Community participation in the management of preschool education: a case of Malindi District, Kenya

Abstract

The main concern of this study was that despite the role played by preschool education in the future academic achievement of the child, the management of preschool has in many instances been wanting. The main causes of this scenario have not been sufficiently investigated and really not understood; hence so the youngsters have not been able to benefit from preschool education as envisaged. The purpose of the study was three folds {i}to determine the attitude and perception of the community towards preschool education in Malindi District;{ii}to determine the nature and extent of community involvement in the management of preschool education in the district and [iii}to establish the challenges faced in the management of preschool education and how communities have managed such challenges. The main concern has been the government has left the management of preschool education in the country to communities. They are entirely responsible with the early childhood education. This has led to the mushrooming of early childhood centers in the country putting quality of this education be questioned. As the government leaves the sector in the hands of communities, standards of education will be lowered especially where community fails to manage these sectors effectively. Thus the issue has been the role of community participation in their management. The study adopted an exploration approach using a descriptive survey design to investigate the prospects of improving the management of preschool education by communities in an effort to ensure that the child receives maximum gains of the preschool education program. Descriptive survey designs are used in preliminary and exploration studies {Luck and Ruber 1952 } to allow researchers to gather information , summarize, present and interpret for the purpose of classification(Orodho 2002). Borg Gall{ 1895;5} note that descriptive survey research is intended to produce statistical information about aspects of education that interest policy makers and educators. In Malindi District, there are 308 preschool centers of which 160 are owned and operated by the community. hence the study used the 160 community sponsored preschool as its target population. The study used a sample of 10 percent i.e. 16 community sponsored preschools as its sample. Data were collected using preschool management questionnaire for practicing preschool teachers, head teachers of preschools, preschool children parents and opinion leaders( councillors, chiefs, sub-chief's, religious leaders, businessmen etc), and quality assurance and standard officers in the district. An observation schedule was used to investigate the type of physical facilities and teaching material used, equipment and environmental factors. Data were analyzed using descriptive techniques and utilized tables and percentages. The study found out that communities don't play their role adequately in the management of preschools. The management of the preschool centers has been left entirely to the primary school management that have not adequately provided finances, physical facilities and materials, personnel and ensured good school-community relations. This has impacted negatively on the quality of education provided by this sub-sector. In conclusion there is dire need for the community to re-evaluate itself on how they have played their role in the preschool sub-sector of education. A lot needs to be done to re-vamp the current state of affairs for a meaningful preschool education in their district. From the research it is highly recommended that the government should take over the management of preschool education just as it has done for primary and secondary education. The communities should also be educated to have a more positive and better perception of early childhood education. The government should embark on campaigns to create awareness to the communities on their role in the provision and management of preschool education. The state should ensure planned expansion of preschools in the district with a lot of emphasis on provision of quality education right from the preschool sub-sector.