Factors influencing implementation of infrastructural development project in public secondary schools in Meru Central Subcounty in Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to establish influence of the selected factors in the implementation of infrastructural development projects in public secondary schools in Meru central subcounty in Kenya. The specific objectives were:- to determine the influence of availability of funds in the implementation of infrastructural development projects in public secondary schools in Meru central sub-county in Kenya, to establish the influence of monitoring and evaluation practices in the implementation of infrastructural development projects in public secondary schools in Meru central sub-county in Kenya, to establish the influence of stakeholders’ involvement in the implementation of infrastructural development projects in public secondary schoolsin Meru central sub-county in Kenya and finally to determine the influence of the board of management managerial skills in the implementation of the infrastructural development projects in public secondary schools in Meru central sub-county in Kenya . Meru central subcounty has 44 registered public secondary schools and census was used in this research. Principals, B.O.M chairs, teachers’ representative in the school board of management and the school bursars in the 44 schools comprised the study respondents. The study employed primary and secondary data. The instrument used to collect primary data was questionnaires. The instruments of the study were validated before actual data collection by consulting the supervisor and expert in research field to ensure that the item measured what it intended to measure. The scores obtained from the pilot respondents were correlated to determine the instruments reliability through test re-test method. On the other hand, secondary data was sourced from literature review and from the ministry of education publications. The researcher used both qualitative and quantitative data analysis technique. Data analysis involved the interpretation of information obtained from the respondents and was analysed using SPSS. Findings were compiled into a report and a conclusion drawn. Data was presented in tables, and analysed using descriptive statistics. The study found that there was a good availability of funds for projects implementation in the schools, that monitoring and evaluation in implementation of infrastructural school development projects is carried out and mainly by BOM, that there was a good participation of stakeholders in implementation of school projects in schools and that BOM in schools possess some managerial skills. The study concluded that stakeholders’ involvement had the greatest effect on implementation of infrastructural development projects in Kenya followed by school BOM managerial skills, then availability of funds while monitoring and evaluation had the least effect on the implementation of school infrastructural development projects in Kenya. The study recommended that there is need for more stakeholder involvement in the process of implementation of infrastructure projects in public secondary schools, that the government through the Ministry of Education (MOE) should organize training programs on project management skills, project finance and project monitoring and evaluation for all the stakeholders involved in school infrastructure projects, that the government should encourage the school management to aim at diversifying their sources of funds by engaging in income generating activities, education stakeholders should ensure that they work as a team with the school community by embracing a participatory approach so that they are aware of the daily running of the school as well as understanding the objectives of the school projects and that the BOM should equip itself with managerial skills through personal violation and that the schools should advance in usage of external expertise in monitoring and evaluating implementation of school projects.