Abstract:
Student Council is a representative structure through which students
in a secondary school become involved in school affairs. The study set out to
investigate student council participation in the management of discipline in
public secondary schools in Teso North Sub-County in Busia County,
Kenya. The study sought to establish: the influence of student council
participation in the formulation of rules and regulations on management of
discipline, and the influence of student council involvement in formulating
punishment on the management of discipline. The target population was
7379 students and 189 teachers and 27 principals from 27 schools. The
research employed descriptive survey design using a random sample of 365
students, 18 teachers and 9 principals. This sample size was determined
using Krejcie and Morgan’s table of sample determination and using
coefficient variation of 30% and a standard error of 2% through stratified
simple random sampling technique. The data was collected using a self-
administered questionnaire. The study established that schools involved
students in designing punishment but students never took punishment
positively and that common disciplinary problems experienced in schools
was due to lack of students involvement. It was further established that
students were haphazardly involved in the school management of students’
discipline. Thus the study recommends schools to empower students’ council
in which students’ views and ideas are heard and discussed; Ministry of
education to organize and offer seminars where school heads are well
sensitized on involving students in school management.
