Abstract:
This study investigated the perceptions, expectations and experiences of teachers and
parents of Kambu Educational Zone as partners in the implementation of the on-going
Free Primary Education in Kenya. The main objective of the study was to establish
and document the perceptions and expectations of these stakeholders as vital
reference material as it relates to funding, physical facilities, staffing and other
resources required for use in the day-to-day running of the schools and in their
endeavour to address the emerging implementation challenges of Free Primary
Education. The study was also expected to establish the programme’s effects on
changes in enrolment and on the quality of learning in the schools.
The Survey Research Design was used for the study. Questionnaires, interviews,
school records and observation were used as instruments for collection of data. A
prepared questionnaire for teachers was administered by the researcher with the help
of the Deputy Head teachers in the sampled schools while face-to-face conversationlike
interviews were conducted by the researcher and recorded for ease of
interpretation later. Data was collected from eight randomly sampled public primary
schools in Kambu zone. From each selected school, eight teachers were randomly
selected while the head-teachers were interviewed purposively. Seven parents were
randomly selected from each school while the PTA chairperson of each school was
interviewed purposively. The participants were interviewed within their respective
schools. The interviews focused on the participant’s individual perceptions and
experiences of the programme. The total number of participants was 136.
Data was analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. Qualitative data was
presented using narratives from themes that emerged from respondents, the
expressions they used and the emotions observed during the interviews. Quantitative
data was presented using descriptive statistics by use of tables. Results from the study
indicated that although parents had initially expected the government to have taken up
100% responsibility of funding, staffing, building, provision of school uniform and
feeding, six years down the line, they had realized that in order to benefit fully from
FPE, they had to play some roles. Responses from the teachers indicated that they
were unhappy about their classroom performance, poor working conditions and
indiscipline among pupils.
From the researcher’s discussions with parents, it emerged that Free Primary
Education meant different things to different parents and this influenced their
expectations from the schools and also from the government. The responses in the
teachers’ questionnaires reflected their feelings, challenges expectations, suggestions
and opinions on the programme. However, what appeared to emerge from all the
teachers participating was the problem of high work load, inadequate time for
individual attention to pupils and lack of motivation. The findings of the study
indicated that the parents and teachers in Kambu appreciated the government efforts
in providing Free Primary Education and acknowledged that provision of learning
and teaching materials was the most significant accomplishment of FPE. Their
responses further revealed that both groups still expected more from the government
than they were already receiving.