| dc.description.abstract | Internal efficiency as a measure of school effectiveness is seen in terms of the flow of students in a
school system and their performance at the end of an educational cycle. Financial resources are core
to the implementation of any school programme. It is believed that internal efficiency is basically
dependent on physical, monetary and human resources all of which can be expressed in monetary
terms. This study looked at the nature and impact of resource mobilization strategies like user fee,
state subsidy, student labour, community funds, NGO funds, income generation activities and
schools foundations on internal efficiency measured in terms of the levels of retention, repetition and
performance of students. A descriptive survey research design was used. The study used 61 schools
out of a sample of 72 public schools in the Sub County. A stratified random sampling technique was
used. A head teacher‟s questionnaire was used to collect data from the schools in addition to an
observation schedule and an interview schedule. Reliability of the instrument was ascertained using a
test-retest procedure getting a Pearson‟s correlation co-efficient of 0.70. Research and Educational
Planning and Economics specialists from the School of Education, the University of Nairobi were
consulted to help validate the instruments. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to
analyse the data. Findings indicated that more financial resources resulted into enhanced internal
efficiency. The research found out that schools which charge and collect more fees on average
perform better academically. The schools also had high retention rates and low wastage rates hence
high internal efficiency. The receipt of government subsidy through the FTSE program was found to
have enhanced internal efficiency since it had reduced both dropout and repeater rates. Also it had
improved instructional facilities translating into good examination performance. Though
underutilized, foundations and endowments did positively influence school retention rates through
providing scholarships to bright and needy students. Harambee funds helped subsidize development
of school infrastructure which locks the children of the poor from school. It therefore enhanced
retention and transition rates which signify high intern`al efficiency. The proper use of time and
human resource in school enhances learning and thus internal efficiency. In terms of resource
mobilization, the rationalization of the time and human labour creates savings which reduce cost of
education and hence improved internal efficiency. Income generation activities create finances which
would support instructional activities and thereafter positively influencing retention rates and
performance.
The regression analysis results showed that student performance as a measure of internal efficiency
had positive relationship with all the considered resource mobilisation strategies. Retention rates
have positive relationship with all the strategies in question apart from community funds which
showed a negative relationship. Finally, repetition rates had a positive variation with income
generating activities and state subsidy. The strategies of user fees, community funds and student
labour however had negative relationship with repetition rates.
The study recommends that schools should exploit the resources at their disposal effectively and
efficiently to reduce the cost of education and cut down wastage in schools. Also the school
managers should ensure that schools are run as business entities whose profitability relies on the
ability to manipulate available resources to enhance performance, increase retention rates and reduce
repetition rates. | en_US |
