INFLUENCE OF UNDERSTAFFING OF TEACHERS ON TEACHING AND LEARNING IN PUBLIC PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN MAKUENI SUB-COUNTY, MAKUENI COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

There are no enough teachers in many of the public primary schools in Kenya. This means the schools are understaffed and this has influenced the process of teaching and learning in the schools. This study sought to find out how understaffing of teachers had influenced teaching and learning in public primary schools in Makueni Sub County, Makueni County, in Kenya. The study was guided by the following research questions: What is the distribution of the teaching staff in public primary schools in Makueni sub- County? How does teachers‟ work load influence teaching and learning in public primary schools in Makueni sub-county? What challenges are caused by understaffing to the teaching-learning process in Makueni sub-county? What can be done to improve staffing in the public primary schools of Makueni sub- County? The methodology employed in the study was both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies mainly through a cross-sectional survey design and narrative research design respectively. The population of the study involved teachers employed by the Teachers Service Commission who included head teachers and assistant teachers in public schools in Makueni Sub County. The study also involved an education officer and the staffing officer in the district. The Sampling methods in the study were simple random for the teachers and stratified sampling for the schools. There was purposive sampling for both the head teachers and the heads of curriculum (HOC) (or subject panel heads) in the schools. The researcher also used purposive sampling for both the education officer and the staffing officer. The sample size of the study was 20 head teachers, 20 HOCs, 151 teachers, one (1) staffing officer and one (1) education officer. Data were collected by use of interview guides and questionnaires. The validity of the instruments was ensured by involving stakeholders in the research department of the university including supervisors of this study who clarified on the authedicity of the instruments. The reliability of the quantitative instrument depended on test-retest technique of the pilot questionnaires whereas the dependability of the qualitative instruments was ensured by having a respondent checking on the final themes and concepts. The quantitative data were analyzed by use of frequencies and percentages with special regard to the SPSS version. The qualitative data were organized and coded according to the themes that emerged from the collected data. The findings of this study included the following: that there was unfair distribution of teachers and high pupil-teacher ratio in the sub county and that affected teaching and learning in the schools; that in understaffed schools where teachers have high teaching workload, effective teaching and learning are negatively affected; that there were many challenges associated with curriculum implementation and high pupil-teacher ratio encountered by teachers in understaffed schools; and that fair distribution of teachers and review of staffing policies were some the effective measures of improving staffing in the schools. The study recommended regular recruitment and deployment of teachers within a specified period of time; ensuring fair distribution of teachers with regard to the staffing need; and provision of enough social services to the teachers in hardship areas.