Evaluation of Secondary School Principals’ Views on the Use of Untrained Teachers in Lesson Delivery in a Free Secondary Education System Era in Kenya

This article reports on the findings from a quantitative research study on the views of secondary school principals regarding the teaching competences of untrained teachers in free secondary schools in Kenya. Aim: To investigate the views of secondary school principals’ views on the qualifications and teaching skills of untrained teachers. Study Design: The study adopted a quantitative survey design and took place in Nyamira County. The study was conducted for six months. Methodology: The study is a quantitative survey involving 81 secondary school principals (70 % Men and 30 % Women). Just fewer than two-fifths had been in principalship position for less than five years, a third between five and ten years and another a third over ten years. 42% were in their first headship, 38% second headship and 12 % third headship. 83% work in rural schools and 89 % public schools. Result: One quarter of the schools employed Board of Governors (BOGs) teachers who have neither formal teaching qualifications nor pedagogical skills. There are also issues of inadequate syllabus coverage and overworking or overloading of qualified teachers associated with that. The study also highlights issues linked to recruitment of staff, for instance, corruption, clanism and nepotism practices among BOGs. Conclusion: Unqualified teachers experience limitations in necessary competences in delivering lessons effectively and therefore negatively impacting on the quality of teaching and learning. Keywords: Free secondary education, quality education, Kenya, untrained teachers, pedagogical skills and teachers’ qualification