| dc.description.abstract | Education plays a crucial role in the progress of any nation. Since independence in
1963, Kenya has witnessed significant growth in its secondary school education sector.
Numerous new schools have been built to accommodate the rising number of students
seeking secondary education. This has effectively reduced the distance students have
to travel to reach their schools, making day schooling more feasible. However, despite
the government’s efforts to make education more accessible through initiatives like
Free Day Secondary Education (FDSE), there is a concerning trend of high drop-out
rates among students before completing the entire four-years of secondary school
learning. The government’s objective of ensuring education affordability for all school going children has not fully addressed the persistent issue of students dropping out of
school prematurely. This research aimed at examining the effects of FDSE funds on the
completion rates of students in public day secondary schools in Mwala Sub-County,
Machakos County, Kenya. The four objectives of the study were: to establish the
influence of disbursement process of FDSE funding on students’ completion rates in
public day secondary schools in Mwala Sub-County, Machakos County, Kenya; to
determine the effect of FDSE funding adequacy on students’ completion rates in public
day secondary schools in Mwala Sub-County, Machakos County, Kenya; to establish
the influence of FDSE funds utilization on students’ completion rates in public day
secondary schools in Mwala Sub-County, Machakos County, Kenya; and to examine
the effect of extra levies on students’ completion rates in public day secondary schools
in Mwala Sub-County, Machakos County, Kenya. The study was grounded in the
Systems Theory of Management and used a descriptive survey research design. The
study focused on the 52 public day secondary schools located in the specified sub county. The research involved a study population of 52 principals, 208 class teachers,
52 chairpersons, and 52 vice-chairpersons of students’ leaders’ councils in day
secondary schools. To ensure representation, the Stratified Sampling Technique was
used to divide the schools into seven educational zones. A random sample of 28
principals, 107 class teachers, 28 chairpersons, and 28 vice-chairpersons was selected
from each zone using simple random sampling. Data was collected through
questionnaires, and the instrument’s reliability was assessed using the test-retest
technique with the guidance of supervisors. The reliability index was determined using
Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient method, with an r>0.7 indicating
high internal reliability. Experts assessed the appropriateness of the research items and
evaluated there suitability to determine validity. While descriptive statistics like
frequencies, percentages, and means were used to examine the quantitative data, the
qualitative data was analyzed thematically using story forms. The Statistical Packages
for the Social Scientists computer programme Version 24 was used for statistical data
analysis, and the results were discussed in narrative form and percentages and presented
graphically as frequency tables, and figures. The study established that FDSE funding
is inadequate for the required learning/teaching resources. The delay in disbursement
of the funds affects the quality of learning due to inadequate resources. This compels
schools to charge extra levies. As a result, students are sent home for extra levies and
those who cannot afford drop out of school. The Ministry of Education should develop
clear policy and guidelines to ensure adequacy of funds, disbursement of funds on time
and prudent utilization of funds and to curb charging of extra levies in schools. The
study found out that the students completion rates were below 70% of the learners who
enroll in public day secondary schools in Mwala Sub-County. The high enrolment rates
are not in tandem with the completion rates. | en_US |
