From Policy on Paper to Re-entry in Practice: Integration of the Re-entry Policy for Teen Mothers into School Policies and Regulations in Day Secondary Schools in Kakamega North Sub-County, Kenya
Dancun Mboya, Zilpah Kageha and Cyrus Muhanga
Department of Educational Planning and Management,
School of Education, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST), Kenya
Email: dancoduncun@gmail.com
Abstract: The right of adolescent mothers to return to school after childbirth is an important equity measure, but re-entry does not necessarily translate into effective reintegration. This study assessed the extent to which the re-entry policy for teen mothers was integrated into school policies and regulations in day secondary schools in Kakamega North Sub-County, Kenya. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was employed. Thirty heads of institutions from sampled day secondary schools provided quantitative data through questionnaires, while open-ended responses supplied qualitative explanations. Descriptive statistics, including means, frequencies and percentages, were used to examine policy integration, support mechanisms, implementation barriers and monitoring practices. The overall integration score was moderate (M = 3.30, SD = 0.95) on a five-point scale. Only 60% of schools had a written re-entry policy. Counselling was available in 67% of schools and flexible schedules in 50%, whereas parental programmes and financial assistance were reported by only 33% and 27%, respectively. Resource shortages were the most frequently reported implementation barrier (60%), followed by stigma (50%) and community resistance (40%). Monitoring was uneven, averaging 1.97 methods per school, with follow-up being the most common approach (70%). Qualitative evidence reinforced the quantitative findings, emphasizing inadequate funding, insufficient staffpreparation, stigma and the need for stronger institutional monitoring. The study concludes that the national re-entry policy has not been translated uniformly into school-level practice. Written school guidelines, dedicated resources, regular staff training, systematic monitoring and anti-stigma interventions are therefore needed to move re-entry from policy entitlement to meaningful educational reintegration.
