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AEGIS European Conference on African Studies
11 - 14 July 2007
African Studies Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Students' voices in the decision-making process in secondary schools in Kenya
| Panel |
18. Education and Social change in Eastern and Southern Africa
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| Paper ID | 345 |
| Author(s) |
Jwan, Julius Ouma
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| Paper |
No paper submitted
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| Abstract | This paper looks at the nature and extent of students’ participation in decision-making process in secondary schools in Kenya. It specifically focuses on the structures within the school which facilitate or hinder students’ participation in the decision-making process; the type of decisions students participate in, and the degree to which students participate in the specific decision-making issues.
The paper is based on a case study research conducted in a secondary school in Kenya. Although the study did not set out to generalise the findings to all secondary schools, it took into consideration Bassey’s (1999) ‘fuzzy generalisations’ and Schofield’s (1993) ‘thick descriptions’-thus the findings may reflect what goes on in schools with similar contextual characteristics in Kenya. Based on data collected from the principal, teachers and students through semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions-and using a thematic approach to data analysis, the findings suggest that;
• The prefect system and the students’ council are the main structures used in students’ participation in decision-making.
• The students’ mainly participate in operational type of decisions.
• The degree of participation appeared to be basically consultative.
• The teachers include the students in decision-making mainly to encourage compliance and not to genuinely get students concerns about their education.
• The students who participate in most decision-makings processes (prefects) are selected by the teachers based on students’ performance in tests and good conduct.
• Culture greatly influences the nature of students’ participation in decision-making processes in the school.
The paper recommends that in the light of the changing demands on education in Kenya and globally, students need to be more involved in decision-making process to improve the quality of the decisions made and enhance the attainment of the objectives of schooling. The degree of participation could include routine, emergency and strategic types of decision-making and also include students who are perceived as indisciplined or academically weak. There is need for a deliberate effort to generate ‘trust’ between students and teachers, prefects and other students to erase the ‘them’ and ‘us’ syndrome for the participation to be more meaningful to the schools.
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