An Assessment of How Adequacy of Teaching and Learning Materials Affects the Management of Teaching and Learning in Public Primary Schools in Uasin Gishu County

Abstract

Since Kenya’s achievement of political independence in 1963, the Government and the people of Kenya have been committed to expanding the education system to enable greater participation of its citizens. The implementation of Free Primary Education (FPE) impacted positively in the enrolment of both boys and girls. But the introduction of FPE in 2003 led to a rise in class size from 30 pupils per teacher per class to more than 100 pupils in some cases. The rise in numbers of learners has also impacted on the provision and use of teaching and learning materials. The purpose of the study, therefore, was to investigate the influence of this pressure on the materials on the management of teaching and learning in public primary schools by head teachers in Uasin Gishu County. The study used a cross-sectional survey research design. The target population was, all the 400 public primary head teachers in Uasin Gishu County. A sample size of 200 was selected using stratified random sampling technique. Data were collected using questionnaires. Data were analyzed using descriptive (frequencies, percentages) and inferential (Chi-square) statistics with the help of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software and presented in tables, and pie charts. The statistical tests were done at 0.05 level of significance. The study established that there was shortage of teaching and learning materials and shortage of text books in public primary schools in Uasin Gishu County. The study further found out that teachers were not giving pupils adequate assignments and assessments, and that there was use of lecture method of teaching. The government, among other education stakeholders in the country, should increase budgetary allocation to teaching/learning materials for more text books to be purchased to a ratio of 1:1. The study findings should be useful to other researchers and policy makers in the Ministry of Education keen on adopting effective and efficient management to enhance successful implementation of educational innovation notably free primary education policy.

Keywords: Adequacy, Materials, Management, Teaching, Learning, Public Primary Schools, Uasin County