Factors influencing implementation of strategic plans on infrastructure development in public secondary schools in Gem sub-county, Kenya.

Abstract

Strategic planning process involves the development of vision as well as mission statement, conducting situational analysis, strategy design and choice. The study endeavoured to examine factors influencing implementation of strategic plan on infrastructure development in public secondary schools in Gem sub-county, Kenya. Four objectives guided the study: to examine how allocation of resources influence implementation of strategic plans on infrastructure development in public secondary schools in Gem sub-county, Kenya; to establish how school heads’ project management skills influence implementation of strategic plans on infrastructure development in public secondary schools; to examine how Board of Managements’ (BoM) mobilisation of funding influence implementation of strategic plan on infrastructure development; and to establish how senior management involvement in strategic control influences implementation of strategic plan on infrastructure development. A descriptive survey research design was used. The target population of the study was all the 47 public secondary schools in Gem Sub-county. A purposive random sampling technique was used to select two school administrators (1 principal and his/her deputy), 2 board of management members who had been involved in mobilising funds for infrastructural development of their schools in each school as respondents. Other respondents included 2 PTA members who are in the school infrastructure development committee and 3 teachers who have been trained in project management skills from each school. A purposive sampling technique was used to select 6 quality assurance officers from the ministry of education who have assessed infrastructure development projects in public secondary schools in Gem Sub-county. In total 384 respondents were drawn as respondents for the study. The researcher used questionnaires and observation schedules as research instruments for data collection. From the findings it was observed that there was a strong positive relationship between allocation of resources and the implementation of strategic plans on infrastructure development of public secondary schools, Pearson’s correlation coefficient= 0.852. There was also a strong positive relationship between school heads’ project management skills and the implementation of strategic plans on infrastructure development of public secondary schools, Pearson’s correlation coefficient= 0.791; strong positive relationship between Board of Managements’ (BoM) mobilisation of funding and implementation of strategic plans on infrastructure development in public secondary schools, Pearson’s correlation coefficient= 0.698; positive relationship between senior management involvement in strategic control and implementation of strategic plans on infrastructure development in public secondary schools, Pearson’s correlation coefficient= 0.772. The study concluded that allocation of resources, school heads’ project management skills, Board of Managements’ (BoM) mobilisation of funding, and senior management involvement in strategic control positively influence the implementation of strategic plans on infrastructural development of public secondary schools. The study therefore recommends the enhancement of these factors for effective implementation of strategic plans on infrastructural development of public secondary schools.