Influence of government interventions on students’ enrollment in youth polytechnics in Embu county, Kenya
Abstract
The Kenya Vision 2030 aims at achieving a globally competitive and quality education, training
and research for sustainable development. This will improve provision of education to
polytechnic students and hence achieve the vision 2030 of making Kenya an industrialized nation
by 2030. Technical and vocational education and training is back on the development agenda of
many African countries after years of benign neglect, instigated by a complex set of reasons that
included budgetary constraints and criticisms of the World Bank in the early 90's on its direction
and focus (Afeti, 2014). The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of government
interventions on student’s enrolment of youth polytechnics in Embu County. The objectives of the
study were to establish how financial provisions influence enrolment in Youth Polytechnics,
establish how institutional physical facilities influence enrolment in Youth Polytechnics,
investigate the influence of teaching personnel on enrolment in Youth Polytechnics and to assess
the influence of monitoring and evaluation on enrolment in youth polytechnics. . The theoretical
framework of this study was derived from the human capital theory. The study used a descriptive
survey design. The study focused at a target population of 126 respondents comprising of all the
98 Youth Polytechnic instructors and 28 Youth Polytechnic managers from the 28 public Youth
Polytechnics in Embu County. Samples of 103 respondents were picked stratified sampling and
purposeful sampling. Questionnaires were used to collect data. Five (5) teachers were used for
Pilot testing before the commencement of the study. Data analysis was done using Statistical
Package for Social Sciences and Ms Excel. Descriptive statistics was computed and data was
presented using tables. The Study found out that inadequate fund leads to drop out form
institutions, lack of training equipments and materials, inadequate workers and nonpayment of
board of management instructors. Lack of physical facilities has made it difficult to perform
duties in the institutions. They youth polytechnics lacked managers and instructors with
Bachelors and masters Degree who could improve the quality of education in youth polytechnics.
There were no regular assessments of youth polytechnics by the department of quality assurance
and standards of the ministry of education or the County government. The research findings
generated information which could be used by government departments in the Ministry of
Education to come up with interventions which would benefit polytechnic students, policy makers
in planning the strategies for disseminating education to polytechnic students, County
governments, future scholars and other stakeholders to improve provision of education to
polytechnic students and hence achieve the vision 2030 of making Kenya an industrialized nation
by 2030.
Publisher
University of Nairobi
Collections
- Faculty of Education (FEd) [5964]