Thesis:

National government constituency development funds and retention of students in public mixed secondary schools in Ekerenyo sub-county, Kenya

The Constituency Development Fund (CDF) was introduced with the aim of decentralizing development and addressing some of these challenges by providing funding to improve school infrastructure, offer bursaries to needy students, and enhance learning conditions. Despite efforts to improve access to education in Kenya, student retention in public secondary schools remains a significant challenge, particularly in rural areas like Ekerenyo Sub-County, Nyamira County. High dropout rates have been attributed to factors such as poverty, inadequate school infrastructure, and a lack of educational resources. This study aimed to ascertain the impact of NG-CDF bursary funding on the availability of school supplies and learning resources in public mixed secondary schools in Ekerenyo Sub-County, as well as the relationship between the bursary fund and student retention and dropout rates in the area. The study also compared the retention and dropout rates of students in public secondary schools before and after the introduction of the bursary in public mixed secondary schools in Ekerenyo Sub-County. The study theory were Human Capital Theory and the Theory of Educational Productivity and used mixed research methodology as research design. The target population consisted of 1,311 respondents, of whom 451 were student council members, 10 NG-CDF officials, 40 principals, 160 class teachers and 1 Sub County Director of education. The study's sample size consisted of 451 respondents, including 400 student council members, 10 CDF officials, 40 school principals, 16 class teachers and 1 Sub County Director of education. Students and school principals were given questionnaires for quantitative data, while NG-CDF officers were interviewed for qualitative data. Quantitative data was analyzed descriptively (frequencies, percentages, means) and Pearson correlation being used to test the relationship between the variables. Qualitative data was thematically examined along the goals and presented in narrative formats. The study found that before the introduction of the NG-CDF, the enrolment rates were relatively low, especially in rural and marginalized areas. However, after the introduction of NG-CDF funding policy in public high schools, the enrolment rates and retention rate increased significantly, with more students, including girls and those from poor backgrounds, gaining access to education. The study found that generally, the NG-CDF education funding policy improve the overall infrastructure and resources available in schools, which in turn enhances the learning environment. It was found that the fund provides for the construction and renovation of school facilities, acquisition of teaching and learning materials, and establishment of supportive resources such as libraries and laboratories. There was a strong positive correlation between retention rate and NG-CDF education funding being statistically significant at p<0.05. Thus when the NG-CDF education fundings increases, the dropout rate decreases. The management of NG-CDF should implement stronger mechanisms for the monitoring and evaluation of bursary distribution to ensure that funds are allocated to the most deserving students. The government policy makers and NG-CDF should develop specific NG-CDF guidelines targeting the needs of girls and other vulnerable groups in mixed secondary schools to address dropout rates driven by gender-related issues. The government should also offer regular training to NG-CDF committees and school administrators on effective fund management, needs assessment, and student support systems.