Challenges to effective management of secondary schools by Board of Governors(BoG) in Abogeta division of Imenti South district, Kenya.

Abstract

Management is a very crucial component for success of any organization. The management of education in Kenya is guided by the Education Act of 1968 and revised in 1980. The Act gives the BOG powers to manage education at the school level. Their success in the production of people with the right kind of knowledge and skills depends on the quality of the management among other factors. The government has strived to enhance effective management of secondary schools by demanding certain competencies and providing criteria for appointing BOG members. Despite the requirement by the government, management of secondary schools still remains a concern to educationist and other stakeholders. The current study sought to establish challenges to effective management of secondary schools by BOGs • Abogeta Division. The objective of the study was to establish the effectiveness of BOG in the school, determine challenges to effective management and identify possible solutions. A descriptive survey research design was used for the study. A population of 392 subjects was used for the study. This population was made up of 208 BOG members, 168 PTA members, 16 headteachers. A purposive method of sampling was used to select a sample size of 48 respondents. One sets of instruments for data collection was sued, that was a questionnaire for headteachers, PT A and BOG chairmen. Data was analysed by using descriptive statistics facilitated by Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 11.5. Tables, percentages and frequencies was used for data presentation, piloting was done in the neighboring Nkuene Division of Imenti South District. The findings of the study revealed that, the challenges that BOG face in school management include external influence 31.25%, inadequate managerial skills due to lack of training 18.75%, lack of school strategic plan -0.83%, difficulty in collecting school fees 10.41 %, delays in disbursement of Free Secondary Education funds 6.25% and staff problem turnover 12.5%. It was generally found that BOGs were effective in most of the aspects of management. The researcher recommends that School heads teachers and managers should undergo training on school management. 30Gs members should be trained to enable them be more knowledgeable, confident, determined and effective in their roles .. Ensure that members of BOGs are professionals with a bias in management. The government should increase its budgetary allocation to secondary schools to ensure adequate resources for learning are provided for effective implementation of the curriculum and school management. School BOGs should initiate income generating projects to address shortage of funds to run the schools. Increased involvement of the head teachers and school managers with other stakeholders in decision making.