Quality Management Practices And Performance In Private Primary Schools In Ruiru Sub-County

Abstract

The increasing pressure towards business excellence among business entities in various industries, drives organizations to desire to achieve and provide world class standards in the delivery of products and services in order to be outstanding in their markets. The demand for quality services by the players in the education sector has compelled directors and managers to continuously improve their services and seek innovative ways to be the best in their niche. The education sector in the entire world is becoming competitive day by day due to technology and innovations. Likewise, in Kenya demand for quality education by parents and guardians have driven private entrepreneurs to drastically improve their private primary schools and to start new ones that are highly competitive and go beyond the expectations of their customers to delight them. The quest for quality education by parents motivates them to invest heavily in their children by taking them to the best schools that they can afford. Studies have established that when quality management practices are used in organizations, they improve overall performance. Quality management practices have gained prominence in the recent years because it directly impacts on the overall performance. These practices have been investigated intensively (Moore,2012). This study therefore sought to establish quality management practices and performance of private primary schools in Ruiru Sub County. The need for this study was motivated by there being no other study done on quality management practices in private primary schools in Kenya and specifically in Ruiru Sub County. Descriptive survey research design was used. The targeted population consisted of 71private primary schools in Ruiru Sub County. Questionnaires were used to collect data. Data analysis involved descriptive and inferential statistics and thematic analysis. The results were presented in form of frequencies and percentages, mode and mean, tables and figures. The study found out that quality management practices improves efficiency and performance thus increasing profitability, pupils’ enrolment and competitiveness. The study recommends that there’s need for schools to adopt quality management practices to achieve success in their institutions.