1. Introduction

Education is widely seen as one of the most promising paths for individuals to realize better, more productive lives and as one of the primary drivers of national economic development [21]. Education also forms the basic component upon which economic, social and political development of any nation is founded [25]. Investment in education can help foster economic growth, enhance productivity, contribute to national and social development and reduce social inequality. According to UNESCO [21] the level of a country’s education is one of the key indicators of its level of development. Globally, education is recognized as a basic human right.

Education for all has been discussed in international forums, for example United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Conference at Jomtien, Thailand in 1990 and its follow up in Dakar, Senegal in 2000. Consequently, governments around the world have invested huge amounts of their expenditure on education. Before independence, education for most African countries was geared towards perpetuating and producing aims and content inherited form the pre-independent past. The current re-thinking however ensures that the African is rooted in the culture of his/her environment and prepared for participation in nation building through educational reforms [28].

The Organization of African Unity has also stated the importance of government in ensuring that children’s rights are achieved by providing free and compulsory basic education [19].

The citizens and the government of Kenya have invested heavily in improving both the access and quality of education in an effort to realize the promise of education as well as to achieve the education related Millennium Development Goals and Vision 2030. In response to Education for All as agreed in different forums, Universal Primary Education has been implemented in the East African Countries and it has resulted in high enrolment rates of pupils in primary school level as evidenced by 215% increases in primary school enrolment in Kenya (MOE, 2008). Despite the tremendous increase in primary school access, secondary school access has remained low. In 2009, the secondary school net enrollment rate was approximately 50% (World Bank, 2009), while in 2010 the primary to secondary school transition rate was equally low at 55% [7, 9].

The growth in secondary schools shows a demand for this level of education by the increased number of primary school leavers over the years and more recently as the introduction of free primary education in 2003 [5]. This has resulted in enrolling students beyond the approved 40 students per class (Republic of Kenya, 1998). Over enrolment stretches the resources, both physical and human, hence impact on the quality of teaching.

Accessibility to quality, relevant and affordable secondary education has remained elusive to many Kenyans. The major hindrances included high cost of access, high levels of poverty, extra levies for private tuition and environment especially for children from poor household and those with special needs. Negative effects of HIV/AIDs pandemic raising repetition rate, low expansion of public secondary schools, and the requirements that households pay user changes while the D.E.B are some of the challenges that the programme has been facing.

Statement of the Problem

Subsidized Secondary (SSE) policy was launched in 2008 with an aim of ensuring that all primary school pupils from class eight are able to continue with secondary education. Implementation of Subsidized Secondary Education in Kenya was a major step in expanding access to education to majority of students from poor background. This was further reinforced by the international agreement on Education for All [28]. The government provided subsidies towards funding SSE, however there were other costs that were not catered for by SSE but were to be catered for by the parents. Concerns have however been raised over effective implementation of this programme, and the impact of SSE on quality and access of secondary education following structural factors including inadequate and delayed disbursement of subsidies to school, shortage of human resources, limited physical and instructional resources [12].

Significance of the Study

The findings of this study will be beneficial to the government, policy makers, educational officials, teachers, school administrator and the donor community. This is so because the study assesses the gaps and weaknesses of the SSE policy so far and how the government can assist in enhancing access, equity, retention and completion rates.

Education officials will benefit from the study in that they will be able to ensure that the SSE policy is able to assist bright needy students to be retained in school and not forced out due to lack of financial assistance. They will also be able to ensure equity and access to education of children irrespective of their humble background, race or religion differences.

2. Literature Review

The first country in sub-Saharan Africa to start Universal Secondary Education (U.S.E) was Uganda, in February 2007. The USE or SSE was aimed at doubling the number of those joining secondary schools continuing with learning. According to the Acting Ugandan Education Commissioner in the year 2007, the programme was envisaged to help rural communities to produce people who actively participate in economic activities. The programme was an immediate success story as enrolment in secondary schools skyrocketed from 150,000 to 380,000 taking up 90% of all primary school graduants, that is, 90% transition. Under the UPE and Universal Secondary Education (USE) initiatives, the government provides funds for provision of basic school requirements for primary and secondary school learners. These include textbooks and other instructional resources.

Through the MOES, the government has also undertaken the training and employment of qualified teachers and the provision of a conducive environment for school going children by constructing classrooms to accommodate the increasing number of learners. The maintenance of feeding programmes for schools and the provision of safe drinking water through sinking boreholes and digging protected water wells are all part of the government’s commitment to ensure the success of UPE and USE [18].

Some of the limitations of the programme were that head teachers input were not sought in planning and they were not trained sufficiently in knowledge and skills on implementation (Oyaro, 2008). It is clear that in developing nations such as Uganda and Kenya, free schooling is a big relief to many people and therefore such a programme registers immediate success. However, poor planning and limited enhancement of the principal’s capacity to manage the programmes negatively influences the achievements of the desired goals. This incapacity limited the possible level of success of the programme.

Zambia established in 1996 Education Production Units which enroll students who failed to find regular places in fee-paying afternoon sessions run by teachers (who participate on a voluntary basis to supplement their income) in school premises. In Rwanda 80% of the students are enrolled in private schools, almost 40% of which receive no public subsidy and have to rely on fee income [24].

In Benin the majority of the teachers in junior secondary schools are local contract teachers paid at least in part by the parents. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, parents pay more than 80% of the cost in both private and public secondary schools [26]. In Burkina Faso the government provides two government paid teachers for every newly established lower secondary school; communities and other providers are expected to contract additional teachers needed [27].

Other challenges facing secondary education in SSA countries concern provision of goods and services for schools. Most SSA countries no longer rely on public entities for the provision of goods and services, in particular classrooms and textbooks. Textbooks are procured from private contractors sometimes hired by schools or communities build most schools [15].

Free education has its origin in industrialized world. According to [17] some education has been available since ancient times. In England, a fairly good number of schools trace their origins back to the days of Queen Elizabeth. In the United Kingdom elementary education did not become compulsory until 1870 while very limited free secondary education was introduced in 1907 and it was not until 1944 that universal FSE was introduced.

According to [1] education has a long history of significance in Kenya. Before the nation achieved independence, access to education was extremely limited under colonial rule. While primary education was a requirement for British Children, very few Kenyans had the opportunity to go to school to school even if they desired it. In Kenya the clamour for free secondary school education started after 1963, after the country became independent. This was due to increased demand for labour for middle and upper level government personnel [22]. Kenyatta promised free education to disadvantaged peoples living in Arid and semi-arid lands of Kenya in 1971.

The Kenyan government realizes that education and training will contribute to national development. However, the cost of provision of education has risen as a result of rising enrolment due to increased social demand and high expenditure on teachers’ salaries [2].

School management plays a major role in the management of all school financial activities which involve disbursement of money. Orlosky [13] noted that financial management determines the way the school is managed and whether or not it meets its objectives. Chiuri and Kiumi [2] argued that developing countries have experienced high increase in their expenditure on education than in the growth of their national economies. They pointed out that in 1983, for example, Kenya and Nigeria respectively allocated 15.3% and 16.3% of their total expenditure on education.

Introduction of subsidized secondary education shows the government’s commitment to provision of secondary education to all Kenyans. However without development of human resources and posting of adequate teachers to schools, the quality of education could be compromised. Onyango [12] emphasizes that human resource is the most important resource in the school organization. He adds that teachers comprise the most important resource in the school. The contribution of other staff members such as the bursars, accountants, clerks, matron, nurses, messengers and watchmen is also important. He further noted that the most important purpose of a school is to provide children with equal and enhanced opportunities for learning and the most important resource a school has for achieving that purpose is the knowledge, skills and education of its teachers. Teachers therefore need to be well managed through proper motivation and leadership. With an increase in enrolment due to SSE, teacher, pupil ratio is likely to be high, leading to an increased workload for the teachers. This is likely to pose a challenge to schools which are expected to ensure that the quality of education being offered is not compromised.

The poor economic performance and rising poverty level in the two countries have raised questions on the justification of heavy public expenditure in the sector [9]. Kenyan parents and citizens have reacted by blaming the government expenditure for lack of control education system which has become very expensive with schools charging fees as they pleased. Reforms were then mooted, which included limiting government expenditure on education, cost sharing and encouraging private individuals and non-governmental organizations to invest in the sector, cost sharing policy was then introduced in Kenya in 1988, with the aim of having families contribute to the financing of education. Although cost sharing appeared to be the solution to the problem of financing education in Kenya, it however created a lot of problems in the sector where poor households could not raise the required fees such as those for security, activity and building.

The Government subsidy to public secondary schools under the FDSE program is based on an annual capitation grant for each student that is disbursed to schools annually in three tranches. The boarding fee component is met by the parents Republic of Kenya [23].

3. Methodology

Research Design

The study employed descriptive survey research design. Descriptive survey research designs were used in preliminary and exploratory studies to allow researchers to gather information, summarize, present and interpret for purposes of clarification [14].

The study fitted within the provisions of descriptive survey research design because the proposed study collected data and report the way things were without manipulating any variables.

Target Population

The target population for this study consisted a sample of secondary schools in Bureti Sub-county, Kericho County which has fifty (50) public secondary schools. The subject for study included a sample of 15 secondary school principals and 100 teachers from the schools. Others subject of study will include 1 SCDE and 1 DQASO of Bureti Sub-county.

Sample and Sampling Procedures

The purpose of stratification was to organize the sampling frame into homogenous subjects from which the sample was drawn and to provide each school with an equal chance of being included in the study. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 15 schools, 15 principals in public secondary schools and 132 teachers. To ensure fair representation of the study population, proportionate stratified sampling was used in selecting and distributing the 15 schools. This was to ensure that sample was adequately distributed among the three educational zones. This guaranteed that all the zones were involved in the study.

Data collection Instruments

Questionnaires, interview schedule and observation checklist were used to collected data.

The questionnaires was distributed to the respondent and then collected after being filled. On the other hand, the interview schedule was used to carry out face to face interview with the key interview guide. The questionnaires and the interview schedule provided more insight and information as regard to factors influencing the implementation of Subsidized Secondary Education. Observation checklist according to Kasomo [7] is a checklist with a list of behaviors exhibited by particular aspects used by the research. It contained items that guided researcher to obtain information on the programme as it occurs. The researcher used it in schools under study to determine two aspects expected to be physically available; the nature and status of infrastructural facilities like, classrooms, desks, computer laboratories and libraries.

Validity of data collection instruments

Validity is defined as the accuracy and meaningfulness of inferences, which are based on the research [10]. It is the degree to which results obtained from the analysis of the data actually represent the phenomena under study. The research instruments were validated in two ways. First the researcher formulated items in the instruments by considering the set objectives in order to ensure that they contained all the information that answered the research questions. Second, the researcher consulted the supervisor and other experts from the school of Education, University of Kabianga for their opinion on the instruments.

Data Analysis and Presentation

This involved editing, coding, classification and tabulation of collected data. Editing involved a careful scrutiny of the completed questionnaires/interview schedules to detect errors, omissions and blanks. Those that were not complete were discarded at this stage. This helped to ensure that the data are accurate, consistent with appropriate facts collected. Coding involved assigning numerals to answers so that responses are summarized. Classification involved arranging the data in groups or classes on the basis of characteristics. Using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software, data files were created for processing.

This yielded both qualitative and quantitative data. Qualitative data was analyzed qualitatively using content analysis based on analysis of meanings and implications emanating from respondents information and documented data. As observed by Gray [4] qualitative data provides rich descriptions and explanations that demonstrate the chronological flow of events as well as often leading to chance findings. On the other hand, quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequency counts percentages, mean and standard deviation. The data was presented using pie chart, bar graphs, percentages and frequency tables.

Ethical Consideration

Before the commencement of the study, permission was sought from the Board of postgraduate studies, NACOSTI, the respective SCDE and individual principals in the target schools. Participation in the research was voluntary and no coercion in whatever way. Direct consent was sought from head teachers and other respondents and confidentiality was observed throughout the study.

4. Results

Table 4.1. Age of Head teachers and Teachers

The findings show that there were no head teachers in the age bracket of 25-30 year while 20 (20%) of the teachers were in that age bracket. Two 2 (13%) of the head teachers were in the age bracket of 31-40, while 5 (33%) aged between 41-45 and majority 8 (53%) aged above 46years. While for the teacher’s majority 65 (65%) were of middle age of 31-45 years. From the above findings it is a clear indication that age is factor as far as leadership was concerned; those who were older had the position of being head teachers unlike for the case of teachers. These results were attributed to the fact that to be appointed a principal one must have served as a teacher, head of department and deputy principal for at least three years at each level.

Table 4.2. Gender of Respondent

The findings in Table 4.2 indicated that there is gender disparity for both the head teachers and teachers. Ten (67%) of the head teachers and 60 (60%) of the teachers were male while 5 (33%) of the head teachers and 40 (40%) of the teachers were female. The dominance of the male head teachers to female principals might be due to the fact that until the year 2002 the gender factor into positions of leadership was not taken into consideration. Consequently most of the mixed schools in the Sub-county were headed by men. This made the proportion of male principals more compared to female principals.

Teachers Responses on Prompt disbursement and adequacy of SSE funds

The findings summarized in table 4.3 show that most of the respondents 80 (80%) reported that there was no prompt disbursement of funds which affected the implementation of free secondary education. As soon as the students report to school for the start of the term, learning begins. This means that the materials for learning and teaching to be acquired by free secondary education funds must be in school already. If the government delays in making the fund available, learning is definitely affected both in short and long term This is in line with the findings of [7, 8], who noted that persistent delays by the government in sending the money to schools was hampering the effective implementation of free secondary education. The assessment by UNESCO [21] also found out that some of the major challenges facing universal education initiative were increased student numbers; shortage of teachers; lack of clear guidelines on admission; lack of consultation with teachers and parents and delay in disbursement of funds by the government; According to the Ministry of Education, circular no MOE/GI/1/44, the money is supposed to be in the schools in December, April and August. This means the preceding months before opening of the school terms respectively.

On funds provided by government for expansion to cater for high enrolment, only 17 (17%) of the respondents agreed while 29 (29%) were undecided and 54 (54%) disagreed. The Government funding left out some key areas that make learning to go smoothly in the schools. Such areas include infrastructure development, provision of meals and buying school uniform. However, the feeling that the government provides free education has led to unwillingness by many parents to make any payments to the schools. According to a research done by Musila [11] even the areas funded by the government have inadequate funds. This happens yet there are no guidelines on how to bridge the gap or deficit in underfunded areas by the government leaving the head teachers in dilemma.

On adequacy of funds for free secondary education, only 8 (8%) agreed that they were adequate while 79 (79%) disagreed and 13 (13%) were undecided. This concurs with the findings of Getange et al., [3] which reported that the funds from the government were not enough.

Table 4.3. Headteachers response on the adequacy of Government funding on the implementation of Subsidized Public Secondary Education

Table 4.3: Shows that majority headteachers 10 (67%) indicated that there were delays in disbursements of funds for the implementation of SSE. This concurs with UNESCO [21] which reported that delays in disbursing funds to support free primary school education have frustrated many teachers, put pressure and on parents and increasing their financial burdens.

Five headteachers 33 (33%) indicated that the funds from the government were inadequate. This is in agreement with Lockheed (1991) who stated that educational systems in developing countries are inherently inefficient due to among other reasons a low budgetary allocation which lowers the quality and quantity of inputs, especially physical infrastructure such as classrooms, workshops, laboratories and learning materials.

From the above, most of the headteachers and teachers are of the opinion that the disbursement of funds under SSE is not prompt, SSE funds provided is inadequate and there were no funds provided by the government for expansion to cater for high enrolment.

From the study SSE is not adequately supported. Therefore if it is not adequately supported its full achievement as intended could be undermined. There may be need for the government to re-examine its support for SSE provision with a view to addressing concerns such as those that have been raised by the respondents as Elmadfa et. al [6] had found out that a change in a programme lived or died depending on the amount and quality of assistance that the users received once the change process was underway.

5. Discussion

The study found out that the least support the schools got was in the form of disbursement of funds. Most of the respondents were unanimous that the disbursement of the funds to schools was not prompt and that disbursement was done in piecemeal basis.

This delayed disbursement of funds affected budgeting and planning. This also affected the timely acquisition of teaching learning resources.

The study further established that the funds provided for the programme was not adequate. All the respondents concurred that the funds provided by the government was inadequate. The most affected vote heads included, Activity, Medical, Personal Emoluments.

The results also found that majority of the schools in Bureti sub-county state that funds for free secondary education are not adequate. From the study, majority of the headteachers 10 (67%) indicated that there were delays in disbursements of funds for the implementation of SSE.

6. Conclusions

The government funding was not adequate and there were delays in disbursement of the funds which affected the effective implementation of the FSE and purchasing power of the schools.

Free secondary education increased enrolment which has caused overstretching of the available resources. The government has not budgeted for the extra students who enroll which also affected the proper implementation of the program.

7. Recommendations

The disbursements of funds by the government to secondary schools to be timely and adequate and should be in harmony with the calendar of schools activities, in order to avoid schools experiencing lack of purchasing power within certain periods the year.