The Influence of School Management on Academic Performance in Private and Public Primary Schools in Wareng Sub-County, Kenya

Abstract

The study was carried out to determine the level of variation in academic performance between public and private primary schools in Wareng District, in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya and the major possible causes of such variations. Based on the study, the main focus of this paper is on effectiveness of school management in supervising teachers. The study covered a total of 55 public and 17 private schools distributed evenly among the five educations Zones in the District. The figures translate to 52% and 68% of public and private schools respectively. Data collection was by means of questionnaire administered to teachers and head teachers. The results on performance were collected from District Education office. Performance in Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) was used because it is a national examination that is not biased. The duration covered three years, 2007-2009 inclusive. The findings of the study revealed that despite government investing generously in public schools, private schools outshined them due to inadequate supervision and some unprofessional malpractices of public school teachers. It was thus recommended that supervision should be more effective in public schools. The facilities for supervision, the frequency of supervision and the use of supervision should improve. The study is significant in that, through its findings, management and head teachers of public schools will be able to discover why they cannot challenge private schools academically and more so ensure maximum academic results at the end of each academic year.