The impact of community support grant on access to early childhood education and development in Tharaka District
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Date
2010Author
Migwi, Seline M
Type
ThesisLanguage
en_USMetadata
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This study investigated impact of community support grant on access to ECDE in Tharaka District, in Eastern province, Kenya. The objectives that guided the study were to determine the level of access and quality of Early Childhood Development and Education following implementation of community support grant in Tharaka District, determine challenges facing the implementation of community support grant and to determine effective strategies to remedy the challenges facing the implementation of community support grant in that district. The significance of the study was to generate data that can be used to address the challenges facing implementation of the community support grant. Findings and recommendation of this study can be used to improve access to Early Childhood Development and Education and help DEO to confirm whether the grant was well utilized.
The limitation of the study was inadequate literature and data on impact of community support grant. The study assumptions were that grant given was used to provide the facilities as intended and improve access. Among the reviewed literature included access to basic education in Kenya and its inherent concerns and challenges facing implementation of community support grant. The target population comprised of 60 head teachers, 120 ECDE teachers, 5 DICECE officers and 1 DEO in Tharaka district. This study adopted a descriptive research survey and data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. 30 head teachers and 30 ECDE teachers were sampled through simple random sampling and 5 DICECE officers and 1 DEO were purposively sampled. Instrument piloting was conducted to five schools that were not included in the study.
The findings for this study were that the major impact of community support grants to ECDE included quality of learning and teaching materials, improved enrollment (access), reduced cost of education, improved teacher salary top ups, improved quality of learning environment. A number of challenges included underpayment of teachers, delay in releasing the funds, inadequate funding, underpayment of teachers, endemic poverty among a grater number of parents. The study also identified a number of strategies that can be employed to mitigate the challenges e.g. increase CSG funding, inclusion of ECDE in the programe of FPE, employment of ECDE teachers by the government, prompt realizing of CSGs to beneficially schools, initiating income generating projects to supplement CSG.
Questionnaires were administered to the respondents and the following conclusions were made. Underpayment of ECDE teachers, delay in releasing the fund and inadequate funding. In regard of the above, the following recommendations were made. Increase the community support funding, inclusion of ECDE in FPE programme, employment of ECDE teachers by the government and initiating income generating project to supplement community support grant.
Publisher
University of Nairobi, Kenya
Collections
- Faculty of Education (FEd) [5977]