The extent of capacity building in empowerment of women secondary school administrators in Trans Nzoia District, Kenya.

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to find out the extent to which women teachers are empowered through capacity building to take up educational administrative positions in Trans-Nzoia District. Six research questions were formulated to guide the study. The study used descriptive survey. The sample for the study was 14 head teachers and 160 teachers. Data was collected through use of questionnaires. The findings revealed that there were more male than female teachers holding administrative positions. It was also revealed that women had not been trained in capacity building. The study found out that women head teachers are not empowered through capacity building to take up administrative responsibilities, hence the need to have them empowered. Lack of capacity building among women teachers was seen as a major contributor to lack of appointment to administrative positions. The study found out that teachers were aware of the capacity building organized by the ministry of education and that KESI had not done enough to empower women secondary school administrators. Some head teachers did not have copies of the Heads manual. This was seen as a challenge to head teachers in identifying the roles that they can playas educational administrators. Teachers and headteachers were not aware of the legal framework. Based on the findings Jt was concluded that women were not empowered. This calls for empowerment of woEien through capacity building. The study concluded that women had not been trained in capacity building while those who had been trained said they had attended courses that were not linked to capacity building. It was also concluded that lack of capacity building was a cause of few women appointed to the headship positions. In this case it was seen that KESI had not done enough to empower women secondary school administrators and the training offered by the ministry of education through KESI was not properly linked to enhancing capacity building among women head teachers. Teachers were not also empowered internally or externally. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that clear policy on empowerment through capacity building should be put in place to ensure that women administrators were well empowered and hence incorporated in educational management. The study also recommended that the Government through the Ministry of Education should seek for ways of enhancing secondary school administrators in the running of schools; should improve the working conditions of teachers; that the ministry of education through KESI should engage in empowerment through capacity building for women secondary school head teachers and lastly that women head teachers should be encouraged and supported to go for high positions in educational administration. Based on the limitations and delimitations of the study it was suggested that there was a need to carry out a study on why female head teachers lack of empowerment is a consistent cause of dissatisfaction among teachers. A study to establish whether there is any relationship between women empowerment and their effectiveness in secondary school administration should also be conducted.