| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of this research study was to assess the roles of school management committees in the implementation of inclusive education in public primary schools in Kasarani district, Kenya. The objectives of the study were to assess the roles of SMC procurement of teaching and learning resources, their improvement of physical facilities, mobilization of parents and community on sourcing for funds and enhancing communication in the implementation of inclusive education in Kasarani district. Responses from the head teachers, teachers, pupils and SMC members on the objectives guiding the study were presented to show background information, literature review, conclusion and recommendations. Descriptive survey design was used to conduct the study.
The target population was the 25 public primary schools, 25 head teachers, and
420 primary school teachers in Kasarani district. Census sampling method was used to get a sample size of the head teachers. Simple random sampling was used to get the sample size of 175 teachers, 375 pupils and 125 SMC members making a total of 675 respondents. Questionnaires for head teachers, teachers, pupils and interview schedule from SMC members were used in data collection. The questionnaires were validated through appraisal from the supervisors and education administration experts from the department of educational administration and planning and then subjected to a pilot study. The instruments were tested for reliability through test-retest technique. A reliability coefficient of
0.892 for head teacher’s questionnaire, 0.854 for the teachers’ questionnaire,
0.765 for the pupil’s questionnaire and 0.874 for the SMC questionnaire was obtained. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze data with the assistance of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) programme.
The findings of the study were that the school management committee’s role of procurement of teaching and learning resources was positively impacting on the implementation of inclusive education. The school management committee in Kenya is the legal trustee of the school. The head teachers had constituted the school tendering committee. Majority of the head teachers stated that they had facilitated training for their schools’ SMC members which enabled them carry out their duties effectively and efficiently. Majority of the SMC members had been trained in the mobilization of school funds.
School management committees’ were mobilizing parents and community on sourcing for funds from project donors on the implementation of inclusive education. Sources of funds included government free primary education grants, parents’ contributions, NGOs and from well wishers. The school management committees played its role of establishing proper communication channels to
teachers and parents on implementation of inclusive education. Open communication channels enhanced free interaction among school management committee members, teachers, pupils and the community.
The recommendations of this study are that the Ministry of Education through Kenya Education Management Institute should ensure that the SMC’s are empowered and facilitated to undertake their legal right of managing the education institutions. The District Education Board should scrutinize the appointment and qualifications of SMC members to ensure only the qualified ones are allocated school management duties. It was suggested that a comparative study on the assessment of the roles of school management committees in the implementation of inclusive education in private primary schools in Kasarani district should be undertaken | en |
