Greener Journal of Educational
Research Vol. 9(2), pp. 104-115, 2019 ISSN: 2276-7789 Copyright ©2019, the copyright of
this article is retained by the author(s) DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.15580/GJER.2019.2.101319183 https://gjournals.org/GJER |
|
Effect of
Free Secondary Education Fund on Teaching and learning Resources: A Case Study
of Kericho County, Kenya
ARTICLE INFO |
ABSTRACT |
Article No.: 101319183 Type: Research DOI: 10.15580/GJER.2019.2.101319183 |
Education has
been declared worldwide as both a human right and an indispensable means of
realizing other human rights. To support provision of Education for All,
Free Secondary Education (FSE) policy was adopted in 2008 to enhance the
provision of secondary school education in Kenya. The first cycle of
students who benefitted from FSE fund graduated in 2011. The Students’ mean
scores in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) on an average was 5.39 in Kericho County that
was lower than the national mean. It
was necessary to determine the effect of FSE fund on teaching and learning
resources in the county since it contributes to performance. Therefore, the
purpose of this study was to establish effect of FSE fund on Teaching and
Learning Resources in Kericho County. The study
was based on the concept of investment choices and consequently a conceptual
framework was formulated. The independent variable was FSE Fund and
dependent variable was Teaching and Learning Resources Descriptive, ex-post
facto and correlational research designs were adopted. The study population
was 4,457 Principals, Sub County Quality Assurance and Standard Officers,
Directors of Studies and form IV students of 2011. The sample size was 485.
Snowball and saturated sampling techniques were used to select respondents.
Questionnaire, interview schedules, focus group discussion guide and
document analysis guide were used to collect data. Reliability coefficient
of the principals’ questionnaire was 0.80 at set p-value of 0.05. Quantitative
data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Qualitative
data was transcribed and analyzed in emergent themes and sub themes. The
study established that Student book Ratio for individual subjects was
approaching 1:1 in most schools. The study further established that there
was a moderate positive relationship between FSE funding on Student Book
Ratio Pearson’s r was squared. The coefficient of determination R2 = 0.480
which meant that FSE policy accounted for 23.04% of the variation in Student
Book Ratio. The study concluded that FSE Fund should increase the student
book ratio by 23.04%. The study recommended that FSE fund should be reviewed
upward to Teaching and Learning resources further. The findings of this
study are significant to stakeholders in education as it informs them on the
need to review the policy with a view to improving secondary school
education so as to achieve the objectives of FSE policy. |
Submitted: 13/10/2019 Accepted: 22/10/2019 Published: |
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*Corresponding Author Viviline
Ngeno E-mail: vivilinengeno@ yahoo.com |
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Keywords: |
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INTRODUCTION
Education has been declared worldwide as both
a human right and an indispensable means of realizing other human rights. This
is supported by world summit declaration on Education for All which is a global movement led by the United
Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which aimed at
meeting the learning needs of all children, youth and adults by 2015 (World
Bank, 2000a). United Nations Human Regional Commission (2012) points out that
education is both a human right in itself and an indispensable means of
realizing other human rights. World Bank (2011) states that some countries are
now declaring free universal secondary education. The Kenya government
introduced Free Primary Education (FPE) and Free Secondary Education (FSE)
policies in 2003 and 2008 respectively. FSE policy (MOE, 2007) was put in place
to enhance transition from primary to
secondary school by making secondary school education affordable. The
objectives of FSE policy were to enhance access to secondary education, improve
quality, equity, relevance and gender parity in the provision of secondary
school education (MOE, 2007). To achieve these objectives the government
provided a guideline (Table 1).
Table
1: Costs incurred by the Government for each Student per Year after the
Introduction of FSE Policy in 2008
Vote head |
Day Schools (Kshs.) |
Boarding Schools (Kshs.) |
|
|
GOK Subsidy (FSE) |
GOK Subsidy (FSE) |
Parent Fees |
Tuition |
3,600 |
3,600 |
0 |
Boarding,
Equipment and Stores |
0 |
0 |
13,034 |
Repair,
Maintenance and Improvement |
400 |
400 |
400 |
Local Travel and Transport |
400 |
400 |
500 |
Administration Costs |
500 |
500 |
350 |
Electricity, water and Conservancy |
500 |
500 |
1500 |
Activity Fees |
600 |
600 |
0 |
Personal Emolument |
3,965 |
3,935 |
2,743 |
Medical |
300 |
300 |
100 |
Total School Fees |
10,265 |
10,265 |
18,635 |
Source: Ministry of Education (2009)
According to the Ministry of Education (2009)
FSE is meant to cater for the following items in secondary education: Tuition Kshs. 3,600/=, to cater for the students learning materials
for instance textbooks, reams of paper, exercise books and other learning
materials, Kshs. 400/= for repair, maintenance and improvement
(RMI), Kshs. 500/= for electricity, water supply and
conservancy (EW&C). Kshs. 400/= for local transport
and travel (LTT), Kshs.500/= administrative costs (AC), Kshs.3, 965/=, personal
emolument (PE). Kshs. 600/= and Kshs. 300/= co-curricular activities and medical
care respectively. The day schools’
parents were to cater for lunch, uniforms, personal effects and other projects
for example expansion of infrastructure upon approval by the District Education
Board (DEB) in consultation with the Boards of Governors (BOGs) and Parents
Teachers Association (PTAs). Clear the fee balance for continuing students for
the academic year 2008 (MOE, 2009). The boarding schools on the other hand
parents should cater for boarding, Equipment and store Kshs.
13,034/=, RMI Kshs. 400/=, EW&C Kshs. 1,500/= LTT Kshs. 500/=
personal Emolument Kshs. 2,743/= and medical care Kshs. 100/= respectively thereby making a total of Kshs. 18,635/=. Parents were not required to pay for
tuition and co-curricular activities but they were to cater for the costs pertaining
to school uniforms, boarding and projects (MOE, 2009). The implementation of
FSE first phase ended in 2011 with graduation of the first cohort that fully
benefited from this policy. In
this respect the MOE (2008) in the implementation of FSE policy in Kenya aimed
at improving the Book Student Ratio (BSR) to 1:1, provision of adequate
exercise books, equipment and teaching/learning materials. What was
unknown was the influence of FSE fund on teaching and learning resources in Kericho County.
Research
Objective
Establish the effect of Free Secondary
Education fund on teaching and learning resources in Kericho
County.
SYNTHESIS OF THE LITERATURE ON STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
Studies done in some African countries by
UNESCO, (2012) indicated that 13 pupils have to share one mathematics textbook
in Cameroon, pupils in Benin, Niger, Cape Verde, Rwanda and Mauritius have
access to one book each. In Niger, 85% of schools have no potable water and 75%
had no toilets. In Mauritius and Rwanda, all schools have such facilities. In Kenya a lot of significance is attached to quality of
education. That is why in FSE subsidy the allocation of funds for tuition is
35.07% being higher than other vote heads except personal emolument which is
38.63%. OECD
(2000) showed that it is clear that in developing countries where resources are
limited, the class sizes are below the optimum size and may be linked to
inefficiency use of existing resources.
According to
the Daily Nation (2014, March 6th) poor performance in Lamu East in KCSE was due to admission of students in form
one with less than 250 marks in local secondary schools. This is what is termed
as poor entry behavior. Gogo, (2012) indicated in his
findings that the increase of expenditure on education by the Kenya government
has least effect on performance. Kariuki et
al, (2012) did a study on the performance and influence of poor performance in
Mathematics Baringo County and revealed that factors
contributing to poor performance include under staffing, inadequate teaching/
learning materials, lack of motivation and poor attitudes by both teachers and
students, retrogressive practices.
Kenya
Education Partnerships (2010) revealed that limited textbook and science
resources; often poorly managed: Students often have little access to
textbooks, limiting classroom activities and preventing students from
conducting independent learning. Science practical examinations are a mandatory
component of the national examinations, yet many students only have the
opportunity to watch experiments prior to their examinations, and may never
have conducted any themselves due to lack of usable equipment or a furnished
lab.
Quality Education is necessary for every
nation. FSE fund is channeled to improve on inputs so as to improve in its
outcome in terms of quality (MOE, 2008). While trying to establish the
influence of FSE fund on teaching and learning resources it was necessary to
establish the utilization of FSE fund on educational inputs which was part of
the package of FSE policy to enhance on quality. The inputs include resources,
time and human effort as it signifies the quality of education the learners get
because of the input
The conceptual framework (Figure 1)
postulates that, Free Secondary Education fund influences teaching and learning
materials in Kenya. The conceptual
framework is based on the concept of investment choices advanced by Psacharopolous and Woodhall in (1985).
Thus, the study adapted the concept to make it suitable for this study. This
was in accordance with the grounded theory (Creswell, 2002) which states that
where there is no appropriate theory and a conceptual framework can be developed
based on the available data that presupposes the relationships. Woodhall (2004) indicates that education is a form of
investment in human capital that yields economic benefits and contributes to
the country’s future wealth by increasing the productive capacity of its
people. FSE subsidy is an investment choice by the Government of Kenya aimed at
improving quality secondary education
Figure
1: Conceptual Framework Showing the Influence of the FSE Policy on Students’
Academic Achievement in Kericho County
This conceptual framework was adapted to
focus on independent and dependent variables. Independent variable was FSE fund
while dependent variables was teaching and learning resources. The school
levies were an intervening variable. Teaching and learning resources were
established by analyzing the provision of inputs, Book Student Ratio (BSR),
before and after the introduction of FSE fund were also analyzed as they have a
direct bearing on quality education.
RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
Ex post
facto,
descriptive survey and correlational research designs were used in this study.
The study population consisted of 45
secondary school principals, 45 Director of Studies (DOS), 5 District Quality
Assurance Standards Officer (DQASOs) and
4,362 form four 2011 students drawn from 45 secondary schools in Kericho County. The sample size for the students was
determined using the formula by Israel (1992) .
Thus:
Where: n is the sample size, N
is the population size, and e is the level of precision.
This formula was applied in this study to
determine the students sample size. The students study population was 4,362
form IV students.
n = = 366
Saturated sampling technique was used to
select the 5 DQASOs, 40 Director of Studies and the 40 School Principals.
Saturated sampling is whereby the whole population is used because it is too
small to be sampled (Mugenda & Mugenda, 2003). This was adopted in this study to select
the DQASOs, Director of Studies and school principals as their populations were
too small to be sampled. Questionnaire, interview schedule, Observation Guide,
Focus Group Discussion Guide and document analysis guide was used in this
study. Reliability was determined by administering the instrument same
respondent twice at an interval of two weeks in 5(10%) of the principals and
Pearson product moment correlation coefficients was used to compute the
correlation coefficient. The correlation coefficient was 0.8 at a set p-value
of 0.05. This means the instrument was reliable as the calculated coefficient
was greater than 0.7.
Quantitative data was
analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics Descriptive statistics in
the form of frequency counts, percentages and inferential statistics in form of
Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficients. Correlation was done for Book
Ratio and Tuition Fees. It was also correlated between the emolument fund and
non-teaching fund. For the BOM teachers it was not done since there was no
clear allocation of funds by the government.
Correlation
coefficients (r) were therefore interpreted to determine the influence of FSE
policy on the dependent variables in terms of direction and strength of relationship
Elifson, Runyon and Haber, 1990; Leedy
and Ormrod, 2005) interpretation guidelines was used
as shown in Table 2. This was adopted in the interpretation of Pearson’s (r) and coefficient of determination R2 in this study.
Table 2: Interpretation
of Pearson Correlation Coefficients (r)
Strength of the relationship |
Positive (+) |
Negative (-) |
Weak/low/small |
0.01
– 0.30 |
0.01
– 0.30 |
Moderate/ medium |
0.31
– 0.70 |
0.31
– 0.70 |
Strong/high |
0.71
– 0.99 |
0.71
– 0.99 |
Perfect relationship |
1.00 |
1.00 |
No relationship |
0.00 |
0.00 |
Source: Adapted from Elifson,
Runyon and Haber (1990);
Leedy and Ormrod
(2005)
RESULTS AND
DISCUSSION
Demographic
Characteristics of the Respondents
The respondents in this study included school
Principals, Director of Studies, DQASO and students. Their demographic
characteristics were as shown in Tables 3.
Table 3: Principals’
Gender and Headship Experience (n=40)
Demographic characteristics |
Frequency (f) |
Percentage (%) |
Gender |
|
|
Male |
30 |
75.00 |
Female |
10 |
25.00 |
Total |
40 |
100.00 |
Headship Experience in years |
|
|
5 |
1 |
02.50 |
6-10 |
12 |
30.00 |
11-15 |
17 |
42.50 |
16-20 |
10 |
25.00 |
Total |
40 |
100.00 |
Table 3 indicates that out of all the 40
(100%) school Principals involved in the study 30 (75%) were male while 10
(25%) were female. This shows that very few female teachers are appointed as school principals
in Kericho County. This is in agreement with the study
carried out on a sampled number of schools in Kenya by Bosire et al (2009)
where it was indicated that out of the 30 sampled school , 22 (79%) principals were male while 6 (21%) were female. The
school principals’ leadership experience was also indicated and one (2.50%) had
headship experience between 5 years, 12 (30.00%) had an experience of
6-10years, 17 (42.50%) has an experience of 11-15 years while 10 (25.00%) had
an experience of 16-20 years.
From the findings in
Table 4, it is evident
that most of the school principals had
headship experience of 6 years and above. This shows that they had enough
experience in school management and they were able to give the relevant
information on the effect FSE fund on teaching and learning resources in Kericho County. Principals with experience can be relied on
for the authenticity of data collected. They were also better placed given that
the data required dated back to the year 2004 that required experience in
school administration
.
Table 4: FSE
Fund and School Levies incurred in four years on average for 2008 Cohort after
introduction of FSE policy (n=40)
Type of School |
FSE in 4 year (Kshs.) |
Percentage (%) |
Costs incurred by parents in 4
years (Kshs.) |
Percentage (%) |
Total in Kshs. |
Days scholars in mixed schools |
41,060 |
40.43 |
60,509.65 |
59.57 |
81,569.65 |
Boarders in mixed schools |
41,060 |
27.40 |
108,803.85 |
72.60 |
112,863.85 |
Girls boarding |
41,060 |
25.62 |
119,178.57 |
74.38 |
160,238.57 |
Boys boarding |
41,060 |
24.88 |
123,964.43 |
75.12 |
165,024.43 |
Table 4 indicates the costs incurred by the
government and the parents after FSE fund in Kericho
County. The government spent Kshs.41, 060 for four years while the parents
spent Kshs.60, 509.65 on average for four years in mixed day schools, and for
boarders in mixed schools they spent Kshs.108, 803.85. In girls boarding and
boys boarding schools they spent Kshs.119, 178.57 and
Kshs.123, 964.43 respectively.
Day school students
were not given any guideline on the amount of levies the parents were to pay
while parents in boarding schools were to pay Kshs.18,627 per year which would
add up to Kshs.74,508 in four years.
This data was relevant in this study because it helped in establishing the
effect FSE fund on teaching and learning resources in Kericho
County.
Research
Question
What is the effect
of FSE fund on Teaching and learning resources in Kericho
County?
The study sought to establish the effect of
FSE fund on Book Student Ratio (BSR). This helped to explain the influence of
FSE fund on the quality of education. The findings were as shown in from Table
5. Tuition fees which caters for books and other learning materials. The input
was determined by checking on these factors to find out whether there is an
influence in quality of education after the introduction of FSE fund. Pearson Product -Moment Correlation Coefficient
was computed to establish whether FSE fund had an influence on Teaching and
learning Resources.
Book Student Ratios according to Subjects before
and after Introduction of FSE Policy
The study used accession registers,
inventories and ledgers to establish the BSR according to subjects.
Table 5: Book
Student Ratio in Mathematics and Science Subjects before and after Introduction of FSE Policy in Kericho
County in 2007 and 2011(n=40)
Ratio |
Mathematics |
Biology |
Chemistry |
Physics |
||||
B (%) |
A (%) |
B (%) |
A (%) |
B (%) |
A (%) |
B (%) |
A (%) |
|
1:1 |
00(00) |
10(25) |
00(00) |
3(7.5) |
00(00) |
1(2.5) |
00(00) |
3(7.5) |
1:2 |
13(32.5) |
23(57.5) |
12(30) |
22(55) |
7(17.5) |
21(52.5) |
10(25) |
25(62.5) |
1:3 |
16(40) |
7(17.5) |
12(30) |
15(37.5) |
14(35) |
12(30) |
13(32.5) |
12(30) |
1:4 |
10(25) |
00(00) |
15(37.5) |
00(00) |
18(45) |
15(37.5) |
17(42.5) |
00(00) |
1:5 |
1(2.5) |
00(00) |
1(2.5) |
00(00) |
1(2.5) |
00(00) |
00(00) |
00(00) |
Totals |
40(100) |
40(100) |
40(100) |
40(100) |
40(100) |
40(100) |
40(100) |
40(100) |
Key: B: Before FSE policy A: After
FSE policy
Table 5 indicates book student ratio (BSR) in
mathematics, Biology, Chemistry and physics before and after introduction of
FSE policy in Kericho County. In mathematics 13 (32.5%)
of the schools had BSR of 1:2, while 16 (40%) had a BSR of 1:3, ten (25%) and
one (2.5%) had their BSR of 1:4 and 1:5 respectively. After the introduction of
FSE policy most schools improved in BSR in mathematics whereby 10 (25%) of the
schools had a ratio of 1:1 while 23 (57.50%) of the schools had their book
ratio of 1:2 and 7 (17.50%) of the schools had a BSR of 1:3. This was a big
improvement in the BSR in mathematics as this shows that FSE had improved the
text books in mathematics. Mathematics as a subject call for individualized
instruction as it is intensive exercise oriented. This means that the BSR
should be 1:1. This enables the students to carry out exercises on mathematical
problem solving and with practice the student masters the skills in mathematical
problem solving independently. It also enables the teacher to freely give
assignments to students which can be done during class time and after. With
this approach the performance in mathematics is likely to improve which
translates to quality education in mathematics. This finding concurs with the
interview findings in which Director of Studies acknowledged that performance
in mathematics had improved with introduction of FSE policy. For instance, one
Directors of Studies stated, “In our school it is only after FSE that students
started to obtain mean grades of A and A minus even though we have not reached
the target mean grade in most classes but it has improved. This was evident
with the first cohort of students who benefitted from the FSE policy”. These
findings also concur with those of UNESCO (2012) whereby in Niger, Benin and
Rwanda the mathematics BSR was 1:1 and corresponded with improvement in
performance.
In Biology the trend was the same as in
mathematics whereby before FSE policy, 12 (30%) of the schools had their BSR of
1:2, while another 12 (30%) had a BSR of 1:3, fifteen (37.50%) and one (2.5%)
of the schools had their BSR of 1:4 and 1:5 respectively. After the
introduction of FSE policy the BSR in these schools improved as 3 (7.5%) of the
schools had BSR of 1:1 while 22 (55%) and 15 (37.5%) of the schools had BSR of
1:2 and 1:3 respectively. With improvement in BSR the students’ academic
achievement was bound to improve this is because students would have adequate
reading materials in biology and the teachers could find it easy to facilitate
the learning. This finding is corroborated by interview findings and focused
group discussion in which all the Directors of Studies, the DQASOs and all the
groups of students were of the view that improvement in BSR had led to
improvement in performance of Biology in national examinations for the first
cohort who benefitted from FSE policy. In this respect, one of the students
said, “Our biology mean score improved steadily and it was resulted in good
scores in KCSE this was due to adequate recommended text books in Biology which
the school bought for us”.
For chemistry before the introduction of FSE
policy 7 (17.70%) and 14 (35%) of the schools had a BSR of 1:2 and 1:3
respectively, while 18 (45.00 %) and one (2.50%) of the schools in the county
had a BSR of 1:4 and 1:5 respectively. After the introduction of FSE policy
most schools improved in BSR in Chemistry whereby one (2.5%) of the schools had
BSR of 1:1 while 21 (52.5%) and 12 (30%) of the schools had BSR of 1:2 and 1:3
respectively. There were also 15 (37.5%)
of the schools having their book ratio at 1:4. This was moderate improvement in
BSR as a number of schools still had a BSR of 1:3 and even 1:4. This could be
one of the reasons why performance in chemistry has not improved so much over
the years. The low improvement in performance was however attributed to
students’ attitude by all the Directors of Studies during interviews. This was
acknowledged by one of the Directors of Studies when he stated, “though
chemistry is an elective subject, most schools had made it compulsory forcing
students to take it who would have otherwise not, therefore the BSR is a non -
issue because books are actually available for students use”.
In case of Physics ten (25%) of the schools
had their BSR at 1:2, while another 13 (32.50%) had a BSR of 1:3 and 17
(42.50%) had a BSR of 1:4. After the introduction of FSE policy the schools
improved their BSR in the following way 3 (7.5%) of the schools had improved to
1:1, while 25 (62.50%) improved to 1:2 and 12 (30%) to 1:3. This was a big
improvement in this subject and all the respondents supported these findings.
In fact, one of the DQASOs said, “Physics is one of the subjects that have been
improving steadily over the years in the county after the introduction of FSE
policy”. This shows that FSE policy had
contributed to the improvement of this subject in the county.
Table 6: Ratio
of Language Text books Before and After Introduction of FSE policy in Kericho
County (n=40)
Ratio |
English |
Kiswahili |
French |
|||
B
(%) |
A (%) |
B (%) |
A (%) |
B (%) |
A (%) |
|
1:1 |
00(00) |
7(17.5) |
00(00) |
10(25) |
0(00) |
6(60) |
1:2 |
11(27.5) |
25(62.5) |
13(32.5) |
17(42.5) |
2(100) |
2(20) |
1:3 |
22(55) |
7(17.5) |
20(50) |
13(32.5) |
0(00) |
2(20) |
1:4 |
7(17.5) |
1(2.5) |
7(17.5) |
00 |
0(00) |
00(00) |
Totals |
40(100) |
40(100) |
40(100) |
40(100) |
2(100) |
10(100) |
Key B:
Before FSE policy A: After FSE policy
Table 6 indicates BSR in languages this
included English, Kiswahili and French before and after introduction of FSE
policy in Kericho County. In English 11 (27.50%) of
the schools had a BSR of 1:2, while 22 (55%) had a BSR of 1:3 and 7 (17.50%) of
the schools had a BSR of 1:4. After the introduction of FSE policy most of the schools
improved in BSR in mathematics whereby 7 (17.50%) of the schools had a BSR of
1:1 while 25 (62.50%) of the schools had their BSR of 1:2, another 7 (17.5%)
and one (2.5%) of the schools had a BSR of 1:3 and 1:4 respectively. This was a
big improvement in the BSR in English. Therefore, this shows that FSE had improved
the reading materials in English. Since English is a core subject because the
other subjects are coordinated in English; if the students understand it well,
they will be in a position to understand the other subjects well leading to
good overall performance. Since it involves a lot of Exercises which require
the students to do it is very good now since 32 (80%) of the schools had a
ratio of 1:1 and 1:2.This finding concurred with the interview findings in
which all the Director of Studies acknowledged that performance in English had
improved with introduction of FSE. For instance, one Director of Studies said,
“In our school English did well after FSE policy this indicates that the more
the reading materials the better the subject and unlike before FSE policy we
get the books on time”.
Kiswahili the trend was the same as that of
English before FSE policy, 13 (32.50%) of the schools had a BSR of 1:2, while
20 (50%) and 7 (7.5%) of the schools had a BSR of 1:3 and 1:4 respectively.
After the introduction of FSE policy the BSR in these schools improved as 10
(25%) of the schools had BSR of 1:1 while 17 (42.50%) and 13 (32.50%) of the
schools had BSR of 1:2 and 1:3 respectively. This was good because Kiswahili is
one of the compulsory subjects in the Kenyan education system and since it is
not an elective when it is improved it boost the overall grade for the student
and the entire school. It is also exercise oriented which is good for this
subject because 27 (67.50%) of the schools had a BSR of 1:1 and 1:2. This was
also a good improvement in terms of quality of education as was revealed by
interview findings and focused group discussion. All the Director of studies,
DQASO and students focus groups during interview and focused group discussion
indicated that improvement in BSR had led to improvement in performance of
Kiswahili in their internal examination and national examinations. In fact, one
of the DQASO said, “Our schools really improved in the mocks in these subjects
and even in the national examination after the introduction of FSE policy in
2008. The results for the first cohort were really good”.
For French before the introduction of FSE
policy 2 schools were taking French and had a BSR of 1:2. After the
introduction of FSE policy most schools improved in BSR 6 (60%) of which had
attained a BSR ratio of 1:1, two (20%) of the schools had a BSR of 1:2 while 2
(20%) had a BSR of 1:3. French being a
language it is also exercise oriented and it very important when the books is
adequate and the number of students sharing should be at least 1:1 or 1:2.
These will enhance the performance in this subject and also if the students do
well it will open up more careers for them. This could be one of the reasons
why performance in French has been very good as confirmed by all the student’s
groups, Director of Studies and DQASO during interview findings and focused
group discussion. However, one of the Director of Studies commented that
“Though French is one of the elective subjects the students who do it did very
well after the introduction of FSE policy”.
Table 7: Ratio
of Humanities Text books before and after
Introduction of FSE
policy in Kericho County (n=40)
Ratio |
CRE |
Geography |
History |
|||
B (%) |
A (%) |
B (%) |
A (%) |
B (%) |
A (%) |
|
1:1 |
00(00) |
4(10) |
00(00) |
10(25) |
00 |
3(7.5) |
1:2 |
13(32.5) |
25(62.5) |
13(32.5) |
23(57.5) |
12(30) |
27(67.5) |
1:3 |
13(32.5) |
11(27.5) |
17(42.5) |
7(17.5) |
12(30) |
10(25) |
1:4 |
13(32.5) |
00(00) |
7(17.5) |
00(00) |
15(37.5) |
00(00) |
1:5 |
1(2.5) |
00(00) |
00(00) |
00(00) |
1(2.5) |
00(00) |
Total |
40(100) |
40(100) |
40(100) |
40(100) |
40(100) |
40(100) |
Key B: Before FSE policy A: After FSE policy
Table 7 indicates BSR in CRE, Geography and
History before and after introduction of FSE policy in Kericho
County. For CRE 13 (32.5%) of the schools had a BSR of 1:2, 13 (32.5%) of the
schools had a BSR of 1:3. Thirteen (32.5%) and one (2.5%) of the schools had a
BSR of 1:4 and 1:5 respectively. After the introduction of FSE policy most
schools improved in BSR in CRE 4 (10%) of the schools had attained a BSR of
1:1, the schools who had improved their BSR to 1:2 were 25 (62.5%) while 11
(27.5%) of the schools had a BSR of 1:3.This was a big improvement in CRE this
shows that FSE had improved the reading books in CRE to a reasonable number for
most students to read. With this improvement performance also in this subject
is likely to improve. This finding concurred with the interview findings in
which all Directors of Studies, DQASOs and groups of Students acknowledged that
performance in CRE had equally improved with introduction of FSE policy during
interview findings and focused group discussions. For instance, one Director of
Studies said, “In our school since 2008 the results of CRE have been good we
even have mean grades of A’s and A minus. The 2008
cohort did very well in this exam in KCSE”. There also a student who strongly
said, “CRE in our school performed well even though we were in a day school.
This is because the text books were readily available since we shared 1:2
making the class comfortable to do the required work in the subject”.
For Geography the trend was the same as CRE
since before FSE policy there was no school with a ratio of 1:1, thirteen
(32.50%) schools had a BSR of 1:2, while 17 (42.50%) and 7 (17.50%) had a BSR
of 1:3 and 1:4 respectively. After the introduction of FSE policy, the BSR in
these schools improved as follows; ten (25%) of the schools had BSR of 1:1
while 23 (57.50%) and 7 (17.50%) of the schools had a BSR of 1:2 and 1:3 respectively. This was a good improvement in this subject
since it also requires a lot of exercises due to map reading and understanding
Geographical features. With such kind of improvement in reading materials it is
likely that the subject will perform better that before FSE policy. This was
also a good improvement in terms of quality of education and general
improvement in the County. This was supported by the all DQASOs, Directors of
Studies and students during interviews and focus group discussions. It revealed
that the performance in Geography has been slowly picking unlike the other
subjects. It was further revealed that Geography was not well performed general
and performance has not been steady though there is slight improvement despite
FSE policy being in place. In this respect one of the students said,
Our
Geography means scores was not good though there was a slight improvement
compared to other subjects because of the students’ attitude. This is because
students found map work and Geographical features very difficult to understand.
This led to many students selecting CRE and History instead of Geography.
History is also a humanities subject and
before the introduction of FSE policy 12 (30%) had a BSR of 1:2, twelve (30%)
of the schools had a BSR 1:3 While 15 (37.50%) and one (2.5%) of the schools
had a BSR of 1:4 and 1:5 respectively.
After the introduction of FSE policy most schools improved in BSR in
History whereby 3 (7.5%) of the schools had BSR of 1:1 while 27 (67.5%) and 10
(25%) of the schools had BSR of 1:2 and 1:3 respectively. This was good improvement in BSR since 30
(75%) of the schools had a BSR of 1:1 and 1:2.
The subject requires intensive reading since it is wide and involving.
With improvement in reading materials in this subject it is likely to
improvement because the students have enough reading materials to use. It also
involves getting in touch with current issues like the constitution which is
accessed easily now by all schools. This could be one of the reasons why
performances in History had improved over the years as indicated by the all
DQASOs, Directors of Studies and students during interview and focus group
discussion. In fact, one of the Director of Studies acknowledged that, “History
has been performing well in our school since the introduction of FSE policy
since most of the students now can access all the relevant and current reading
materials required”.
Table 8: Ratio
of Technical Text books before and after Introduction
of FSE policy in Kericho County (n=40)
Ratio |
B/Studies |
Agriculture |
Computer |
H/Science |
||||
B (%) |
A (%) |
B (%) |
A (%) |
B (%) |
A (%) |
B (%) |
A (%) |
|
1:1 |
4(10) |
7(17.50) |
3(7.5) |
11(27.5) |
00(00) |
3(21.43) |
00(00) |
6(50) |
1:2 |
14(56) |
23(57.5) |
17(42.5) |
25(62.5) |
00(00) |
10(71.43) |
8(66.67) |
6(50) |
1:3 |
18(45) |
10(25) |
10(25) |
4(10) |
00(00) |
1(7.14) |
4(33.33) |
00(00) |
1:4 |
4(10) |
00(00) |
10(25) |
00(00) |
00(00) |
00(00) |
00(00) |
00(00) |
1:5 |
00(00) |
00(00) |
00(00) |
00(00) |
00(00) |
00(00) |
00(00) |
00(00) |
Total |
40(100) |
40(100) |
40(100) |
40(100) |
00(00) |
14(100) |
12(100) |
12(100) |
Key B: Before FSE policy A: After
FSE policy
Table 8 indicates BSR in Technical subjects like
Business Studies, Agriculture, Computer and Home Science. Starting with
Business Studies 4 (10.00%) of the schools had a BSR of 1:2, while 14(56%) of
the schools had BSR of 1:3. Eighteen (45%) and 4 (10%) of the schools had a BSR
of 1:3 and 1:4 respectively. After the introduction of FSE policy most of the schools
improved in BSR . 7 (17.5%) of the schools had
attained a BSR of 1:1, the schools who had a BSR of 1:2 were 23 (57.5%) while
10 (25%) of the schools had improved to 1:3.This was a big improvement in the
BSR in B/studies this shows that FSE fund had improved the reading materials in
this subject. B/studies being an elective subject has
a lot of calculations in Economics and Accounting, it is very good when BSR is
low like the case after FSE policy. The students therefore will be able to do
enough reading and exercises because they have books to use leading to good
performance in the subject. This finding concurred with the interview findings
in which all the Directors of Studies and groups of students acknowledged that
performance in B/studies have equally improved with introduction of FSE policy.
All the DQASOs were also in agreement with these. For instance, one DQASO
said,
Business
studies have been doing very well in our County especially after the introduction
of FSE policy we rewarded severally schools and teachers because of the A and A
minus they had produced in this subject because of good results in national
examination.
In case of Agriculture the trend indicated
that before FSE policy, 3 (7.50%) of the schools had a BSR of 1:1, seventeen
(42.50%) of the schools had a BSR of 1:2 while 10 (25.00%) and another 10
(25.00%) of the schools had a BSR of 1:3 and 1:4 respectively. After the
introduction of FSE policy, the BSR in these schools improved as follows; eleven
(27.50%) of the schools had attained a BSR of 1:1 while 25 (62.5%) and 4 (10%)
had a BSR of 1:2 and 1:3. This was also a good improvement in terms of BSR in
these schools. Agriculture also being an elective and more of a booster subject requires
a student to perform very well. With the trend in improved text books the
quality of education will improve in terms of performance. This revealed
improved quality of education was confirmed during interviews and focus group
discussion by all the Directors of Studies, DQASOs and the groups of
students. In fact, one of the students
said,
I
was an Agriculture student and we had enough books for reading which made us
did well in the subject in most examinations we have been doing in class. Most
of our school mates who did their KCSE did very well in the subject.
Computer Studies was not offered before FSE
policy in Kericho County. After the introduction of
FSE policy the schools that introduced computer studies in Kericho
County were ten. Three schools (21.43%)
had BSR of 1:1 while 10 schools (71.43%) had BSR of 1:2 and one school (7.14%)
had BSR of 1:3. This subject is one of
the current subjects in the curriculum of secondary schools. This subject is
very relevant when it comes improving in current trend worldwide in information
communication technology (ICT). This will boost the students and will make them
be at bar with the rest of the world in terms of ICT which is more of a
requirement that one should be computer literate. This was good improvement in
BSR since most schools have a BSR of 1:1 and 1:2. During interview and focus group discussion
with the all Directors of Studies, DQASOs and groups students they indicated
that the subject has enough books but the practical part is the problem because
of the machines required. In fact, one of the DQASO said,
Most
schools who have computer studies do not maintain their machines and some even
do not have alternative source of energy like generators so that in case of an
emergency especially during examination they should continue, unfortunately
students have been going through difficult times especially during national
examination leading to the subject not doing very well.
For Home Science it was also different from
the other subjects since there were only 12 schools that were doing the
subject, before FSE policy 8 (66.67%) of the schools had a BSR of 1:2, while 4
(33.33%) had a BSR of 1:3. After the introduction of FSE policy 6 (50%) of
schools attained a BSR of 1:1 while 6 (50%) had a BSR of 1:2. Home science as one of the technical subjects
is meant to make the students self-reliant after completion of their secondary
education since it involves textile, catering among others. This subject is
also taken as one of the sciences for visually impaired students in the
integrated schools in the County. If this subject is supported well in terms of
reading and learning materials it is going to yield good results especially for
the visually impaired. The Interview and focus group discussion supported these
findings when it was revealed that the subject has been performing very well.
In fact, one of the Director of Studies in an integrated school said,
The
subject has been boosting the grades of the visually challenged students since
they take it as a science subject and they have been doing well especially after
introduction of FSE policy. This has made books readily available and other
reading and learning materials in this subject for these students which in the
past was not easily available.
Book Student Ratio
for Library Books
Accession registers were used to establish
the Book student ratio in the schools. The results were as shown in Table 9.
Table 9: Book
Student Ratio (BSR) before and after
Introduction of FSE
Policy (n=40)
Ratio
|
Before
FSE (2007) |
After
FSE (2011) |
||||||||
Frequency (f) |
Percentage
(%) |
Frequency
(f) |
Percentage
(%) |
|||||||
|
1:2 |
6 |
15.00 |
21 |
52.50 |
|
||||
|
1:3 |
13 |
32.50 |
14 |
35.00 |
|
||||
|
1:4 |
14 |
35.00 |
5 |
12.50 |
|
||||
|
1:5 1:6 |
6 1 |
15.00 02.50 |
0 0 |
00.00 00.00 |
|
||||
Table 9 indicates the BSR before and after
FSE policy in Kericho County. Before FSE policy
6(15.00%) had a BSR of 1:2, thirteen (32.50%) of the schools had a BSR of 1:3,
fourteen (35%) of the schools had a BSR of 1:4, while 6 (15.00%) and one
(2.50%) of the schools had a BSR of 1:5 and 1:6 respectively. After the
introduction of FSE policy the ratio improved; twenty-one (52. 50%) of the
schools had a BSR of 1:2, while 14 (35.00%) and 5 (12.50%) of the schools had a
BSR of 1: 3 and 1:4 respectively. From
the findings given in Table 4.50 most of the schools had improved the ratio of
text books among the students in Kericho County. This
is clear because before FSE policy 27 (67.50%) of the schools had a BSR of 1:3
and 1:4 respectively. After FSE policy 21 (52.50%) of the schools had improved
their BSR to 1:2, the other schools 14 (35.00%) and 5 (12.50%) had improved to
1:3 and 1:4 respectively.
The increment in the
BSR was due to the ministry of education policy on the use of FSE funds that
funds allocated for text books should never be put on any other use and must be
accounted for to the letter. Indeed, principals purchase books according to the
MOE guidelines with an aim or reaching the recommended ratio of 1:1.
Nevertheless this target had not been met in most schools due to factors like
student transfers, theft and destruction of text books. The unprofessional
conduct of librarians by failing to adhere book borrowing procedures a number
of books are lost, furthermore most schools were found to have book stores
rather than libraries and as such the wear and tear of books was rather high
and increased the BSR accordingly. This in effect affects the students’
academic achievement because most students would not make the best use of text
books acquired through FSE funds. This however is the case in schools which do
not have well managed libraries and book stores.
Table 10: Pearson Product Moment
Correlation (r) Matrix for FSE fund and Book Ratio in Kericho
County
|
Tuition |
Book |
|
Tuition amount |
Pearson Correlation |
1 |
.480** |
Sig. (2-tailed) |
|
.002 |
|
N |
40 |
40 |
|
Book Ratio |
Pearson Correlation |
.480** |
1 |
Sig. (2-tailed) |
.002 |
|
|
N |
40 |
40 |
|
**. Correlation is significant at the
0.01 level (2-tailed). |
Table 10 indicates that the relationship
between FSE fund and book ratio was moderate and positive and statistically
significant with a coefficient of 0.48. According to Elfison,
Runyon and Haber (1990); Leedy and Ormrod (2005) guideline Correlation coefficients (r)
interpretation indicated that this is a positive moderate effect. Coefficient
of determination R2 is the
square of the Pearson’s r which tells
how much of the variance is accounted for by the correlation which is expressed
in percentages (Leedy & Ormrod,
2005). To account for the effect of FSE funding on Student Book Ratio Pearson’s
r was squared. The coefficient of
determination R2 = 0.480
which meant that FSE policy accounted for 23.04% of the variation in Student Book
Ratio.
DISCUSSION
Provision
of other Tuition Materials
FSE fund caters for other tuition
materials in the schools. According to MOE, (2008) Kshs.
3,600/= caters for tuition materials per student in a year and it is meant for
text books exercise books and other teaching and learning materials like
chemicals in laboratories, equipment and exercise books. The Director of
Studies was interviewed on these issues of tuition and they confirmed when they
gave the following information;
The supply
of exercise books was said to be good and received in good time as compared to
before this was confirmed by all the Directors of studies. The Director of
Studies in one of the schools confirmed that, “the students were supplied with
the exercise books when they require. This improved in learning in the schools
and no student was sent home because of lack of exercise books”.
Laboratory equipment,
chemicals and material was clearly mentioned that the supply was good and the
practical are done regularly by all the classes who do science subjects. This
will improve the performance in science subjects. But most of the Directors of
Studies indicated that the practical are at times skipped in some lesson
because of the number of students. Observation revealed that laboratories were
also found in all the schools used in the study and well equipped though 5
(12.50%) of the schools had very small laboratories. This finding is in agreement with the report
by Kenya Education Partnerships (2010).
When it indicated that Science practical examinations are a mandatory component
of the national examinations, yet many students only have the opportunity to
watch experiments prior to their examinations, and may never have conducted any
themselves due to lack of usable equipment or
furnished laboratories.
The
library and book stores are very important facility in a school. The Director
of Studies during the interview were also asked about the Library books and
they confirmed that there are enough relevant and reference reading books in
the library. They further explained that the maintenance was well done. This
has made the schools improve in their performance and also ensure the students
get wide knowledge. In fact, one of the Director of Studies said, “FSE policy
have done much in our school a part from the newspapers we use to get in the
school before FSE policy we are now able to get more magazines and other
revision books for our students to use”. Observation revealed that 19 (47.50%)
of the schools had well equipped libraries while 21 (52.50%) use books stores
to keep text books and new exercise books. The schools with libraries have
librarians while the ones with stores were using store keepers or clerks. The
schools with libraries were organized and neat while those with stores were not
well arranged and maintenance was not done well.
The issue
of internal examination was also mentioned clearly by all the Directors of
Studies that it is done well. This is one of the areas FSE policy caters for
and the schools have improved in it. A Director of Studies from one of the day
schools said,
Nowadays we do three
quality papers in a term, we have entry, midterm and end
term exams so as to evaluate our students well. This in return has boosted our
students’ confidence and performance in our school during the mocks and national
examination.
Chalk was mentioned
by all the Directors of Studies that it is well catered for by the school.
Chalk being one of the requirements offered by the FSE policy shows that the
schools’ benefits from this policy. There was a Director of Studies, who said,
The quality of chalk
we use these days is good and the supply is very steady especially after the
introduction of FSE policy. For my case I am allergic towards dust and the
current type of chalk has saved me for the problem I used to go through.
Photocopy materials
was another thing which was important for learning in school to take place
smooth. This is because they are used to reproduce examinations and other
documents. The Directors of Studies were further asked about photocopy
materials and most of them explained that it was not provided and if at all it
was provided it was insufficient, one of the Director of Studies said,
The form one students
are asked when being admitted to buy two reams of photocopy papers each as one
of the requirements when they are admitted to the school. When they do not come
with it, they are sent back home to buy them.
With this information from the Directors of
Studies it shows that photocopy materials are still insufficient in the schools
despite the introduction of FSE policy. This has made the school tax the
parents on the provision of these materials. The information given is an
indication that FSE Policy has led to the improvement of these facilities in Kericho County. This shows that the schools do not struggle
to ask the parents to pay for tuition fees for the students since the
government fully pays for it except photocopy materials which parents purchase.
This is a clear indication that it will eventually have an impact on the
quality of education.
CONCLUSION
The coefficient of determination R2 = 0.480 which meant that
FSE policy accounted for 23.04% of the variation in Student Book Ratio. The
study concluded that FSE Fund should increase the student book ratio by 23.04%.
RECOMMENDATION
This study recommended that FSE funds should
be increased to enhance further improvement in Teaching and learning Resources.
This would enable students to get enough resources to use thereby raising level
of quality secondary education.
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Cite this Article: Ngeno, V (2019). Effect of Free Secondary Education Fund
on Teaching and learning Resources: A Case Study of Kericho
County, Kenya, 9(2): 104-115, https://doi.org/10.15580/GJER.2019.2.101319183. |