An assessment of the role played by the Community in development and growth of Public secondary schools in Ruiru sub-county, Kiambu county.

Abstract

The community to a large extent provides financial and physical facilities including but not limited to land on which the school is built. The school is expected to transform learners into able skilled and knowledgeable citizens who can serve and develop their nation to greater heights. However the school and the community which are expected to work in partnership to realize educational achievements are always faced with many challenges in the management and development of public institutions. The purpose of this study was to assess the role of the community in as far as the development and growth of public secondary schools may concern in Ruiru sub- county, Kiambu County. The study has employed descriptive survey design. The objectives of the study was to: investigate the extent to which the community is involved in the school physical facilities, financial management, examine the role of the community in curriculum supervision and examine the extent to which the school involves the community in decision making. Schools were stratified in three (3) strata as public Boys day, public Girls day, and public mixed day. Stratified random sampling was used to select a sample of the study, whereby 10 principals, 30 PTA members and 60 teachers were selected from the 10 schools representing 1/3of the schools in the sub-county. Quantitative data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The data was coded and tabulated in form of tables of frequency distributions, charts and graphs. The research findings will enhance the working relationship between the school and community, on the same it will help scholars bridge the gap on role of community involvement in the development and growth of education and improve transition rates from primary to secondary in Ruiru Sub- county, Kiambu County. The findings indicated that the community played a very important role towards the development of the schools and that there was a strong community cooperation in financial management, curriculum and instruction, decision making and provision of physical facilities. The findings further established that in all levels of management, women dominated, something that may affect the role of the community and therefore needs to be addressed.