| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of involvement of SMC members in decision making on pupils' academic achievement in public primary schools of Kikuyu district, Kenya. Descriptive survey was used. Forty eight out of fifty six public primary schools were sampled. Simple random sampling was done to select the 48 schools. Purposive sampling was applied whereby 48 headteachers of the sampled schools made up the sample size. Ninety six School Management Committee (SMC) members were also purposively sampled from the 48 schools. Questionnaires targeting headteachers and SMC were the research instruments used to collect data. Quantitative data was coded and organized in different categories.
The findings were as follows; headteachers and the School Management Committee (SMC) members should have accounting skills that would help them when making financial decisions like budgeting. Schools where SMC members were involved in decisions relating to physical facilities were found to have adequate physical facilities and therefore were able to perform better than schools where SMC members were not involved in decisions relating to physical facilities.
Teaching and learning materials are necessary in any school. On teachers' and pupils' text books used in the school, SMC members were involved on decisions relating to provision of such instructional materials as well as provision of teaching and learning aids. On teachers' promotions SMC members are not involved at all as this is done directly by the Ministry of Education (MOE), through Teachers Service Commission (TSC). School Management Committee members are least involved in discipline of teachers but are highly involved in decisions making on discipline of support staff. On curriculum and instruction, SMC members' involvement through discussion with teachers on curriculum matters and support programs encourages speedy coverage of syllabus and development of an all round learner who achieves highly in academics.
The study made the following recommendations; the government, through the MOE should offer training on financial management to SMC members, close monitoring and supervision should be carried out often by education officers from _ the DEO's office; on SMC members' performance, policy makers in education should lay clear strategies on persons who should be elected as committee members, the government, through the MOE should publish manual/guidelines to be followed by SMC and the practice of self-reflection on performance should be adopted by SMC members. | en_US |
