| dc.description.abstract | Free Primary Education (FPE) was introduced in Kenya in 2003 to improve access to basic education. However, it has been observed that head teachers of primary schools still experience challenges in management of the programme. While some work has been written on FPE, most of it was done in the early stages of its implementation. The purpose of this study was therefore, to identify challenges facing public primary school head teachers in management of FPE funds in Siaya County. The objectives of the study were to; establish head teachers' preparedness challenges in management of FPE; assess head teacher' perception of disbursement of FPE funds; to explore financial management challenges faced by head teachers and to find out coping methods used against challenges faced by head teachers in Siaya Sub County. The Siaya County Director might find the result of this study useful in developing policies in management of FPE NGOs and development partners dealing with education empowerment might also find the report useful in guiding them on how to allocate resources and aid to the sector. Conceptual framework used showed relationship between the dependent and the independent variables of the study. The study employed descriptive survey design. Population consisted of 130 head teachers, one Quality Assurance and Standards Officer (QASO) and one Sub County auditor. Simple random sampling technique was used to obtain a sample of 43 head teachers; purposive sampling technique was used to sample one QASO and one auditor. Questionnaire, in-depth interview and observation schedules were used for data collection. To establish the reliability of the instruments, the questionnaire was piloted in four schools outside the sample. Validity of the instruments was ensured through expert judgment by two supervisors in the School of Education, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology for verification. In depth interviews was conducted with head teachers, QASO and Auditor. Questionnaire data were analyzed by use of descriptive statistics, frequencies, percentage, pie chart and graph, while content analysis was used to analyze qualitative data. The study established that; head teachers were not adequately prepared for management of FPE, head teachers needed financial management skills, FPE fund was inadequate, head teachers did not adhere to financial management guidelines. The study concluded that head teachers were facing challenges in management of FPE. The study recommended that; head teachers should be intensively trained in financial management, allocation of FPE funds should be per school needs, financial management guidelines should be distributed to all School and that County government should capacity build education sector. | en_US |