Institutional determinants of implementation of free tuition secondary education in Baringo District, Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to establish the institutional determinants in implementation of free tuition secondary education in Baringo District, Kenya. Five research questions were formulated to guide the study. This includes the following: To what extent does school enrolment affect the implementation of free tuition education at secondary schools? How does school type (boarding or day) influence implementation of free tuition at secondary schools. To what extent do the available physical and learning resources affect the implementation of free secondary tuition? To what extent does principal's exposure to financial training influence the financial management in the institution? What were the challenges facing secondary school principals in implementation of free secondary tuition? The study adopts a descriptive survey design. The study used census procedure for schools were all 23 schools were involved. The 23 principals and 191 teachers comprised the target populations.

The researcher collected data using questionnaires as the main instrument. Data was analyzed by use of qualitative and quantitative forms. The findings revealed enrolment affect the implementation of free tuition secondary education in that the lower the enrolment the little amount while the high enrolment high amount leading to higher economies of scale. Findings further revealed that unavailability of resources in the schools were a challenge in the implementation of free tuition secondary education. Schools faced challenges relating to insufficient teaching and learning materials which could hinder implementation of free tuition secondary schools. Findings also revealed that schools did not have some of the physical resources that were important in the implementation of free tuition education. It was further noted that school principals faced financial management challenges.

Based on the findings the study concluded that school enrolment was a challenge to implementation of free tuition secondary education especially in low enrolled schools. Findings on the school type, revealed that boarding schools were more challenged than day schools. It was also concluded that schools faced challenges relating to insufficient teaching and learning materials which could hinder implementation of free tuition secondary education.

The study further concluded that resources such as teachers, laboratory chemicals and laboratory apparatus were a major challenge in the school hence hindering the implementation of free tuition education. It was also concluded that schools lacked physical facilities which posed a challenge in the implementation of free tuition education. The study also concluded that principal' faced challenges in financial management in the schools which was a challenge in the implementation of free tuition education. Based on the fmdings of the study, the researcher recommended that the government should provide adequate teaching and learning resources to the schools so as effective implementation can be achieved. It was also recommended that the government should provide teachers to schools so that teaching and learning process is not affected.

The study recommended that there should be timely disbursement of free tuition funds by the government to ensure smooth running of schools. It was lastly recommended that school principals should be trained on financial management to support them in managing financial resources in the schools. Taking the limitations and delimitations of the study the researcher suggested that a study on the effect of government funding on the implementation of free tuition education should be conducted. It was also suggested that a study on effect of community involvement in the implementation of free tuition secondary schools should be conducted and lastly study on stakeholder's attitude towards the free tuition secondary education should be conducted.