Factors Affecting Implementation of Development Plans in Public Secondary Schools in Meru Central Sub-County, Kenya

Schools exist to provide knowledge and impart skills. Implementation of effective school development plans guided by prioritised needs in the school helps to attain this goal. However, concerns have been raised over the inability of schools to implement development plans. This in turn has been associated with poor performance in Meru Central Sub-County of Meru County, Kenya. This study investigated factors affecting implementation of development plans in public secondary school in Meru Central Sub-County, Kenya. The study employed a descriptive survey design. A sample size of 360 respondents was used for the study. Reliability was estimated by use Spearman-Brown prophecy formula. The instruments yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.81. The analysis was done using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17.0. The findings were presented in frequency tables, pie charts and bar charts. Findings indicated that most of public secondary schools in Meru Central Sub-County involved stakeholders in the formulation of development plans. The study established that implementation of development plans in public schools was hampered by fund misappropriation, fund inadequacy, untimely and unreliable sources of funds. Respondents felt that competence of stakeholders affects implementation of school development plans. It was concluded that implementation of development plans in schools depend on availability, adequacy and reliability of sources of funds. It was concluded that effective leadership is essential for implementation of development plans in public schools. The study recommends that school administrators should sensitize BOM members, P.T.A members, teachers, local leaders and community members on the importance of development plans; the government should also ensure that school funds are released on time and that development plans are considered when determining the amount of money to be disbursed to each school. This could be done by making development-planning mandatory as a condition for government funding and by monitoring and evaluating schools’ progress.