Financing primary school facilities in Kenya

The purpose of the study was to develop guidelines and specific recommendations for financing construction of primary school facilities in the Republic of Kenya. Due to implementation of universal primary school education in Kenya, there was need to accelerate construction of primary school facilities. Based on resources and procedures utilized for raising money for financing school construction, it was determined there would not be enough funds available to meet the increasing demand for primary school facilities.To develop guidelines and recommendations, two instruments in the form of questionnaires were designed and sent to selected District Commissioners and Headmasters involved in construction of primary school facilities in Kenya. The responses recorded on the questionnaires returned to the United States were analyzed.Another source of information were the Annual Reports from District Education Officers compiled by the Ministry of Education in Kenya. Three volumes of the Annual Reports were mailed to the United States and were analyzed.In the review of related literature, the methods and procedures for financing public school facilities in eleven countries across the continents of Africa, Asia, North and South America were analyzed.The major findings of the study were:1. Seventy-four per cent of the families with children en rolled in primary schools paid the cost of the construction of primary schools.2. Eighty-four per: cent of the Headmasters reported children of primary school age were not in school because parents were unable to pay fees.3. Forty-eight per cent of the Headmasters reported that all school age children in the district could not be in existing school facilities.4. Finance, labor, and transportation were listed as major problems encountered in the construction of primary school buildings.5. Headmasters in 10 of the 19 primary schools suggested taxation as a means for securing additional revenue for the construction of primary school buildings.6. Fifty-nine per cent of the District Education Officers in 1970; 83 per cent of the District Education Officers in 1971; and, 66 per cent of the District Education officers in 1972 reported school buildings and classrooms were inadequate.7. The national government of each of the 5 African countries was listed as a source of financing school construction.8. State or provincial governments provided some form of financial aid for school construction in the United States, the Republic of China, and Mexico.9. National governments provided for school construction in Egypt and Israel.10. The national government of New Zealand paid the total cost of school construction in local districts.11. Ninety-eight per cent of school building construction in the United States has been financed by the taxation of property in the local school district.12. The issuance of bonds, by local school districts for school construction in the United States, has been universal in 49 of the 50 states.The major conclusions were:1. Universal primary education has been accepted as a goal to be achieved in many of the developing nations of the world.2. It is essential that the national legislative body pass appropriate measures or laws which commit the nation and its resources to achieving universal primary education.3. Sufficient money must be appropriated by the national government to provide substantial assistance to local school communities in need of new primary school facilities.4. An equitable taxing structure must be established so that regional, district or local school community taxpayers will provide some funds to help finance needed school building programs.5. The establishment of a system which would permit regional areas, districts, or communities to issue general obligation bonds against the taxable wealth of the unit is needed in order to secure local share of funds to finance needed primary schools.Thesis (D. Ed.