| dc.description.abstract | In recent years public secondary schools in Kenya have witnessed increased cases of student indiscipline and lawlessness leading to burning of schools and in some cases loss of life. There is therefore an urgent need to address the role of school administration in preventing such occurrences. To this end the prefects playa central role in ensuring discipline is maintained.
The purpose of the study was to determine whether there was need to train prefects for leadership in secondary schools. The study sought to find out if the headprefects and deputy head teachers considered training of prefects 1_mportant. The available literature suggested that the prefects were not thoroughly trained and that there was no policy on prefects appointment, induction and training in secondary schools. However several writers highlighted the need for training prefects for leadership.
The deputy headteachers and the headprefects indicated the need to train prefects for effective performance of their duties. Most schools offered prefects training in the school and mostly covered administration and supervision of duties.
Data was gathered using two, questionnaires. Part one of the questionnaire touched on personal data. Part two ~ad open ended and closed questions. To establish whether the instrument would collect the relevant data, a pilot study was carried out. The results from the pilot study were used in making the modifications on the instruments. The population consisted of 140 deputy headteachers and 140 headprefects. Random sampling was used to select a sample of 28 deputy headteachers and 28 headprefects. The return rate was 100 percent.
Data analysis was done using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). Mainly descriptive and inferential analyses were done. The descriptive statistics such as frequencies and means were mainly ssed to summaries the data collected.
The research revealed that most deputy head teachers and headprefects were male. Majority of the deputy head teachers were at the prime of their career and were qualified to be in the position of deputy headteachers. Most of them had attended in-service course and had obtained a certificate of attendance. The deputy headteachers and the head prefects indicated the need to train prefects. They proposed that time management, decision making, mode of punishment, leadership skills and, guidance and counseling be considered as training areas.
The research recommended that a deliberate effort be put in place to train all the
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prefects and that a clear policy be formulated to guide in the prefects appointment, induction, orientation and training. Further, the research recommended that a committee be established in every school to check on the prefects needs. The prefects should also be motivated to encourage them to perform their duties effectively.
The research suggested a further study on motivation of prefects, which may help in building a strong team of leadership to assist in reducing unrest in secondary schools. A further study should be undertaken focusing on boys and girls secondary schools separately. This study may review what causes the boys and mixed schools to record moie cases of unrest than the girls' only schools. There is need for an expensive study to draw a guiding framework to facilitate the desired balanced prefects in academics, administration and personality in view of the many challenges faced by prefects. | en |
