Critical Analysis of School Fee Collection Strategies and Financial Accountability in Public Secondary Schools in Kenya

Abstract

Fee collection tactics are measures that school administrators do to achieve the school's objectives by putting together the sum thought appropriate for school fees charges, such as creating automatic fee payment plans and sending out reminders to parents. There are challenges associated with fee payment as parents are the main contributors, yet they are in different economic position. The government has consistently delayed funding their portion which is still below required standards. Therefore, this study was focused on school fee collection strategies and financial accountability of Public Secondary Schools in Khwisero Sub County. The study was guided by agency theory. The research design used in this study was a descriptive survey. The 25 public secondary schools in the Khwisero sub-county of Kenya represented the 50 stakeholders who were the focus of the study. The county schools auditor, who oversaw all of the schools in the research, was also a part of the census survey that included all 50 stakeholders. Data was gathered with the help of standardized questionnaires. Mean and standard deviation were used for descriptive statistics, while Pearson correlation and simple linear regression were used for inferential statistics. SPSS, a statistical program used in the social sciences, helped with this. Tables were used to present the data. The financial transparency of public secondary schools in Khwisero sub County, Kakamega County, was significantly influenced by the collection tactics with an R2 of 0.504. The research suggests that public secondary schools should incorporate school factors that have a significant impact on financial accountability into their main key elements that should be considered when handling school fund accounts and find ways in which fee collection can be enhanced to ensure there is adequate cashflow.