Thesis:

Influence of free secondary education funds management Practices on students’ retention in public secondary Schools in Chonyi sub-county, Kilifi County, Kenya

Principals' management strategies are crucial in improving student retention in schools. However, in many public secondary schools in Chonyi Sub-county, students’ retention is low. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of free secondary education funds management strategies on student retention in public high schools in Chonyi Sub-county, Kilifi County, Kenya. The objectives were; determine the influence of principals’ financial planning, expenditure, record-keeping and monitoring and evaluation practices on students’ retention in public secondary schools. The study was guided by the financial management theory and the retention theory. The investigation used a contemporaneous triangulation a research methodology and a hybrid approach. Twelve administrators and sixty heads of departments made up the target population, 12 Chairs of BoM, 12 Bursars and 2 Sub-county Auditors, which totaled 98 respondents from which all respondents were considered for the study using census method considering the small number of participants. Two (2) strata were created using stratified sampling in accordance with the number of wards in Chonyi Sub-county. Six principals, 60 heads of department, six chairs of the board of management, 6 bursars and 2 sub-county auditors were specifically chosen for the research project from every zone. Twelve principals, sixty heads of department, twelve chairs of the board of directors, twelve bursars, and two S sub-county auditors were sampled in this process. Data from HODs was gathered via a questionnaire, and principals, BoM chairs, bursars, and sub-county auditors were interviewed. To assess the validity, reliability, credibility, and dependability, a pilot study was carried out with ten respondents drawn from a sample of public high schools in Kilifi North Sub-county. Validity was determined by applying expert judgment. The test-retest approach was used to determine reliability, and the Cronbach Alpha approach yielded a reliability index of r = 0.725, indicating strong internal reliability. Data triangulation via numerous analyses and dependability through thorough documentation of the data collecting procedure were used to determine credibility. The objectives guided the thematic analysis of the qualitative data, which were then presented in narrative formats. Using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS Version 25), quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferentially using Pearson's Product Moment Correlation Analysis and results presented using tables. The study found that public secondary schools have poor student retention rates. Few students finish their education, even with this increase in enrollment. This is attributed to free secondary education funds management practices. That is, many principals rarely undertake effective financial planning, rarely draw learner-responsive expenditure budgets, rarely keep proper financial records nor do they undertake regular monitoring and evaluation of financial operations. Thus, the study recommends that principals should adopt planning strategies which are aimed at ensuring that much resources are allocated for learner-centered activities. They should develop a budget with learner-centered programmed and ensure that all the financial records are properly kept for proper auditing. Ministry of Education should train principals on how to undertake monitoring and evaluation of financial operations in their schools.