Financing of Public Primary Schools and the Provision of Educational Facilities to enhance quality in Primary Schools in Rigoma Division, Nyamira County, Kenya

Abstract

The thrust of this paper was to examine the financing mechanisms for the development of physical facilities that enhance pupils’ academic excellence in primary schools in Rigoma Division, Nyamira County, Kenya. The study was premised on a modified cost-effective model proposed by Aiken 1970 which consists of basic elements of external systems, student inputs, financial inputs, other relevant characteristics and their outcomes. The study adopted an ex-post facto research design predicated on the premise that the variables of the study had already occurred before the study was undertaken. The study used a sample size of 97 subjects comprising headteachers, teachers, pupils and members of parents’ teachers association (PTA). The main research instruments used were questionnaires, focus group discussion (fgds) guidelines and observation schedules. Mixed methods of data analysis involving qualitative and quantitative approaches were utilized to triangulate the data. The major findings of this study were that Government funding of schools was grossly inadequate. Parents through PTA highly subsidized the finding of schools in the study locale by conducting occasional fundraisings and soliciting funds from philanthropic organizations, albeit inadequate. It is recommended that individual schools should also encourage teachers to improvise the instructional materials that are in short supply to enhance quality of teaching and learning