Influence of Principals’ Performance Contract Practices on Service Delivery in Public Secondary Schools in Mumias East Sub-county, Kenya

Abstract

Provision of quality education in secondary schools is one of the Government’s objective. Poor governance in public secondary schools has led to poor performance in national examinations. The study addressed the insufficient understanding of how principals' performance contracts impact service delivery in public secondary schools in Mumias East Sub-County, Kenya. The lack of comprehensive research and stakeholder perspectives on this issue raises concerns about the quality of education in the region, emphasizing the need for improved transparency and efficiency in educational management practices. This research looked at the effect of principals’ performance contract practices on service delivery in public secondary schools in Mumias East Sub County. The independent variables for the research included: Principal´s target setting, principal´s provision of incentives, principal’s resource allocation and principal’s stakeholder involvement. This research employed descriptive survey research design. A census sampling approach was utilized to collect data from all the 121 respondents. Sub county MoE and TSC officials were interviewed using an open-ended survey. A pilot study was carried out on a small sample of 10 principals and 10 deputy principals of public secondary schools from the neighbouring Mumias West Sub County. The four independent variables were analysed descriptively using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 24.The study assessed service delivery in public secondary schools in Mumias East Sub County, revealing diverse perceptions on academic results, digital resources, and teaching methods. Challenges in providing facilities were attributed to economic constraints. The first objective explored the relationship between principal's target setting and service quality, showing widespread agreement on effective target-setting practices. The second objective investigated incentives, with mixed reactions on team-building and recognition, but a strong positive correlation with service quality. The third objective focused on resource allocation, indicating majority agreement with effective practices despite challenges in co-curricular funding. The final objective explored stakeholder involvement, with overall positive perceptions and a strong positive correlation with service quality. This research recommended that school principals should explore diverse methods of incentivizing staff and learners, considering preferences and needs. This could include introducing innovative reward systems and recognition programs tailored to different roles and achievements. A further research should be carried out to investigate the diversity of preferences among staff regarding incentives. Explore how individual characteristics, such as age, experience, and job roles, influence the perception of incentives. This research could help tailor incentive programs to better meet the varied needs and preferences of the school workforce.