EFFECTS OF FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION (FGM) ON GIRLS EDUCATION PERFORMANCE IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS A CASE OF WEST POKOT SUB COUNTY, WEST POKOT COUNTY KENYA

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Female Genital Mutilation on educational performance of girls in primary schools in West Pokot Sub County.The study was guided by the following objectives; examine the effects of FGM on girl child, establish relationship between FGM and performance of a girl,determine the determinants of FGM, establish human rights adherence of anti-FGM on education performance. The study was guided by the role theory of Ralph Linton (1893-1953) on the relationship between an individual and the society. Emphasis was put on the structures of interaction in small groups, the maintenances of gender uniqueness and the development of commitment to deviant behavior and the construction of personal identity, that human behavior is guided by expectations held both by individual and other people. The study explains what happens when people act the way they do .Girls undergo FGM and the repercussion they face if they dont. The study adopted mixed research method design whereby the researcher uses qualitative data as well as the quantitative strands formulating triangulation convergence design. The qualitative data was collected using questionnairs , interview schedules and documentation analysis. The study was done in West Pokot Sub-county, targeting a population of 1000 people from 50 public primary schools with a sample size of 300 respondents.The study was conducted on 171 girls 57 boys, 15 old men,29 women and 29 teacher respondents. Simple random sampling procedure and purposive sampling technique was employed, validity and reliability of the research instruments was tested through piloting. Data from the questionnaires and interviews was analyzed by sorting, editing, classifying and coded into statistical package for social science version 21. Use of inferential statistics brought about comparisons. Pearsons products of moment correlation co-efficient was applied to determine the relationship between FGM of girls in public primary schools and academic performance.