Thesis:

Management of national education leaders’ programmes and its influence on performance in kenya certificate of primary education in public schools Marsabit north sub-county, Marsabit county, Kenya

Management of national education leaders’ programmes is a key strategy for improving academic performance of schools which have been registering low grades in national examinations by paring them with successful schools. However, in public primary schools in Marsabit North Sub-county, performance in Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) is still low. Thus, the purpose of this study will be to assess the management of national education leaders’ programmes on academic performance in public primary schools in Marsabit North Sub-county, Marsabit County, Kenya. The objectives were; to examine the influence of pupils’ discipline management strategies, capacity building of staff, teachers’ utilization of curriculum support materials and promotion of school-community partnership on academic performance in public primary schools. The study was guided by the systems theory and academic achievement theory. The study adopted mixed methodology and concurrent triangulation research design. Target population was 147 respondents which comprised 18 headteachers, 120 teachers and nine (9) Coordinators of Public Benefits Organizations (PBOs) in Marsabit North Sub-county from which a sample of 108 respondents was obtained using Yamane’s Formula. Cluster sampling was applied to create three clusters based on the number of zones in Marsabit North Sub-county. From each zone, three (3) headteachers and three (3) Coordinators of PBOs were sampled using purposive sampling. However, from each zone, simple random sampling was applied to select 30 teachers. This procedure realized a sample size of nine (9) headteachers, 90 teachers and nine (9) Coordinators of PBOs. Questionnaires were used to collect data from teachers whereas interviews were used to gather data from headteachers and Coordinators of PBOs. Piloting was conducted among 11 respondents from public primary schools from Marsabit North Sub-county to test the validity, reliability, credibility and dependability. Validity was established through judgment by experts in education management. Reliability was established using test re-test method. A reliability index, r = 0.725, was obtained using Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Method which indicated high internal reliability. Credibility was ascertained by data triangulation through multiple analysis and dependability through detailed reporting of each data collection process. Data analysis began by identifying common themes. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically based on the objectives and presented in narrative forms. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages and inferentially using Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Analysis with the help of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS Version 25) and presented using tables. The study found that performance of pupils in KCPE has shown a declining trend over the last five years (2019-2023), with many pupils scoring below 300 marks. This is attributed to management of national leaders’ education programmes in terms of management of pupils’ discipline, capacity building of staff, teachers’ utilization of curriculum support materials and promotion of school- community partnerships. Thus, the study recommends that headteachers should adopt a positive discipline framework emphasizes respect, responsibility, and positive reinforcement rather than punitive measures. Headteachers should partner with KICD and TSC to enhance capacity building of staff. Headteachers should constantly monitor how regular teachers utilize the available curriculum support materials for better classroom pedagogy. Headteachers should encourage regular collaboration with community.