Effectiveness Of Kenya Education Sector Support Programme Grants On Primary School Infrastructure Improvement: A Case Of Kiambu District

ABSTRACT

This study sought to assess the effectiveness of KESSP grants on improvement of primary school infrastructure in Kiambu District under the Sector Wide Approach to Programme Planning adopted by the government. The specific objectives of the study were: to survey the current infrastructure situation in the district, to find out specific projects undertaken by various schools, to estimate the relative adequacy of the grants, to investigate the problems faced in disbursement and utilization of the funds and to propose strategies that should be put in place to improve the effectiveness of KESSP infrastructure funding. The conceptual framework points out the relationship between good and poor planning of the grants in the face of poor and inadequate infrastructure and scarce resources. The study adopted the descriptive survey design. It targeted all the 22 public primary schools in Kiambu District under the programme. Head teachers and the DEO were targeted respondents. The head teachers and the DEO were purposively sampled. Simple random sampling was utilized to get two schools that were used for piloting. The actual sample size of 20 schools in the study was determined by the census survey approach. Information from the head teachers was got through a questionnaire while the DEO was subjected to an interview schedule. The researcher utilized an observation checklist to find out the general infrastructure condition of the schools. Reliability of the questionnaire was determined by piloting; after which the correlation co-efficient was computed using the Spearman Rank Order and Split Half Techniques. A co-efficiency index of 0.76 was obtained. Collected data were recorded, coded and analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. The analyzed data were presented using frequency tables, pie charts, graphs and narratives. The findings of the study established that in spite of the KESSP infrastructure funding, there was a shortage of infrastructure and existing facilities were in poor condition. The funds were not enough and there were numerous challenges facing the implementation of the programme. The study recommended that the government allocates more funds, the funds be released regularly, projects be closely monitored and those involved in corruption be investigated and punished accordingly to ensure the success of the programme.