Cost - effectiveness analysis of educating day and boarding secondary school Students in Kisumu district, Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of Cost effectiveness analysis in education is to ascertain which programmes or combination of programmes can achieve particular objectives at the lowest cost. By choosing those programmes with the least cost for a given outcome, society can use its resources more effectively. The study analyzed cost effectiveness of educating day and boarding secondary school students in Kisumu district Kenya. The study was carried out in Kisumu district because the district has both rural and urban settings since Kisumu town is the head quarter of the district.The specific objectives of the study were to; analyze the performance of day and boarding students, evaluate the cost effectiveness of educating boarding and day secondary students, to establish both the direct private and direct social costs of educating a student in boarding and day secondary school, and to establish home and school environmental factors affecting day and boarding students. The theory that was used' in this study was the Cost Effectiveness Analysis Theory. It was used in this study to calculate the performance of day and boarding secondary schools against their cost. The research designs that were used in the study were descriptive survey and ex post facto designs. Five schools were selected using saturated sampling procedure. One of the schools was used for pilot study to ensure reliability of the research instruments while the remaining four schools were used for the main study. The selection of teachers and students was done by systematic sampling procedure. The Population consisted of five head teachers, 140 form four teachers, and 281 form four day students and 328 form four boarding students. The sample size will be as follows; four head teachers 43 form four teachers, 93 day students and 103 boarding students, which is 33% of the population for the teachers and the students. In collecting the data, four questionnaires Were used. To ensure face validity of the research instruments three experts from the department were consulted. A test retest method was used to establish reliability coefficients which were 0.767 for Head Teachers Questionnaire. Others were 0.761, 0.748 and 0.753 teachers day and boarding students ,fUestionnaires respectively. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics such as percentages, mean, and inferential statistics such as linear multiple regression analysis and factor analysis methods. The results of the finding of the study revealed that, the average direct private cost of educating day and boarding form four student per year was 26,414/- and 37,6411- respectively. On average the fees charged by the schools to boarders and day scholars per annum was 29,4001- and 16,250/- respectively. The government subsidy only caters for 40.22% of the total cost of day student, and 28.23% of the total cost to boarders. Ninety point one per cent of the direct social cost of education was utilized in the payment of teachers' salary; this was due to long experience of the teachers that averaged 14.68 years. The total direct social cost of education a day and a boarding student per year was 62,193/- and 74,140/- respectively. The day student performed better than the boarding student with a mean of 8.12 and 7.41 respectively. The boys performed better than the girls with a mean of 8.01 and 7.27 respectively. The Cost Effective Ratio for the day and boarding student was 7,7481- and 10,0051- respectively. To improve the performance of a day student by one point requires 7,748/- compared to 10,005/-, required by a boarder. The main problems faced by day students were; staying long distance from school, lack of family or parental support and low family socio economic status. The boarders were mainly affected by lack of discipline, inadequate reading and boarding facilities. The significance of the study is that it might give direction to policy makers on how to provide secondary education in a more cost effective way.