Factors affecting quality of education in public day secondary schools In Thika-Ruiru Division, Thika District, Kenya.

Abstract

This study investigated on the factors affecting quality of education in public day secondary schools in Thika-Ruiru Division. The researcher used academic performance as an indicator of quality of education. The extent to which the following factors affect quality of education was determined: experience and qualification of head teachers and teachers, socio-economic background of jhe students' families, availability of school physical facilities, students' home environmental factors and availability of teaching/learning materials. The study used descriptive design. The target population consisted of 14 head teachers, 165 teachers and 2766 students. The sample for the actual study consisted of 8 head teachers, 32 teachers and 256 students. Questionnaires were used to solicit information from the respondents. A pre-test exercise was done using two schools that were selected randomly in order to test reliability and validity of the instrument. Descriptive statistics were used to 'analyze the data collected while Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to compute the findings. From the findings, the major factor which affected the academic performance was inadequate teaching/learning resources such as textbooks and inadequate school physical facilities like laboratories and library facilities. The greatest percentage of he respondents pointed this factor as the main cause of poor academic performance in these schools. Poor socio-economic background of the students': families that was shown by the low rate of school fees payment and chronic absenteeism of the students from school, also

affected the performance. Other factors included students' home environs that consisted of distances that the students cover from their homes to their respective schools and the work that they do after school and the problems they face while studying at home. The researcher came up with the following recommendations: • government to allocate more funds to the schools to enable them provide adequate facilities • co-operation between the parents, teachers and students to be encouraged,

• the Ministry of Education to offer sessions on guidance and counseling as well as career talks to parents, teachers and students. The researcher suggested that a similar study should be carried out in other schools in all parts of the country