| dc.description.abstract | The Non Governmental Organizations are an important source of finance
in schools as identified by Republic of Kenya (1999a). This is because the Kenyan
government faces a lot of financial constraints due to almost uncontrollable
expansion of educational system. Central Division of Laikipia District really
deserves this financial help, as it is located in ASAL area and therefore a poor
region. This study set out to investigate the work of NGOs in the region to
ascertain if the NGO's are supplementing the government efforts. For this study,
five research questions were formulated and two research instruments were
developed and used to collect the data, these were questionnaires and interview
schedules. These included questionnaire for secondary school headteachers,
questionnaire for NGOs, interview schedule for DDO and DSDO, and interview
schedule for DEO and AEO. Basic descriptive statistics such as average and
percentages were mainly used.
The main findings revealed that community based organizations and
religious organizations did not contribute much to education. They only came in
when the school, teacher or the student had a 'harambee'. The community based
organizations such as the women groups helped the members secure loans from
micro-finance institutions such as K-rep, Pride and Faulu Kenya, this in return
helped the members pay school fees for their children. The group also had a
merry-go- round, that is they pooled resources at every end of the month, and gave
the money to one member which also enabled the member to pay school fees for
their children.
NGO's were guided by different policies in giving financial assistance to
schools and students. These included cluster system, scholarship, case studies,
membership system, and proposal writing. These organizations were greatly
influenced by the age of the students, as they considered primary age ideal for their
sponsorship. This is because they believed that primary education is basic. Some
of these NGOS also had defined boundaries where they operated. The study also
found out that many of the NGOs were mainly concerned with student
sponsorship. Areas like teacher training and in-service courses and school
monitoring programme were not considered in their programmes for financial
assistance. Few NGO's provided schools with physical facilities, learning and
teaching materials.
In the light of these findings it is recommended that, all NGOs that deal
with educational matters should be registered in the DEOs' office, so that his
office co-ordinates the work ofNGOs to avoid duplication of work, so as to
enhance quality in education. The NGOs should also be encouraged to venture into
secondary schools, as marly colleges demand a form four certificate for them to
admit a student. Religious organizations should also be encouraged to take an
active role in secondary schools by becoming sponsors. Becoming a sponsor will
help the religious organizations to understand the financial constraints that face
secondary schools. This in turn will help the religious organizations to participate
more fully in financing secondary education. | en |
