Assessment Of The Complementary Role Of Children Home Projects To The Achievement Of Formal Education Goals In Kenya: A Case Of Nakuru Municipality

Abstract

Kenya’s goal in education is achieving Education For All (EFA). MDG 2 aims at achieving Universal Primary Education (UPE). Many children are denied the opportunity to access formal education because of unfortunate events that leave them orphaned or abandoned. Different stakeholders in education sector in Kenya have worked towards improving children’s access to formal education. The government is the prime player but it gets support from various entities to achieve the national goals of education. Among those players complementing attainment of education goals in the country are Children Home Projects (CHPs). CHPs provide access to formal schooling, financing for basic needs of education, guidance towards improved academic performance of beneficiaries, teaching personnel among other needs. However, an empirical study of how CHPs complement formal education goal achievement had not been done. The purpose of this study was to assess the complementary role of CHPs in formal education in Municipal Council of Nakuru (MCN). The specific objectives were: to establish the growth in the number of beneficiaries in CHPs who access formal schooling in MCN; to determine the extent to which the CHPs’ annual financial budgets meet the primary needs of education; to establish the academic performance trends of beneficiaries of CHPs in MCN, and; to establish the number and quality of teaching personnel employed by CHPs in MCN. This study investigated their complementary role to formal education. The study used a descriptive survey design. A census of the 38 managers heading the 38 CHPs was done. Data was collected using questionnaires administered to the 38 managers. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics and presented in frequencies and percentages in tables. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) computer application was used to aid in the analysis. The study unveiled that there was high growth in the number of children sponsored by CHPs accessing formal education. It was also discovered that the CHPs dedicated sufficient funds to meet the basic needs of education. The study also realized that children in CHPs performed well academically and that the homes contributed in availing sufficient and qualified teaching personnel to support formal education. The general conclusion was that CHPs highly complement the achievement of education goals in Kenya. The study recommended that CHPs make their presence and role well known to the public by advertising their services widely, the government and international bodies to fund CHPs more, and academic sponsorship to be positively biased towards sponsoring well performing CHP sponsored children. The researcher proposed further study aimed at finding out why religious sponsored CHPs perform better relative to other CHPs, and why there are more boys than girls being sponsored by the CHPs.