Influence Of Monitoring And Evaluation On Management Of Public Secondary School Resources In Mandera County, Kenya

Purpose: Procurement practices constitute essential components for management of public secondary school resources. However, lack of financial accountability, inefficiency, lack of controls and imprudent use of resources in Mandera County has continued to affect operations of secondary schools. Thus, purpose of this study was to analyze the influence of Monitoring and evaluation on management of public secondary school resources in Mandera County, Kenya. Methodology: Mixed method approach was used and thus the study adopted concurrent triangulation design. The study targeted 888 comprising of 42 principals from 42 public secondary schools, 252 tendering and procurement committee members, 588 members of school Board of Management and 6 QASOs from which 267 respondents, that is 30% of 888, were selected. Stratified and purposive samplings were used. This procedure enabled the researcher to sample 13 principals, 76 tendering and procurement committee members, 176 members of school Board of Management and 2 QASOs. Open ended and closed ended questionnaires and Focus Group Discussion was employed for the procurement and tendering committee members. Interviews were used to collect data from the principals and the sub county QASOs. Validity was ascertained through expert judgment. Qualitative data was analyzed thematically along the objectives and presented in narrative forms whereas quantitative data was descriptively analyzed and inferentially using ANOVA and presented using tables and charts. Findings: The study established that, p-value=0.020<0.05, monitoring and evaluation practices influence management of public secondary school resources. The study also established that secondary schools rarely conduct monitoring and evaluation of procurement plans, financial accountability, resource utilization and adherence to procurement rules and regulations. Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: The study recommends that schools should ensure that there is an appropriate focus on good practice in procurement and that there is a significantprocurement procedure in place to ensure compliance with all relevant guideline. Schools should adopt integrated tendering methods meant to guarantee financial prudence and efficient use of school resources. The theory is well grounded because it postulates that a properly designed and implemented procurement policy in a school.