Secondary school principals’ level of preparedness towards adoption of National Education Management Information System n Keiyo North Sub-County, Kenya

Abstract

Management Information System （MIS） is necessary for correct, timely and effective decision making. Despite the importance of MIS, most nations, including Kenya, lack a functional National Education Management Information System. The study's overarching goal was to examine secondary school Principals' readiness to adopt NEMIS in Keiyo North Sub-County, Elgeiyo-Marakwet County, Kenya. The study's specific objectives were to determine the effect of the Principal’s level of acceptance on the adoption of NEMIS in secondary schools; evaluate the impact of ICT skills acquisition on the adoption of NEMIS in secondary schools; and determine the effect of availability of ICT infrastructure on the adoption of NEMIS in secondary schools. The concurrent triangulation research design was utilized. The methodology is a mixed method study based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and the public choice theory. The study's target population included 30 secondary school Principals, 30 teachers in charge of ICT, and one Sub County Director of Education. A sample population of 30 secondary school Principals,30teachers in charge of ICT at Keiyo North Sub-County schools comprising of boarding and day secondary schools, and one Sub-County director of education was utilized. The researcher interviewed the Sub-County Director of Education on purpose. Secondary schools were divided into four categories: national, extra-county, county, and sub-county. Both quantitative and qualitative data were gathered using close-ended questionnaires and an interview schedule. Validity and reliability of the research instruments were pre-tested in a pilot study. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, while qualitative data was analyzed using content analysis. Regression analysis was used to create a model. According to the findings, the sub-variable of Principal's degree of preparation (acceptance, ICT skills acquisition, and ICT infrastructure) had a statistically significant beneficial influence on NEMIS adoption in secondary schools. The findings of this study will be valuable in planning for the Ministry of Education （MoE）. The dimensions of Principal's degree of preparation (acceptance, ICT skills acquisition, and ICT infrastructure) are positively and strongly connected with NEMIS adoption, and as these constructs improve, NEMIS adoption improves. According to the study, technology usage is a function of user acceptability, which is consistent with the postulates of UTAUT theory, which led this study. It is consequently advised that educational administrators pay more attention to the postulates of UTAUT theory in order to effectively implement ICT-driven initiatives such as NEMIS. According to the study, for any government program to work, persons in charge should spend resources for the public good rather than following. their own self-interest, as the public choice theory suggests.