Influence of Government Subsidy on Students’ Retention in Public Secondary Schools in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya

Abstract

Despite the government effort of subsidizing education, children from humble backgrounds fail to complete in public secondary schools. Therefore, the study sought to find out the influence of government subsidy on student retention ratio in Uasin Gishu County. The specific objectives were: to assess the influence of government subsidy on student retention ratios in public secondary schools. This study was anchored on the human capital theory by Schlutz in 1961. A descriptive survey research design was employed to study selected public secondary schools in Uasin Gishu County. The target population was derived from 192 public secondary schools in Uasin Gishu County. The study targeted 192 principals, 2384 teachers and 6 QASO Officers. The sample size for principals and class teachers was derived using—Yamane formula. The study used the questionnaire to collect quantitative data and unstructured interview guide was used for qualitative data. Data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Regression analyses were utilized for inferential statistics. It was found that government subsidy significantly influenced retention. Using linear regression and the overall multilinear regression was statistically significant. The regression model significantly predicted retention indicating that the models are significantly better predictor and that retention is influenced by the model representing government subsidy and with two other predictors, namely adequacy of government subsidy and impact of government subsidy. The study concluded that government subsidy was critical in retention. The study recommended timely disbursement of government subsidy.