The group of boys were getting along fine until Jack Merridew, a boy who wanted to be â€Å"chief† instead, decided to go his own way. He disobeyed Ralph and did things his own way. He was to preoccupied witdh his own whims to do the act that was most important on the island, which was to keep the signal going so they could be rescued. Finally, Jack went against Ralph and declared that if any of the other boys wanted to have â€Å"fun,† which meant acting like savages, that they should follow him. The boys splot up into two groups and then havoc insued. Jacks group went around hunting and being barbaric while the others tried to get rescued. In the end Jack had gotten all the boys except Ralph to run around loke wild animals. Then when Jack got tired of dealing with Ralph, he convinced wveryone to try and kill him. By then however, a navy ship had come an they could never get around to the nasty deed. There was more than one antagonist in the story, The Lord of the Flies. They were Ralph, Piggy, and all the other boys who tried to sustain order and law on the island. To begin with, Ralph was the â€Å"first† chief on the island.

Enzymes: Lab Report

Introductory Biology 1 Biology 1003 Fall Term 2011 Lab Number: 3 Title: Cell Energetics: Enzyme Role in Biological Reactions Name: Brandon Moore Student Number: 100819124 Lab day and time: Wednesday pm Date: Wednesday November 23, 2011 Introduction Enzymes are a key aspect in our everyday life and are a key to sustaining life. They are biological catalysts that help speed up the rate of reactions. They do this by lowering the activation energy of chemical reactions (Biology Department, 2011). In chemical reactions bonds must be broken and new bonds must be formed. In order for this to occur the bonds must be made less stable. For bonds to become less stable a small input of energy is required and this is called the activation energy. In simpler terms, in order for a reaction to begin and proceed spontaneously a small input energy is required to give the reaction a push and get it started (Cooper, 2000). As said before catalysts are chemical agents used to speed up the rates of reactions. The biological catalyst is a group of proteins called enzymes. Enzymes work by lowering the activation energy and making it easier for the eactants to obtain the necessary energy to break the kinetic barrier. Even though enzymes speed up the rate of reaction, they do not change the free energy of the reactants and the products (Russel et al. , 2010). Enzymes work by combining with reacting molecules at the active site. Each enzyme is specific to only one kind of molecule and can only bind to its specific molecule. The active site is a groove in the enzyme wher e the molecule will bind to; this is formed by the enzyme folding into a specific shape. When the enzyme is done and the molecules are then in the transitional state, which means the bonds are unstable and ready to be broken, the enzyme remains unchanged and can continue to bind to other molecules (Russel et al. , 2010). Enzymes induce the transition state by three major mechanisms. The first is by bringing the reacting molecules together. The reactants bind in the active site of the enzyme in the right orientation for catalysis to occur. The second mechanism works by the enzyme exposing the reactant molecule to altered charge environments. The third mechanism is by changing the shape of a substrate molecule (Russel et al. , 2010). The conditions being studied on how they affect enzyme activity are: concentration, ph, and temperature. As the concentration of enzymes increases the rate at which products are formed also increases. It is also true as the concentration of the substrate increases the rate of the reaction will also increase until the enzymes reach their maximum rate at which they can combine with the substrates. Each enzyme has a best possible pH where it works at its best. Anything that changes on either side of the optimum pH will decrease the rate of the reaction. Finally as temperature raises so does the rate of the reaction but only to a certain point. As the temperature raises the frequency and strength of collisions will increase, however if the temperature rises too high the hydrogen bonds of the enzyme break and it unfolds making it unable to accept any molecules due to its active site being destroyed. To observe the effects of these three conditions on enzyme activity spectrophotometry is used. A spectrophotometer works by measuring the amount of light a compound in solution absorbs. As the concentration of the solution increases more light is absorbed (Biology Department, 2011). The purpose of this experiment is to test and observe the effects of concentration, pH, and temperature on enzyme activity. Methods In part I of the lab obtain six small glass tubes in a test tube rack. After the six small tubes are obtained, add fifteen drops of distilled water to tube 1, ten drops to tube 2 and 3, five drops to tube 4, and no drops to tubes 5 and 6. Once distilled water is added five drops of the substrate solution were then added to tube 2, 4 and 6. There were no drops of substrate solution added to tubes 1 and 3, and ten drops were added to tube 6. After the substrate solution was added, five drops of the enzyme were quickly placed in tubes 3, 4 and 5. There were no drops of enzyme added in tubes 1 and 2 and in tube 6 ten drops were added. Once the enzyme solution has been added the tubes were then left to incubate for ten minutes and after five drops of DNSA solution were added to tubes 1 to 6. The tubes were then placed in a hot block at 80-90oC for five minutes. They were then taken out after the five minute period and using a 5 ml pipette, 5 ml of distilled water were added to the 6 tubes and mixed by inversion. Once everything was complete the 6 tubes were then taken to the Milton Roy Company Spectronic 21 and the absorbance of each tube was tested. In part II of the lab six small glass tubes were obtained in a test tube rack. Ten drops of distilled water were then added to test tube 1, five drops to tubes 2-4, and no drops in tubes 5 and 6. Five drops of 0. 1M HCl were added to test tube 5 and five drops of 0. 1M NaOH to test tube 6. Five drops of enzyme were then added to all tubes except tube 1. Tube 3 was then placed in the ice bucket and tube 4 was placed in the hot bucket at 80-900C for five minutes, the remaining tubes were left in the test tube rack. After the five minutes five drops of 1% starch was added to every tube and left to sit for ten minutes. After ten minutes five drops of DNSA were then added to all the tubes. All the tubes were then taken and placed in the hot bucket at 80-900C and left to incubate for five minutes. After the five minutes, take a 5 ml pipette and add 3 ml of distilled water to each tube and mix with inversion. Once everything is complete the tubes were then taken to the Milton Roy Company Spectronic 21 and the absorbance of each tube was tested. Results In part I tubes 1-3 had a very low absorbance. In tube 4 when the enzyme and substrate were present the absorbance increased substantially from below 0. 1 to a mean of 0. 53. When two times the amount of substrate was added in tube 5 the absorbance increased again from a mean of 0. 53 to 0. 57. Finally when two times the amount of enzymes was added the absorbance increased a final time from 0. 57 to 0. 63. Table 1. The effects of different concentrations on the absorbance of solutions Lab Group |Tube 1 Abs. |Tube 2 Abs. |Tube 3 Abs. |Tube 4 Abs. |Tube 5 Abs. |Tube 6 Abs. | |Our Group |0 |0. 05 |0. 09 |0. 55 |0. 68 |0. 66 | |Group 2 |0 |0 |0 |0. 61 |0. 725 |0. 75 | |Group 3 |0. 01 |0. 02 |0. 01 |0. 42 |0. 3 |0. 49 | |Mean |0. 0033 |0. 023 |0. 33 |0. 53 |0. 57 |0. 63 | |SD |0. 0058 |0. 025 |0. 049 |0. 097 |0. 23 |0. 13 | |SE |0. 0033 |0. 015 |0. 029 |0. 056 |0. 14 |0. 076 | Tube 1 was the control and recorded a low absorbance of approximately 0. 01. Tube 2 contained the enzyme and substrate and the absorbance rose to a mean of 0. 54. When tube three was heated and tube 4 was cooled the absorbance ecreased to 0. 32 and 0. 38. Finally solution of 0. 1M HCl was added to tube 5 and the absorbance decreased to 0. 0025, and solution of 0. 1M NaOH was added to tube 6 and the absorbance decreased to 0. 13. Table 2. The effects of pH and temperature on the absorbance of different solutions |Lab Group |Tube 1 Abs. |Tube 2 Abs. |Tube 3 Abs. |Tube 4 Abs. |Tube 5 Abs. |Tube 6 Abs. | |Our Group |0 |0. 63 |0. 39 |0 |0 |0. 4 | |Group 2 |0 |0. 15 |0. 9 |0 |0 |0. 01 | |Group 3 |0. 05 |0. 85 |0. 49 |0. 11 |0. 01 |0. 08 | |Group 4 |0 |0. 54 |0. 31 |0. 04 |0 |0. 03 | |Mean |0. 013 |0. 54 |0. 32 |0. 038 |0. 0025 |0. 13 | |SD |0. 025 |0. 29 |0. 17 |0. 52 |0. 005 |0. 18 | |SE |0. 013 |0. 15 |0. 085 |0. 026 |0. 0025 |0. 091 | Discussion Enzymes are biological catalysts that reduce the activation energy in order to increase the rate of the reaction. Increases in concentration increase the rate of the reaction, change in pH from the optimum will decrease the rate of a reaction, and increasing temperature will also increase the rate of reaction until a certain point is reached (Worthington Biochemical Corporation. 1972). Part I of the lab focused on the effects of concentration on pH. When we look at table I we can see that tubes 1-3 had very low absorbances. Tube 1 was the control that contained only water and no reaction occurred. In tube 2 the enzyme was not present which meant that the reaction occurred spontaneously without any help, thus a low absorbance. Tube 3 contained the enzyme but lacked the substrate, which meant nothing was bonding to the active sites and reaction could not occur. In tube 4 both substrate and enzyme were present and the absorbance rose greatly from approximately 0 to a mean of around 0. 3. This perfectly demonstrates that with the addition of an enzyme the product concentration increases and so does the rate of reaction. To tube 5, two times the amount of substrate was added and absorbance increased again to a mean of 0. 57. This shows that more substrate was present and readily available to bind to the active sites. Last was tube 6 which contained two times the amount of enzyme and again the absorbance rose to approximately 0. 63. The increase of enzymes allowed for more active sites to be readily available to bind to the molecules (Worthington Biochemical Corporation. 1972). When viewing the data obtained and comparing it to what is known about concentration effects on enzyme activity it can be accurately concluded that the data obtained is fairly accurate. As the enzyme concentration is kept the same and the substrate concentration increases the rate of reaction will also increase. This makes sense since now there are more molecules of substrate available to bond to the active sites. Increasing concentration will only increase the rate of reaction until a certain point is met. This point occurs when too much substrate is added and all available enzymes are already working. When this occurs the concentration increase no longer has an effect on the reaction rate. This is also true with the increase in concentration of the enzyme. The more enzymes there are the more active sites available to bond to the molecules. The increase in enzyme concentration will also increase the rate of reaction. This concludes effectively that the data obtained effectively demonstrates the effects of concentration on the rates of reactions (Worthington Biochemical Corporation. 1972). Part II of the lab focused on the effects of temperature and pH on enzyme activity. When viewing table II it can be seen that tube 1 had a very low absorbance, due to it being the control and not containing any substrate or enzyme. Tube 2 contained the substrate and enzyme and thus the absorbance increased greatly to a mean of 0. 54. When looking at the changes of pH in tubes 5 and 6 the absorbance decreased for both to 0. 003 and 0. 1. The optimum pH is around 7 and with this the reaction rate is at its best. As stated before any change in pH away from the optimum will decrease the rate of reaction. HCl has a lower pH than 7 and is below optimum, which means that it will have more unstable charges and the absorbance will lower, which is what was seen in tube 5. The same happens for NaOH, which is on the other side of the pH spectrum and above the optimum pH of 7 as seen in tube 6. From this it can be concluded that any change in pH away from the optimum will cause an unbalance in charges and cause the reaction rate to decrease (Worthington Biochemical Corporation. 1972). The second part of part II involves the effects of temperature. When looking at tube 3 that was placed in the ice bucket the reaction rate decreased from tube 2 with mean absorbance of 0. 54 to a mean of 0. 32. A decrease in temperature will slow down the activity of the substrate and enzymes and will reduce the speed and amount of collisions occurring. With less collisions occurring the reaction rate will then decrease. Tube 4 was placed in heat and the absorbance dropped as well to a mean of 0. 38. Stated before it was said that an increase in temperature would cause the speed and number of collisions to increase. This would then increase the rate of the reaction. However, an increase in heat will only increase the rate of reaction until a certain temperature is reached. This temperature is approximately between 40-50OC. Tube 4 was placed in temperatures ranging from 80-90OC, which is much higher than the max of 40-50. When this max is surpassed the hydrogen bonds will begin to break and the enzymes will unfold. When the enzyme unfolds the active site will then be destroyed and become deformed and no longer usable. When this happens the enzymes stop functioning and the reaction rate will decrease, which is what was seen (Worthington Biochemical Corporation. 972). The living cell is a site for activity known as metabolism. This can include the build-up or repair of tissues, turning food into energy, getting rid of waste products, and all the activities of life. Many of these processes do not occur spontaneously and this is why enzymes are needed. Without enzymes life itself would not be possible (Cooper. 2000). It can be concluded that concentr ation, pH, and temperature have great effects on enzyme activity. The increase in concentration of substrates increases the reaction rate until the point where all enzymes are being used. The increases in enzyme concentration will increase the rate of reaction. Any change in pH away from the optimum will cause an unbalance in charges and will lower the reaction rate (Worthington Biochemical Corporation. 1972). Finally the increase in temperature will increase the reaction rate until around 40-50OC when hydrogen bonds begin to break (Russel et al,. 2010). By understanding more about enzyme catalysts advances in medicine and life sciences are able to occur and help us understand more about life itself. References: Russell, P. J. , S. L. Wolfe, P. E. Hertz, C. Starr, M. B. Fenton, H. Addy, D. Maxwell, T. Haffie, and K. Davey. 2010. Biology: Exploring the Diversity of life, first Canadian edition. Nelson Education Ltd. , Toronto. Biology Department. 2011. Introductory Biology: BIOL 1003 Lab Manual. Carleton University Press, Ottawa. Worthington Biochemical Corporation. 1972. Introduction to Enzymes. http://www. worthington-biochem. com/introbiochem/effectspH. html. November 22, 2011. Geoffrey M Cooper. 2000. The Cell: A Molecular Approach, Second Edition. Sinauer Associates Inc, Boston University.

Roadmap Presentation Example

Producing a peculiar product or developing a project necessarily requires a sufficient amount of planning, that certainly is where a roadmap presentation example would come in handy. Students, engineers, developers, marketing specialists, scientists, and numerous other professions that involve a reasonable amount of creativity, all include the act of presenting a plan of future action. Whether it concerns a new product, scholar research, lab experiment, construction work, or, perhaps, a change of corporate strategy, a roadmap presentation example is a key asset of defining the necessary steps to ensure the project’s successful execution The first and foremost important aspect that would be crucial for the author to realize is the definition of a roadmap and how it differs from a regular project presentation. A roadmap is a simple, usually illustrated, presentation of a project. A roadmap is designed to define the key goal of the projects and the means to reach it. It resembles the key steps that should be taken in order to achieve that set goal. However, unlike a regular project presentation or proposal, a roadmap is not oversaturated with statistical data and redundant information. A roadmap should focus on the primary goal and its objectives, no more no less. It should be a laconic representation of the author’s vision on how to achieve success in the task at hand. To get started, the author should, first of all, decide what is the main objective of the project. It is a crucial step since the rest of the roadmap is based on it. The main objective is set as the endpoint of the roadmap. Once that primary objective is defined, it would be reasonable for the author to develop an outline that would feature the steps that would consequentially lead to this goal. These elements can be supported by illustrations and charts designed in particular presentation software such as PowerPoint. Nevertheless, the main characteristics of an effective roadmap presentation are: the ability to communicate the main goal and objectives of the project; to catch the attention of the audience in order to raise interest in the topic and gather support; to communicate the plans and steps among all participants of the project;An example of such a roadmap is provided below. The Ninno Video Game Console Roadmap Project Goal To expand the consumer base of the Ninno Video Game Console. Objectives release the new video game console by the end of the year; promote the console as a means of digital entertainment; establish a new and existing way to play; ensure the choice of portability; provide a wide range of different games; increase affordability; conduct effective marketing to bring the message to the customer. Summary The Ninno company has provided an exclusive video game experience for some time, however, now the company wishes to expand its target audience by catching the interest even of those who are not regular gamers by provided interesting games at a fair price and flexibility for everyone.