SELECTED FACTORS RELATED TO EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT OF FORMAL EDUCATION IN JUVENILE CENTERS:CASEOF KABETE AND DAGORETTI IN NAIROBI AND KIAMBU COUNTIES KENYA

Abstract

This study sought to document educational life experiences of juveniles in Kabete Boys’ Rehabilitation center and Dagoretti Girls’ Rehabilitation center, with an intention to create information on the selected factors related to effective management of formal education in juvenile centers in Kenya. The objectives were to; examine whether the rehabilitation center administrators have the required professional qualification and ability for effective management of formal education, assess whether the rehabilitation centers have the required professionally trained teachers with the ability for effective management of formal education, determine whether the rehabilitation centers have the required physical infrastructure that can facilitate effective management of formal education and ascertain whether the rehabilitation center administrators are provided with adequate teaching and learning resources for effective management of formal education. System theory in educational administration, social learning theory and managerial leadership in education theory guided the study. The study used a case study research design. The target population was 144 juvenile delinquents, 13 welfare officers, 18 class teachers and 4 school administrators. A sample size of 122 juvenile delinquents, 13 welfare officers, 18 class teachers and 4 center administrators were selected through stratified random sampling making it a total of 157 respondents. The data collection instruments were questionnaires, interview schedules and personal observation that were piloted in Shikusa rehabilitation center in Kakamega. The validity of the research instruments was determined by consulting experts in the department of Curriculum and Educational Management. Reliability of the instruments was assessed using test re-test reliability technique and the study obtained a reliability coefficient of 0.7 that met the threshold for educational research. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. The findings showed that majority of the administrators had no training in leadership and management, majority of the teachers had not undergone training on curriculum implementation and workshops on improvisation of teaching and learning resources, there were inadequate classrooms and libraries and none of the centers had all textbooks for all subjects. It is hoped that the findings of the study will useful to the staff working in the juvenile rehabilitation centers, parents of juvenile delinquents, curriculum developers and Ministry of Education, science and technology as it reveals the specific factors related to effective management of formal education in the juvenile centers in Kenya.