INFRASTRUCTURAL RESOURCE PLANNING DYNAMICS AND PERFORMANCE OF UPGRADED EXTRA-COUNTY SCHOOLS TO NATIONAL STATUS IN WESTERN KENYA COUNTIES

Abstract

Infrastructure resource planning is important to ensure provision of quality education in public secondary schools. When the extra county public secondary schools were upgraded to national status, it was expected that the increased enrolment would match with expansion of existing facilities. This paper addresses the infrastructural resource planning dynamics and performance of upgraded schools in western Kenya. The study adopted a descriptive research design; the target population were 263 and 8 principals from teachers in the 8 upgraded national schools. The sample size was 156 respondents purposively sampled for principals and heads of departments, while teachers were sampled using random sampling technique. Data was collected using questionnaires, interview schedule and observation checklist. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Research data showed that Infrastructural resources planning dynamics had no significant (r=0.063, p=0.432) with performance of the upgraded schools to national level. The result found out that the increased enrolment did not match with increased infrastructure facilities. The paper concludes that performance of students in KCSE examinations was negatively affected as the available infrastructural facilities could not accommodate high number of learners admitted hence affecting effective teaching and learning process. The study recommends that Ministry of Education should increase allocation to upgraded national schools to expand their infrastructure and upgraded schools board of management should mobilise financial resources to enable them to put up new and expand the existing facilities for quality secondary education