Influence Of The Kenya Education Management Institute’s Professional Development Of Public Secondary School Principals On School Management In Nyamira County, Kenya

ABSTRACT

Professional Development of secondary school principals in Kenya is necessary in equipping them with the requisite skills and competencies in school management thus effective in their role as school managers. Within the intricate functioning of educational establishments in the 21st century, the principal is central in initiating school progress and management efficacy and thus, there exists a necessity of ensuring that the principal has the managerial skills to enable one undertake the duties efficiently. On this basis, this study sought to find out the influence of Kenya Education Management Institute’s professional development of public secondary school principals on school management in Nyamira County, Kenya. The study sought to determine the influence of skills acquired by principals in financial management, human resource management and curriculum implementation from the Kenya Educational Management Institute on management of public secondary schools in Nyamira County, Kenya. The study was anchored on the Peter Principle Theory that explains the influence on a worker's effort followed by an upgrade to a fresh and new post, with new sets of demands that may lead to failure if not accompanied by requisite skills. The theory stipulates that a teacher who is promoted to principalship without the necessary management skills is likely to fail. Descriptive research design was used as the framework for the study. The target population were all the 168 principals in Nyamira County. Simple random sampling method was employed to get a sample size of 105 respondents from the 168 target population. Data were collected using questionnaires. The study was piloted in Nyamira County in institutions with similar characteristics as those under study. Reliability was tested by use of Test-retest. Content Validity was determined through use of expert judgement. Qualitative data were analysed thematically using themes generated from literature related to the study objectives. Quantitative data were analysed by use of SPSS (Anova and Pearson Correlation) and summarized into percentages and frequencies. The study is significant in that it may identify the strengths and weaknesses of the KEMI training with a view to making it more effective. The study establishes that there is a positive influence of KEMI Training on the Principal’s management of financial resources, human resources and curriculum implementation on school management. The findings reveal that the KEMI diploma course statistically predicts management of schools. The study concludes that KEMI training by the principals has a statistically significant influence on school management by principals in public secondary schools in Nyamira County, Kenya. The study recommends that the training on management practices be made part and parcel of the pre-service training curriculum for teachers by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST).