Influence Of School Infrastructure On Students’ Performance In Public Secondary Schools In Kajiado County, Kenya

Abstract

School infrastructure is a key base for effective teaching and learning in schools. The goal of school infrastructure in secondary school education is to increase school attendance of students, enhance staff motivation and improve academic achievements of students. School infrastructure includes classrooms, laboratories, halls, open fields, games equipment, dormitories and sanitation facilities. It is in the classrooms that the day to day formal teaching and learning take place. In the libraries, learners get the opportunity to conduct their own personal studies and carry out research. It is in the field that co-curriculum activities take place. Learners and teachers need to be housed in the school and at the same time need sanitation facilities like toilets, waste disposal services and clean water. School infrastructure is therefore a very important component in ensuring successful education. On this backdrop, the Kenya government must pursue school infrastructure development if the broad national goals are to be achieved. Current studies have examined the attitude of students and teachers towards school infrastructure, access to secondary education, attendance, retention and academic achievements. The purpose of this study was to establish the impact of school infrastructure on the provision of quality education in public secondary schools in Kajiado County. The study was guided by four objectives; to determine the extent to which the physical layout of teaching and learning infrastructure affects students’ performance in public secondary schools in Kajiado County; to analyze how adequacy of existing boarding infrastructure influences students’ performance in public secondary schools in Kajiado County; to establish how cocurricular infrastructure influences students performance in public secondary schools in Kajiado County and to establish the extent to which adherence to government policy in school infrastructure influences students’ performance in public secondary schools in Kajiado County. Descriptive survey was appropriate for the study because it seeks to describe aspects of a study as they are during the time of conducting a study. The target population was 3600 including 528 teachers, 1652 form three students and 1420 form four students. The total sample size was 360 respondents distributed proportionately under the categories 53 teachers, 165 form three and 142 form four students. The study involved both qualitative and quantitative data. Tables were used to present the findings of the analysis and there after the findings of the analysis was presented in a report. The data was analyzed with utilizing SPSS and Microsoft excel. The study found that improved academic achievement is associated with more adequate and well spaced classrooms, adequate and ample spacing in the libraries, adequate science laboratories, adequate water and sanitation facilities and adequate participation in co-curricular activities.