Factors contributing to dismal academic excellence in english in Murang’a South in Murang’a county

Abstract

In Kenya, English is a very crucial language. For a long time English has been the sole official language in the country, but after the promulgation of the new constitution in 2010, Kiswahili was accorded the status of an official language too. English is a compulsory subject in secondary school education. Proficiency in English is very critical for a student who wishes to compete favorably with other learners in the country for prestigious careers and consequently jobs. In Muranga South District day schools, little is done to enforce the use of English among students’ interaction in their day today activities. Since mother-tongue is a hindrance to the acquisition of English language among day secondary school students, school administration and teachers should enforce rules to limit the use of vernacular in students’ interaction. It is the responsibility of the school administration to ensure that students use English language while in school. Descriptive survey design was used. Stratified random sampling was used in the study to sample out the population to be involved in the study. The study investigated factors contributing to dismal academic excellence in English in day secondary schools in Muranga South in Muranga County.