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Determinants of board of governors influence on students' academic performance of public secondary schools in Kakamega Central district, Kenya
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Kwena, Lilian C. |
| Copyright Year | 2012 |
| Abstract | Teachers say that there are gross infringements on teachers that lead to tensions, which cause negative effects on student performance. They report that schools' poor performance was inexplicably tied to Board of Governors persistent differences leading to rejection of better-qualified teachers during recruitment. This study was necessitated by lack of studies on the determinants of Board of Governors influence on students' academic performance in Kenya is inadequate. The purpose of the study was to examine determinants of Board of Governors influencing students' academic performance of public secondary schools in Kakamega Central District.The study has been guided by the following objectives: to establish how educational levels of Board of Governors influence students' academic performance in Kakamega Central District; to determine how experience of Board of Governors influence students' academic performance in Kakamega Central District: to examine how management skills of Board of Governors influence students' academic performance in Kakamega Central District; to establish how the training levels of Board of Governors ' influence students' academic performance in Kakamega Central District. The study employed descriptive survey research design whose purpose was to examine determinants of Board of Governors influencing students' academic performance of public secondary schools in Kakamega Central District. The study targeted 26 Board of Governors' members. 20 head teachers, one District Education Officers (DEO) and one District Quality Assurance and Standards Officer (DQASO). The respondents were selected through simple random and purposive sampling techniques. The research instruments used were the questionnaire and the interview schedule. On validity of the instruments, the researcher used content validity while the test re-test method was used to test reliability comparing with a Pearson product moment of 0.5.The researcher then analysed the data and presented the results in form of frequency tables and cross tabulation tables. The study findings indicated that Board of Governors educational levels had a positive insignificant association on students" academic performance: experience of Board of Governors ' in the management of public secondary schools was not satisfactory: Board of Governors were inadequate in the management skills like financial, human, conceptual, technical skills and were therefore, not competent enough to positively influence students' academic performance; results revealed the Board of Governors ' acquisition of variety of skills and knowledge during training sessions, were not sufficient to significantly influence students' academic performance. Therefore the following recommendations were made: Ministry of Education should establish a mandatory training course, conferences, seminars and workshops for all the Board of Governors ; a comprehensive plan of service for Board of Governors members should be enacted in order to reduce the unique proportions of stress, which make them vulnerable to difficulties with social and or emotional adjustment and thus lower their overall managerial effectiveness: the Board of Governors should do more schools visits more frequently meeting with students and teachers to try to enhance academic performance in the schools and the Government and school management should ensure adequate resources like physical and instructional materials for learning are provided for effective students' academic performance. The findings of this study may be useful to the Ministry of Education. Kenya Education Staffing Institute (KESI) and other stakeholders in education in their improvement of policies and practices on the i n H u e M i w B ^ j ^ y c ^ p t ^ c m o ^ j Q n academic performance of public secondary schools. M K \ J Y i I / / D n V l . o P U g 8 a r y u SOlpy CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the Study In England. Wales and Northern Ireland, school governors are members of a school's Governing Body. In state schools they have responsibility for raising school standards through their three key roles of setting strategic direction, ensuring accountability and acting as a critical friend (Department for Education, 2011). They are the largest volunteer force in the country (Bournemouth Borough Council, 2010). In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, every state school has a governing body, consisting of specified numbers of various categories of governors depending on the type and size of school. Governors are unpaid, but they may be reimbursed for expenses for such as the care of dependants or relatives and travel costs. Under section 50 of the Employment Rights Act (1996) employers must give anyone in their employment who serves as a governor reasonable time off their employ to carry out their governor duties. Employers can decide whether this time off is given with or without pay (Deem, Brehony, Heath (1995). In the management of education in Kenya, at primary school level school management committees (SMCs) and parents teachers association (PTAs) are responsible for their respective schools while secondary schools, middle level colleges and TIVET (Technical, Industrial, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training) institutions are managed by boards of governors (BOG) and universities by councils. These bodies are responsible for the management of both human and other resources so as to facilitate smooth operations, infrastructure, development and the provision of teaching and learning materials (Sessional Paper No. 1 2005: 63. MOE. 2005 and Kindiki, 2009). In some countries these bodies are known as School Governing Bodies (SMBs). The Board of Governors is legally mandated by the Ministry of Education under the Education Act Cap 211 to manage secondary schools in Kenya (Kindiki, 2009). Boards of Governors were created by the Kenyan Education Act (KEA) in 1966 to establish a more direct link between the central ministry and secondary schools. BOG responsibilities were defined as overseeing school management in general and financial management in particular. Personnel and resource management of education institutions affects the standard level of the knowledge and skills that the learner achieves at a given level of learning. Effectiveness of the managers of these institutions to a greater extent determines their success and the caliber of the learners. The immediate roles of BOG have not been defined in the laws and there are no standards that have been adopted to measure their effectiveness. However, the main role of BOG is seen in their effectiveness in resource management, decision making process, provision of physical facilities, recruitment of teachers, overseeing school facilities, monitoring of school performance, curriculum implementation and disciplining of teachers (Ngigi and Reche. 2011). In the Kenyan case management of secondary schools by boards of governors (BOG) came into place after independence following recommendation by the Kenya education commission report of Ominde (Republic of Kenya, 1964). This aimed at giving each school its own personality and decentralization of authority for effectiveness. Education Act Cap. 211 and Sessional Paper No. I of 2005 state that the boards of governors have been given the role of managing human and other resources so as to facilitate smooth operations, infrastructure I development and provision of teaching and 2 learning materials (MOEST. 2005: Kamunge. 2007). In Sessional Paper No. 6 of 1988. the government accepted the recommendations of the presidential working party on manpower training famously known as Kamunge Report that: members of boards of governors and school committees be appointed-from among persons who have qualities of commitment, competence and experience which would enhance the management and development of educational institutions (MOEST. 1988). The Education Act Cap. 211 of the laws of Kenya section 10 (Republic of Kenya. 1980) indicates that the minister appoints members of the boards of governors through a selected committee comprising of provincial administration, local leaders, members of parliament and local councilor, sponsors, local education officer and the head teachcr. This committee selects 3 persons representing local community. 4 representing bodies and organizations like the sponsor and 3 representing special interest groups. Once officially appointed by the minister, the 10 members select the chairperson of the board and co-opt 3 other persons from the parent's teachers association (PTA) into the board (Opot. 2006). The findings of Kindiki (2009) on effectiveness of boards of governors in curriculum implementation in secondary schools in Kenya indicated that training of the members of BOG was directly related to the implementation of the curriculum. The BOG supported schools to acquire physical resources and enhanced curriculum development. The study recommended that schools should strive to provide pre-requisite training to the members of BOG and more involvement in the daily running of the schools. |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke:8080/xmlui/bitstream/handle/11295/6973/LILIAN_CHRISTINE_KWENA_M.A._PPM_2012.pdf?isAllowed=y&sequence=1 |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
