AN EVALUATION OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF LOW-COST BOARDING PRIMARY SCHOOLS PROGRAMME IN KAJIADO COUNTY OF KENYA

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Government of Kenya established low-cost boarding primary schools (LCBPs) in the ASAL regions in the 1970 and committed to provide boarding facilities, food items and all other supplies while the parents provide students personal effects to operationalize the LCBPs initiative. Eleven (11) of the (392) Kenya’s LCBPs were in Kajiado County with an enrollment of 4,176 in 2016 and were under enrolled by the national standards. The Low-cost boarding schools have however, helped in addressing the County education performance indicators. Over the years the county of Kajiado had its NER improved to 79.1% in 2016 which was still below the national average of 91.1%.The low-cost boarding schools programme in Kajiado County has not been comprehensively evaluated to establish its efficacy. There was, therefore, need to evaluate the LCBPs program in Kajiado County to propose strategies that respond to the educational needs of the Nomadic-pastoral communities. This process evaluation of the LCBPs used Sequential Mixed method approach. The sample of the study was drawn from all pupils, teachers, and head teachers in low-cost boarding primary schools in Kajiado County. Education officials and representatives of development partners supporting provision of education in Kajiado County provided useful information. Data was collected using questionnaires, interview schedules as well as observation of facilities. Data was analyzed using appropriate analysis techniques. Qualitative data was coded and collapsed to establish emerging themes or patterns in relationship to the evaluation questions. Quantitative data was coded, summarized, and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Emerging trends were related to the evaluation questions, data was interpret involving frequencies, percentage, means, and standard deviation. The qualitative information from the different instruments were used to discuss, and report findings as well as guide recommendations and conclusions of the study. The findings of the evaluation established that LCBPs in their present form did not respond to the educational needs of the nomadic and pastoral communities of Kajiado County. Most of the schools were under-enrolled, underfunded, had inadequate facilities, understaffed with both teachers and support staff. The food served was of low quality and inadequate. This study recommends review the concept of LCBPs, with a view to establishment of LCBPs institutional funding framework paying special attention to the development of financing strategy guided by a rationalized unit cost of maintaining a child in the school.