The Use Of School Assets In Generation Of Supplementary Income For Secondary Schools– A Case Of Nairobi Province, Kenya

ABSTRACT

Education has been considered a basic constituent in the development process of any nation. The educated people always have skills that are vital for sustainable economic growth and improved standards of living. Secondary education, which is very vital in the economic development, is accorded a comparatively lower financial allocation. The prevailing case necessitates that this level of education devices means by which income can be mobilised to supplement the meagre resources accessed through public expenditure. The aim of this study was to investigate how school assets could be used to generate supplementary income for secondary school education in Nairobi Province. With the current limitation in the financial resources open to the educational system, it is vital for the school establishment to participate in financing education. Literature regarding trends in education costs and the place of school assets in bridging the financial resource gap was reviewed. Supplementary resources were found necessary in sustaining secondary education since the rapid increase in education cost can not be proportionate to the household income. The study targeted public secondary schools within Nairobi Province. Descriptive sample survey design was employed to study the population as it appears. A total of 16 public secondary schools were sampled for the study, representing 30% of the total population. The schools were stratified according to their categories. Proportionate random sampling was used to select particular schools for study. Categories with only one school were purposively selected for study. The questionnaire and observational schedule were used in data collection. Expert knowledge from my supervisors was indispensable in determining the validity of the instruments. A pilot study helped in determining reliability of the instruments. Descriptive statistics were used for final analysis of the collected data. The final findings showed that schools with extensive assets enjoyed higher income than schools with fewer assets. It was further established that some head teachers could not account for income accrued from use of school assets. Students from poor backgrounds used their free and holiday time to solicit for funds, which they used to supplement school fees requirements. It was recommended that schools should be more innovative and use assets to generate income. In-service training in real asset management and record keeping should be given to head teachers. Retrogressive laws that curtail head teachers‟ innovativeness should be abolished.