Impact of the government subsidized community support grant on pre-school teachers motivation; Bungoma north district Kenya

Abstract

Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres comprise one of the immediate social and physical environments influencing children's development (Essa, 2003). The ECD centers are made up of personal qualities of the people therein (particularly teachers) and the physical environments. In order for ECD centres to provide the necessary conditions for children's holistic development, teachers should be well motivated and physical facilities conducive for working and learning. As such, the purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of the government subsidized community support grant on pre-school teachers motivation; a case of Bungoma North district. The descriptive survey design was applied in conducting this study. The study was carried out in selected public primary schools in Bungoma North District of Western Province in Kenya. The population of the study comprised of public pre-school teachers, head teachers, parents and education officers. Questionnaires were the main data collection instruments. There are 410 pre-school centers out of which 280 are public pre-schools. 70 schools were selected to benefit from the C S G. 49 schools were selected to be a sample size population using simple random sampling. The analysis indicated that majority 61 (73%) of the teacher respondents said that they are earned and between Kshs 1000 .and Kshs 2000 every month. The study findings indicate that 81 (96%) of the teacher' respondents are employed by the Parents Teachers Association with a meager 4% being employed by FBO. Further, 98% of the teacher respondents said that they were not hired through an appointment letter with terms of service. The study has concludes that teachers do not feel secure because they do not have a contract nor have they signed a terms of service under which they will be evaluated. The study recommends renewed commitment by the government to support pre-school centers. This should be done through hiring of preschool teachers by TSC since they are qualified. Early Childhood Education should also be bridged together with Free Primary Education (FPE) so that it becomes one entity for better management and assessment.