Effects of Headteachers’ Implementation of Government Secondary Education Bursary Fund on Students’ Retention in Masinga Sub County, Kenya

Abstract

Bursary fund helps to increase access to secondary school education, ensure retention of students in secondary school and promote transition and completion rates in secondary school education. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of headteachers implementation of government secondary school bursary fund on students’ retention in Masinga Sub County, Kenya. This study was anchored on human capital theory. The study used descriptive survey research design. The study had a target population of 5022 students, 50 headteachers and 50 deputy headteachers. A sample size of 420 was determined using purposive sampling and Yamane formula. Purposive sampling was used to identify 25 headteachers and 25 deputy headteachers. Yamane formula was used to compute 370 students. Simple random sampling was used to identify 370 students. Questionnaires, interview guides and document analysis were used to collect data. Validity of the research instruments was ascertained through expert judgment and piloting. Reliability of the research instruments was achieved through test-retest method where the instruments were piloted in a time interval of two weeks and the two results were correlated using Pearson’s product moment correlation method. In addition, inferential analysis was employed that involved correlational analysis at a 0.05 level of significance. The hypothesis was rejected or accepted at 0.01 level of significance. The findings showed that there is a significant strong correlation between effective implementation of government bursary funds by the headteachers and students’ retention (r (23) =0.79, p=0.00), hence the hypothesis was rejected and an alternative hypothesis accepted. The study concluded that effective allocation of bursary funds leads to increased students’ retention. Bursary funds could provide necessary financial support for students’ who might otherwise struggle to continue with their education due to financial constraints. The study recommended that more financial resources should be allocated to schools for bursary to enhance students’ retention.