Thesis:

Parental financial contribution and students’ academic Performance in secondary schools in Nandi east sub County, Nandi county Kenya.

Education is important for every child in the country whether a girl or a boy but lack of finance has created difference in obtaining this important right to many children, in order to break the poverty cycle in which most of them and their parents are trapped. The Government of Kenya has tried to finance and support schools by providing free education to these children hence the country have a large population that is educated. It is from this background the researcher sought to investigate parental financial contribution in enhancing students’ academic performance among secondary schools in Nandi east sub-Sub-County Kenya. To guide the study the following objectives were formulated: to establish how parents’ contributions in fee payment, in purchase of instructional materials and in infrastructural facilities development in schools on students academic performance and to investigate factors influencing parental financial contribution on student academic performance in Nandi East Sub County secondary schools. Capital theory of school effectiveness and improvement was used to guide this study. The study targeted secondary schools where the head teachers, teachers and the students were the targeted respondents. Descriptive study design was used while the participants consisted of 20 head teachers, 111 PTA members, 270 teachers and 826 Form Four students. To get the sample size the study calculated 30% of the 290 respondents to arrive at 6 head teachers’ and 81 teachers, 33 PTA members and 248 students Questionnaire and interview schedule were used as data collection instruments. Descriptive and inferential analysis techniques were used in analyzing data with the help of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Presentation of data was done using frequency tables, pie charts and graphs. The study findings showed that majority of parents were unable to complete their fee payment on time. In purchase of instructional materials, parents averagely supported their children in acquisition of books and travelling. However, parental contribution in infrastructure development in schools. Chi square statistics showed that parental financial contribution in schools had significant relationship (p<0.05) with academic performance of students in secondary schools in Nandi East Sub County. It was established that parental socio-economic status influence financial contributions in secondary schools. the study recommends that teachers should improvise the available resources, parents should seek more funding and support for their children and schools should involve all stakeholders in resource mobilisation. v