Preparedness of Schools Management Boards in Curriculum Implementation in Public Primary Schools in Bungoma County, Kenya

Abstract

This paper investigates Curriculum Implementation in Public Primary Schools by the Management Boards in Tongeren Sub-County, Bungoma County, Kenya. The study objective was to establish the preparedness of the school management boards in curriculum implementation. The sample size for the study was 136 where Board members were 92 while teaching staff were 44. The study adopted both qualitative and quantitative research designs. Data was collected through questionnaires and interview schedules. The questionnaire was used on the education officers, the headteachers, and teachers, while the interview schedules were used on the School Management Boards. Descriptive and inferential analysis techniques were used to analyze the collected data. Cronbach Alpha’s measure of internal consistency yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.756 on the questionnaire. Qualitative data collected were analyzed thematically. Quantitative data gathered from the field survey was analyzed using regression on SPSS version 25. The study noted that 96.8% of the school management boards were not initially trained in curriculum implementation by Kenya Education Management Institute (KEMI). Findings further indicate that the correlation coefficient (R-value) for the model was 0.151, indicating a low positive relationship between the variables. The Coefficient of determination (R2) was 23%, implying that the studied variables accounted for 23% variability in the curriculum implementation in public primary schools at a 95% confidence interval. This was an indication that members of the school management boards were unlikely to oversee proper curriculum implementation for lack of management skills. Sensitization and organization of regular in-service courses for school management boards on matters of curriculum implementation are recommended.