Challenges Facing Decentralization of Teacher Management in Meru South District in Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya

In an effort to address the challenges in teacher management in the country TSC reviewed decentralized teacher management aspects of recruitment, assigning of duties, transfer of teachers, promotion of teachers and discipline. Effective decentralization of these services has been hampered by challenges that have not adequately been addressed by previous research studies. It is in this light that this study sought to investigate the challenges facing decentralization of teacher management in Meru South District, in Tharaka Nithi County Kenya. The objectives of this study were: to find out the teachers attitudes towards the devolvement of TSC functions to District level, to find out whether there has been improved performance of teachers as a result of decentralization of teacher’s management by the TSC, to investigate the challenges faced by TSC officers on the ground in executing the decentralized teacher management functions and to find ways through which decentralization of teacher management can be implemented effectively for improved education service delivery. The study utilized a descriptive research survey design and the target population was 241 subjects comprising 40 head teachers and 200 teachers in public secondary schools in Meru South district and the DEO. Data was collected using questionnaires and interview schedule. The research instrument was validated using the results of the pilot study. The reliability of the questionnaire was found to be 0.6 after piloting and was reconstructed and piloted again after which a correlation coefficient of was obtained 0.75 by using spearman-Brown prophecy formula. Data were analyzed using descriptive analysis procedures. The descriptive analysis procedures employed included frequencies and percentages. The results were reported in summary form using frequency tables. The study established that secondary school teachers in Meru South District appreciated the decentralization of TSC functions. The decentralization was found to have reduced time wastage and enhanced teacher performance in curriculum delivery. However, a number of challenges hamper effective management of teachers at the district and school level through decentralization of TSC services. These include recruitment panels taking a long time to understand the process of recruitment; interference from stakeholders, politicians, teachers, relatives and friends; lack of qualified personnel; and poor transport systems. Therefore, it can be concluded that while teachers view decentralization of TSC services as a positive move towards improvement of service delivery, the effectiveness of this strategy is being hampered by the above mentioned challenges. The main recommendations of the study were enforcement of anticorruption activities, putting more resources in decentralized offices and maintenance of standards. Finally, the suggested areas for future research included the impact of decentralization of TSC functions on student and teachers performance