Implementation of Free Secondary Education Policy and its Influence on Participation and Resources in Public Secondary Schools in Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

Education is key to Nations's developmental process. For the FSE policy to be fully realized and for citizens to fully enjoy its benefits, it’s essential for the national system of education in Kenya to be streamlined in order to develop a clear educational policy and redress the likely internal inefficiencies in the system. The purpose of the study was to find out the impact of the FSE Policy on Public secondary schools in Kenya. The study sought to assess the influence of the FSE Policy on access and enrolment, physical facilities and material resources, human resources and community participation in public secondary schools in Nairobi City County. This study adopted the Classical Liberal Theory of Equal Opportunity advanced by Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778). The researcher employed a descriptive survey research design. The target population of the research was all the 84 public secondary schools in Nairobi City County, this research was aimed at the 84 secondary schools situated within the city, 43,111 parents, 1873 teachers and 84 principals. Simple random, cluster and purposive sampling techniques were used to select schools, principals, teachers and parents who were the respondents. The validity of the research instruments was ascertained through piloting and the validity of the content was enhanced by expert judgement. A split half technique of reliability testing was employed and the pilot questionnaires were divided into two equivalent halves and then the correlation coefficient was computed. Data was collected using questionnaires for principals, parents and teachers, observation schedules for school facilities and functions and relationships with the community. Document analysis of school records relevant to the study and interview schedules with principals and teachers. Data was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The analysed data was presented using frequency distribution tables, bar graphs, pie charts and frequency polygons. The study concluded that the schools in Nairobi City County are currently under pressure due to increased enrolment, this has put a strain on physical facilities, material resources human resources. The community is non-committal about providing funds to supplement the school budget however; they are committed to attending school meetings and sorting out discipline issues. The study recommended that the government should focus on increasing the number of schools and expanding the existing facilities to accommodate the increased number of students.