Influence of headteachers’ school feeding programme practices on pupils’ participation in public primary schools in Siakago division, Mbeere north, Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate influence of headteachers’ school feeding programme practices on pupils’ participation in public primary schools in Siakago division, Mbeere North, Kenya. The research objectives sought to determine the extent to which headteachers’ timeliness in procurement of food, headteachers’ initiating structures, headteachers’ institutional arrangements, and headteachers’ involvement of the community mobilisation in school feeding programme influenced pupils’ participation in public primary schools in Siakago Division. The research design used in this study was descriptive survey, which is a method of collecting data by interviewing or administering a questionnaire to sampled individuals. The target population comprised of all the 98 public primary schools in Siakago division that have implemented school feeding programme. The sample comprised of 10 headteachers, 82 teachers and 279 class 8 pupils sampled by use of simple random sampling. Data were collected by use of questionnaires, focus group discussions and document analysis. Data was analysed by qualitative and quantitative techniques. Findings on the influence of procurement of food in school feeding programme to pupils’ participation in public primary schools revealed that majority 252(96.9%) of pupils indicated that pupils’ participation had increased in the school due to school feeding programme. Majority 6(60.0%) of headteachers strongly agreed that school made efforts in increasing participation of pupils by having initiative structures. Findings on the extent to which community participation in school feeding programme influence pupils’ participation in public primary, the study found out that that community participation in school feeding programme influenced pupils’ participation in public primary schools. Findings on the influence of initiating structures such as bank accounts for school feeding programme helped in the management of the programme, therefore the study concluded that initiating structures for school feeding programme influenced pupils’ participation in public primary schools. Schools had bank accounts for the school feeding programme. The study lastly concluded that communities contributed to the purchasing of cooking utensils used for the food program and the community provided the casuals to cook for the children. Based on the findings and conclusions the study recommended that government to set out an agenda for protecting the right to education during conflict and to strengthen provision for children as insecurity affects formal education directly and to ensure ownership of the school feeding intervention. Finally the school administration should ensure community participation and responsibility in school feeding programme. This researcher took exception to the fact that the study was conducted in Siakago Division, Embu County yet School Feeding Programme (SFP) on pupil’s participation is a national one. The researcher therefore suggested that a similar study be conducted in a larger area, or in the whole of Kenya so as the compare the results of such study with the findings of the current study