The Effect Of Tourism And Academic Performance Of Learners In Kaloleni Zone, Kaloleni District-Kenya

ABSTRACT

Tourism in Kenya is almost exclusively centered on two geographical areas; the south coast

beaches and a handful of game reserves or national parks. A !50-kilometre strip of coastline north

and south of Mombasa is lined with beach hotels designed for package tours and contains half of all

tourism development in the country. This concentration spread the benefits (and costs) along the

coast and also the country as a whole. Despite the fact that tourism is such an important sector of

the economy, it is negatively affecting education at Kenyan coast. Poverty is an issue that more and

more of our nation's children are coming face to face with. The price that children of poverty must

pay is unbelievably high. Each year, increasing numbers of children are entering schools with

needs from circumstances, such as poverty, that schools are not prepared to meet. The number of

children dropping out of school to join piece jobs in the tourist industry is alarming (Republic of

Kenya, 2003; 1998). Furthermore, it is noted that some of the perennial causes of poor performance

and drop outs oflearners in schools is poverty (Achoka, 2007; 2006; Republic of Kenya, 2003).

Teachers may find that students do not complete assignments, do not study for tests, or do not come

to school prepared to learn because of poverty related circumstances in the home environment that

forces them to look for alternative survival in the tourism industry. These children may be unable to

concentrate or focus. These issues not only have an impact on the learning of the child of poverty

but can also impact the learning of other children since they tend to influence them negatively. The

researcher thus seeks to establish how the tourist industry affects the performance oflearners in

terms of class test performance, school attendance and concentration. This project will be aimed at

looking for possible solutions to the negative effects of tourism on educational standards of the learners in Kaloleni area of the Kenyan Coast.