Challenges faced by area education officers (AEOs) in discharging their responsibilities in Machakos County - Kenya
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Date
2013-02-22
Authors
Ndavi, Bridget Ndunge
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Abstract
Thestudy set out to investigate the challenges that Area Education Officers (AEOs) face
while discharging their responsibilities in Machakos District. AEOs have clearly
specified roles in three broad areas: curriculum implementation, co-ordination of cocurricularactivities
and management of personnel matters. The study employed General
SystemsTheory based on the work of Ludwing Von Bertalanify to show that AEOs are a
part of a system. The study was guided by research questions based on the three broad
responsibilityareas for AEOs: management of curriculum implementation, coordination
of co- curricular activities and personnel management. Review of related literature
revealed that natiO:Q,svalue education of their citizens very much hence put in place
systems of administration of their education. The study employed descriptive design
research design. The target population of the study comprised of all the five AEOs in
Machakos District. Since the target population was less than twenty, each case was
studied in comparison with others. Purposive sampling was used to select all the five
AEOsto participate in the actual study. A questionnaire designed for the AEOs was used
as the main tool for data collection. Prior to the actual data collection procedure, a pilot
studywas conducted In one division within the district. The aim of the pilot study was to
helpidentify items in the questionnaire that would have been ambiguous or unclear to the
respondents and changed them effectively. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies and
percentageswere used to analyze the collected data. The study established that the main
challenges that make the work of AEO's difficult as they play their roles in these areas
werelack / insufficient funds and lack of transport. The study recommends that divisions
should be provided with vehicles to ease the problem of transport; the Ministry of
Educationshould fund divisionsdirectly to avoid the problem of delayed and insufficient
funds; and CDP money should be .fully utilized to provide material resources in the
schools.
Description
Educational Management Policy and Curriculum Studies.