Influence of Kenya education management institute’s training on headteachers’ competence in management of primary schools in Westlands Sub-County, Nairobi

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of Kenya Education Management Institute‟s training on headteachers competence in financial management, human resource management, school plant management and risk management. The study was based on the human capital theory originally proposed by Schutz in 1961. The study employed descriptive survey research design. The target population was 25 primary school headteachers, 346 teachers and one county education officer in Westlands sub-county out of whom 13 headteachers and 105 teachers were sampled using simple random sampling. The data collection tools were questionnaires sets one for headteachers and another for teachers and an interview schedule for the County Education Officer. The data was analyzed according to the themes and objectives. Quantitative data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) which generated frequencies and percentages thatwere used to answer the research questions. The study sought to determine the influence of KEMI training on headteachers competence on financial management, human resource management, school plant management and risk management. It was established that that KEMI programmes for the headteachers effectively addressed the following financial tasks, budgetary process (61.5%), budget control (69.3%), updating inventories (92.4%), and book keeping (100%) and ordering of textbooks (73.5%). In human resource management, headteachers were found effective in teaching staff (77%),support staff (53.9%) staff welfare (77%), staff appraisal (84.7%) and staff motivation (92.3%). In school plant management, headteachers were competent in resource mobilization (84.6%) and maintenance of school facilities (100%). Also headteachers were found effective in various risk management tasks such as handling of theft, floods, insecurity, pollution, accidents and fire. The researcher discovered that headteachers encounters challenges while undertaking the management tasks which included lack of enough finances to maintain and operate school plant smoothly, negative attitude from teachers on issues such as handling HIV cases and lack of adequate time for training at KEMI.