Factors Influencing the Implementation of Income Generating Projects in Public Secondary Schools in Isiolo North Sub County, Kenya

Abstract

Education plays a significant role not only to the individuals but also to the society as a whole. Financing of education has been a shared partnership between the government and other development partners’. Government subsidy which is meant to cater for the tuition and operational expenses has been found to be inadequate. In this regard, secondary schools have been urged to initiate income-generating projects to support their budget deficits. The idea of school-based Income Generating Projects becomes necessary for schools to cope with macro-economic dynamics, without necessarily passing down budgetary adjustments to parents. Although the government has tried to intervene and support financing of public secondary schools in the country, the problem of financing still exist in our schools. The purpose of this study was to establish the factors influencing the implementation of income generating projects in public secondary schools in Isiolo North Sub County, Kenya. The study was guided by four objectives which sought to establish the influence of personnel qualifications, supervision, support from staff members and adequate capital investment influence the implementation of Income Generating Projects as an alternative source of financing public secondary schools in Isiolo North Sub-County. The study used descriptive survey design. The target population consisted of 9 public secondary schools in Isiolo North Sub-County. The study targeted one Sub County director of Education 9 secondary school Principals, 9BOM members, and 9 chair persons of the PTA members in Isiolo North Sub-County. The sample size was nine principals; 9 chairpersons of the BOM and nine chairpersons of the PTA. Interview schedules, observation checklist and the questionnaires was used to collect data. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages was used to summarize the data. The study found that training in project management had been undertaken in many schools. The study found that most schools lack proper supervision procedures for their Income generating projects, that in most of the schools, members of staff are involved in the decision on the Income generating projects to be implemented and that lack of initial capital has hindered the implementation of Income generating projects. The study concluded that personnel qualifications, supervision, adequate capital investment and support from staff members influence implementation of Income Generating Projects positively. The study recommended that budgeting for the income generating projects should be executed at the right time and should be adhered to enhance implementation of Income generating projects and that the government through the Ministry of Education (MoE) should organize training programs on project management, financial management and monitoring and evaluation for school heads.