Bursaries and School Fees Revenue Streams and Its Influence on the Performance of Public Secondary Schools in Kenya

Abstract

Purpose

The discourse of the financial policy in education ought to be influenced by its efficacy. Incidences of overt government financing for education alias free education have been on the rise in parts of Africa, especially Kenya and Malawi. This trend has been motivated mainly by the expectation that shifting the financing burden from households would encourage parents to take their children to school. The obsession with higher enrolments has led to almost a complete disregard of the role of fiscal policy on student performance, far beyond enrolments.  We conducted a study to examine the influence of bursary-based revenue streams on the performance of public secondary schools in the North Rift Region of Kenya.

Methodology

A survey of 322 respondents from 278 public secondary schools in Nandi and Uasin Gishu Counties was conducted. Self-administered questionnaires and interview schedules were used to collect quantitative and qualitative data. The questionnaire was validated through panel review, piloting, and exploratory factor analysis. Data were analyzed through regression analysis to establish whether the funding mechanism of a school influence the performance trend of learners.

Findings

The results show that financial policy does influence the performance of educational institutions. The school management should encourage the parents/guardians to honor their agreement so as to avoid bad debts accruing. The stakeholders involved in the allocation of bursaries to public secondary schools should ensure that it is allocated on time.

Implications

The outcomes of this study could be used to enhance the funding mechanism and policy of the national government to ensure that the school finances are availed in time to avoid the negative effect on student performance.

Originality/Value

This study extends the published literature concerning external factors that influence student performance, which is important for reducing the performance burden on students.