A study of Non governmental organizations participation in financing secondary schools for quality education in central division of Laikipia district.

Abstract

The Non Governmental Organizations are an important source of finance in schools as identified by Republic of Kenya (1999a). This is because the Kenyan government faces a lot of financial constraints due to almost uncontrollable expansion of educational system. Central Division of Laikipia District really deserves this financial help, as it is located in ASAL area and therefore a poor region. This study set out to investigate the work of NGOs in the region to ascertain if the NGO's are supplementing the government efforts. For this study, five research questions were formulated and two research instruments were developed and used to collect the data, these were questionnaires and interview schedules. These included questionnaire for secondary school headteachers, questionnaire for NGOs, interview schedule for DDO and DSDO, and interview schedule for DEO and AEO. Basic descriptive statistics such as average and percentages were mainly used. The main findings revealed that community based organizations and religious organizations did not contribute much to education. They only came in when the school, teacher or the student had a 'harambee'. The community based organizations such as the women groups helped the members secure loans from micro-finance institutions such as K-rep, Pride and Faulu Kenya, this in return helped the members pay school fees for their children. The group also had a merry-go- round, that is they pooled resources at every end of the month, and gave the money to one member which also enabled the member to pay school fees for their children. NGO's were guided by different policies in giving financial assistance to schools and students. These included cluster system, scholarship, case studies, membership system, and proposal writing. These organizations were greatly influenced by the age of the students, as they considered primary age ideal for their sponsorship. This is because they believed that primary education is basic. Some of these NGOS also had defined boundaries where they operated. The study also found out that many of the NGOs were mainly concerned with student sponsorship. Areas like teacher training and in-service courses and school monitoring programme were not considered in their programmes for financial assistance. Few NGO's provided schools with physical facilities, learning and teaching materials. In the light of these findings it is recommended that, all NGOs that deal with educational matters should be registered in the DEOs' office, so that his office co-ordinates the work ofNGOs to avoid duplication of work, so as to enhance quality in education. The NGOs should also be encouraged to venture into secondary schools, as marly colleges demand a form four certificate for them to admit a student. Religious organizations should also be encouraged to take an active role in secondary schools by becoming sponsors. Becoming a sponsor will help the religious organizations to understand the financial constraints that face secondary schools. This in turn will help the religious organizations to participate more fully in financing secondary education.