| dc.description.abstract | Planning depends largely on proper identification of the educational needs a task achieved through baseline studies. Kenya has used education commissions and task forces in the baseline studies to inform on needs in education development. This study set out to examine how the recommendations made from education commissions; the Presidential Working Party on Education and Manpower Training for the Next Decade and Beyond (Kamunge) and the Commission of Inquiry into Education System of Kenya (Koech) have been utilized in planning for quality education at primary school level in Kenya.
The study was guided by four objectives and four research questions. Descriptive survey research design was used. The study targeted all primary schools registered by the Kenya national examination council for KCPE examination in 2006. A sample size of 196 primary schools served as the respondent units represented by the head teachers and five subject panel heads. The research instruments used for data collection included document analysis, questionnaires, and observation check list and interview. The instruments yielded both qualitative and quantitative data.
The themes for qualitative data analysis were based on the research questions and recommendations of the two education commission reports. Quantitative data was analyzed by using descriptive and inferential statistics for each objective obtained using SPSS computer
package.
The findings from the study are;
1. recommendations of the two education commissions have formed the basis of educational planning and development in Kenya since 1987,
2 .. the government has taken a leading role in the supply of teaching-learning resource materials in primary schools to improve quality of education at this level,
3. the contribution of parents in the provision of teaching-learning resources has decreased since 2003 after the inception of free primary education, primary schools are inadequately staffed,
4. cost-effectiveness measures suggested by the two education commissions are not yielding the anticipated results,
5. the key resource teachers are not assisting in the curriculum implementation as earlier planned,
Based on the findings, the study recommends that; government alleviate the problem of understaffing in schools, parents and communities should be educated on their role and contribution to supplement government efforts towards offering and improving quality education in primary schools,
d. integrated teaching where impaired children learn together with regular children in regular classrooms andschools should be supported with appropriate resource allocations and
e. teachers who went through the SbTD programme should be examined for appropriate certification to motivate them to help in in-servicing their teacher clleaques at school level.
The suggestions for further research are;
LA similar study be carried out to determine the implementation of education commissions' recommendations at other levels of education on the quality of the education offered,
ii. a follow up study to this should be done to determine the implementation of training needs of primary school teachers identified by education commissions and
iii. a study be carried out to establish the definite content overlaps in the subjects at the primary school level as a measure to improve on quality education. | en_US |
