Includes bibliographical references / This dissertation is an outcome evaluation of the Always Keeping Girls in School Programme. The nationally run programme is a series of workshops and educational talks designed to reduce the absenteeism rates of pubescent girls who live and attend schools in underprivileged areas. The programme regularly supplies participants with sanitary products that they would otherwise not have access due to financial constraints and thus prefer to remain at home when menstruating where they can better manage their personal hygiene needs. During this period of absenteeism girls miss valuable teaching time which has a negative impact on their ability to achieve academically leading to grade repetition and ultimately dropping out of school permanently. Without a basic education girls are at a disadvantage in finding meaningful employment. The literature supports the various facets of the programme but also reveals that other influential factors such as access to adequate sanitation facilities (including water), distance and time spent travelling to and from school, and access to pain medication. The evaluations of similar interventions have produced mixed results, but it is clear that the provision of any one of the tools, such as those provided by the Always Keeping Girls in School programme, does make a positive difference in the life of the participants. One school was selected by the programme manager to provide the necessary secondary data to conduct a time - series quasi - experimental design for the evaluation. A cohort of learners was selected and their absenteeism and school performance data was tracked over a three year period from grade 9 in 2012 until grade 11 in 2014 (their current grade). The data from 2012 formed the baseline data as the programme was implemented in 2013. All of the girls in the cohort are programme participants and fell into the experimental group and as a result all of the boys in the cohort formed a non - equivalent comparison group. There are seven outcomes belonging to the programme, but only two outcomes were evaluated: reduction in absenteeism and improved school performance and the existence of a relationship between absenteeism and school performance. A total of 32 observations of absenteeism and 3 observations of school performance were used. The absenteeism observations were made on a monthly basis, while school performance data was taken at the end of December 2012, December 2013, and June 2014. To conduct the analysis a combination of descriptive statistics (measures of central tendency and dispersion) and inferential statistics (Pearson's Correlation and logistic regression analysis) were used. The statistical analysis revealed the programme was successful during the first year when it was implemented (with both the educational workshops and the provision of sanitary products) as the experimental group showed a large decline in absenteeism. However during the second year (only sanitary products were provided) the participants showed an increase in attendance and even surpassed their baseline scores. In terms of school performance both groups showed a small increase during 2013 but in 2014 many learners performed poorly in their June examinations. The logistic regression revealed that there was a very low probability that relationship between absenteeism and school performance existed The finding that the programme is successful when all of its facets are available to the participants is in line with literature that rates the importance of education around puberty and sanitation very highly. The provision of sanitary products alone is important to the well - being and dignity of the participants but it is insufficient to bring about the sustained desired behavioural change.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uct/oai:localhost:11427/15472 |
| Date | January 2015 |
| Creators | Appollis, Tracey Rose |
| Contributors | Mulenga, Chao |
| Publisher | University of Cape Town, Faculty of Commerce, Institute for Monitoring and Evaluation |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Master Thesis, Masters, MPhil |
| Format | application/pdf |
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