Impact of Subsidised Fees on Students’ Access to Quality Education in Public Secondary Schools in Wajir County, Kenya.

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to establish the impact of implementing subsidized fees programme on students’ access to quality education in public secondary schools, Wajir County. Free Tuition Secondary Education was launched by the Government of Kenya in 2008 to raise access by reducing the cost of secondary education in public secondary schools. Since its inception, though, concerns have been raised on whether its implementation had any impact on students’ access to quality education. To address these concerns, this study sought to examine the influence of subsidized fees on student enrollment rate and academic performance. Using descriptive survey research design the study’s target population consisted of 350 respondents comprised of 40 principals, 40 Boards of Management (BoM) chairpersons and all the 270 secondary school teachers in Wajir County. The sample size was 94 respondents, made up of 20 principals, 20 BoM chairpersons and 54 secondary school teachers..Data were collected using questionnaires, interviews, observation and document analysis. Quantitative data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics while qualitative data was analysed by organizing it thematically based on the objectives. The research study has established that even after the introduction of subsidized fee the enrolments rates remained low, because finances to support Free Tuition Secondary Education were inadequate and delayed before disbursement. .Consequently, the implementation of subsidized fees programme by the government of Kenya has not greatly influenced access to quality education in public secondary schools in Wajir County.