Abstract: Globally, academicians are aware of the necessity of well-organized management of educational institutions. This research sought to look at the influence of stakeholders’ participation practices on institutional performance in selected 6 national polytechnics. It was guided by the Strategic Choice Theory and the Theory of Performance. Mixed method approach and the concurrent triangulation model with descriptive correlational designs were used. The total target population for this study was 42,284 participants. The Sample was 642 participants which consisted of 252 lecturers, 384 students and 6 principals. Interview schedules were conducted among the principals. The researcher requested the specialists from the university to examine tools face to face and content validity tools. In terms of reliability, test-retest technique was utilized with the Cronbach’s Alpha to establish the reliability. A rate of 0.700 was attained and the instruments were termed dependable. Concurrent triangulation was utilized to guarantee credibility. An in-depth interview was done to establish dependability of qualitative tools. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics and presented in tabular forms, frequencies and percentages. The linear regression method for inferential statistics was adopted. Qualitative information was analyzed through thematic analysis and presented in narrative format and verbatim citations. The study’s findings indicated that there was need to enhance stakeholders’ participation for better institutional performance. It was recommended that both the National and County Governments involve stakeholders in management of the national polytechnics, provide adequate funds and lecturers to enable better outcomes. Further study was recommended on the issue using various approaches.

Abstract: Cotton production in Kenya has a long history, with its roots well-established before the country’s independence in 1963. Gender, religion, and cultural beliefs significantly influence access to resources and the sustainability of cotton farming. This study aimed to assess the impact of these social factors on the sustainability of cotton production in Kisumu County, Kenya. Anchored on functionalism theory, the study utilized a mixed-method research design, combining descriptive and correlational approaches. The target population included 600 cotton farmers aged 18 to 65, with simple random sampling employed to select the sample. Data collection was carried out using questionnaires, in-depth interviews, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions. The findings revealed that gender disparities, religious beliefs, and cultural norms had statistically significant effects on the sustainability of cotton farming. Women faced challenges in accessing farming resources, while religious and cultural beliefs sometimes hindered the adoption of modern farming techniques. The study recommends that the government initiate community development programs and sensitization efforts to address negative cultural practices and promote gender equity in cotton farming.

Abstract: The art of interpreting is unique and beyond changing a word to another language. It includes emotions, gestures, body language and facial expressions. This article, aims at bringing to the fore the flawed use of interpreting in Subordinate Courts. The article evaluates if interpreting in these courts is genuine or just a lip service. Through the descriptive study carried out, qualitative analysis of the data collected in interviews, questionnaires and observations was done. While witnesses and the accused filled questionnaires, magistrates and clerks were interviewed after being sampled purposefully from the court proceedings observed by the researcher. The findings were that during court proceedings, interpreters poorly do their job. The accused and witnesses use indigenous languages more comfortably than the official or national languages. The interpreter is mostly required not because no one understands the accused and the witnesses in their mother tongue, but because the language of the courts must be official or national language. Magistrates encounter barriers including, interpreters not knowing their indigenous languages, having no skills of interpreting, often allowing long utterances from accused persons and witnesses and ending up forgetting them, resulting in poor reporting, getting carried away by emotions, and not reporting exactly how and what the speaker said. These reasons render the use of interpreters unjust. It is recommended to have some members of staff from the dominant community as magistrates and prosecutors to enable more meaningful communication, train interpreters, and professionalize interpreting. Clerks to be employed as clerks and not double as interpreters.

Abstract: There has been a worldwide concern about human relation strategies that are applied in schools by the principals to enable healthy teacher productivity. The objective of this study was to assess the influence of principals’ provision of motivation strategies on teacher productivity in public secondary. The study was guided by human relations theory and the theory of educational productivity. Mixed methodology was adopted and the descriptive correlational designs with concurrent triangulation model. The target population was 4,921 consisting of 4,312 teachers, 291 principals, 291 BoM chairpersons 18 MoE/TSC officers and 9 TSC HROs. Sample size was 518 comprising of 433 teachers stratified randomly sampled, 29 principals stratified randomly sampled, 29 stratified randomly sampled, 18 MoE/TSC officers purposively sampled and 9 TSC HROs purposively sampled. Questionnaires were for teachers, principals and BoM chairpersons. Interview schedules were for MoE/TSC officers and the TSC HRO officers. Validity was established through judgment by educational management experts’ analysis. Reliability was established using the split-half method. A reliability index of r≥0.75 was obtained using Cronbach Alpha Method, indicating high internal reliability. Data triangulation through multiple analyses ascertained credibility, whereas dependability was established by detailed reporting of each data collection process. Quantitative data used descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages, tables and inferentially using liner regression with the help of SPSS (Version 24). Qualitative data was analyzed thematically and presented in narrative forms and verbatim citations. The findings established that principals were not using motivation strategies significantly neither was professional development applied among the schools.

Abstract: Globally, the increase in unhealthy sexual behaviours among adolescent students has prompted alarm and become a topic of interest for global public health researchers seeking innovative strategies to promote better sexual health outcomes. This study assesses managerial strategies for enhancing sexual and reproductive health education (SRHE) in secondary schools by focusing on two specific objectives, namely, to identify ways used by school management in enhancing SRHE in secondary schools and to find out challenges faced by school management in enhancing SRHE in secondary schools. The study used Ludwig Von Bertalanffy’s systems theory. The study used a case study design to collect in-depth information from the head teachers, discipline teachers, teachers, and students in the selected secondary schools, which comprised 36 participants. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions while observing the principle of saturation. The collected data were analysed through thematic analysis. The findings revealed that the use of clubs, guidance and counselling services and organising seminars are among the strategies used to manage SRHE in secondary schools. Further, the study found several challenges faced by school management in enhancing SRHE in secondary schools, including lack of in-service training, lack of clear and proper sexual education policy, cultural barriers, lack of student readiness, and insufficient funds. The study recommends that school management create more strategies to ensure the successful implementation of SRHE within educational institutions. The study recommends further study to assess the extent to which sexual and reproductive health education promotes students’ academic performance in secondary schools.

Abstract: Introducing UPE worldwide led to a surge in enrolment rates in most countries, which often overwhelmed and exceeded the capacity of education systems. Severe constraints such as shortage of teachers and school materials led to overcrowding in Uganda, the student teacher ratio moved from 37.6million in 1996 to 59.4million in 1997.dropout rates also increased and survival rates sunk from 59% to 37%. Notable is that promoting a nation’s social and economic growth depends on universal primary education. This article investigated the universal basic education policy and the primary school completion rates of pupils in Isingiro District in South Western Uganda. A secondary data review and a qualitative research approach were the study’s compass. Document analysis was done, data from articles reports and research done by different scholars was collected to identify and examine relevant themes associated with the effect of UPE on completion rates in primary schools of Isingiro district. The main conclusion was that the introduction of UPE in primary schools of Isingiro district did not have observable positive change on the completion rates at the end of primary seven as compared to when UPE was not yet introduced to Ugandan education system.

Abstract: The study assessed the influence of extracurricular activities on pre-primary children’s physical development. It intended to identify kinds of extracurricular activities and examine their benefits to children’s physical development. The study employed a mixed research approach with a descriptive design and a sample of 65 respondents. The study employed the Child’s Development Theory. The study collected data through semi-structured interviews with heads of schools and closed-ended questionnaires with sports teachers and pre-primary teachers. The researcher ran IBM SPSS statistics version 27.1 to compute the collected data. The researcher analyzed data through content analysis and descriptive statistics. The findings revealed that sports are among the famous and everyday extracurricular activities widely used in pre-primary schools. Also, the findings revealed that the benefits of extracurricular activities depend on the length of practice. These benefits include more muscular muscle development, healthy growth of bones, improved coordination balance, and greater ability for physical relaxation. The study recommends that school administrators employ more physical activities to enhance preschool learners’ physical development.

Abstract: This paper highlights the knowledge economy as a binding particle and a missing link for State, University, and Industries relation. It aimed at answering a question on how can the holes on the state-university link be plugged to strengthen this relation in the knowledge economy context. The theoretical framework guiding this discussion is the
Decision making theory and the Four Strategic Engagement Zones. Its methodological philosophy is built of the interpretive paradigm using interpretive theory. As a qualitative study, it employed document analysis supported by detailed interviews, and data analysis was done through thematic, content, and discourse analysis. The discussion builds on the proposition that supporting university-based research is considered an important element in strategies to promote and sustain economic growth. Findings indicate an increasing demand for research -based information for policy purposes. Globalization forces have posed both challenges and opportunities in research use as well as university -state relations. Research skills, which were traditionally housed in the universities, are now seen in non-university institutions while universities are more pulled into teaching as result of higher education massification. In both qualitative and quantitative terms, research is seen to be concentrated away from universities making universities less relevant partner in policy processes. It was concluded therefore that globalization has improved information search and access mechanisms; however, operational traditions and frameworks in this context are making it difficult for state-university relations. The study recommends that to improve the university-state relation there is a need, among other things, to consider a number of strategies including the following: an increased resource allocation to support knowledge creation and related activities and reviews of policies and operational frameworks in all areas where hole-plugging initiatives will be focusing. Policy reviews are important to arrest crosscutting issues that interfere with knowledge creation phenomenon in universities.

Abstract: The aim of this study was to have in-depth information from oral traditions, literature, and myths depicting the emergence of the Wakyiwoso of Kilimanjaro using agricultural and post-mortem ritual features. The study employed a multi-variant methodology. It used a sample of 88 people who volunteered to participate. Criterion sampling was used, whereby the study involved only respondents who were senior by age, ranging from 50 to 100 years old, and had a good reputation in society. Qualitative data were collected. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, focused group discussion, and observation and presented thematically using stories, anecdotes, legends, and myths. The findings depicted that the Wakyiwoso were a collection of many origins, some from neighbouring ethnic groups and others coming from as far as the Horn of Africa, the Coast of East Africa, and Madagascar. The broad spectrum of blending makes this ethnic group have diverse physical features and some postmortem ritual differences. However, the rituals, as part of culture, are so dynamic that no one can decide who the proto-Wakyiwoso were by themselves. More studies using new technology, such as DNA and whole genome sequencing (WGS), are needed to determine the sources of the first Wakyiwoso stock in Kilimanjaro.

Abstract: This study assessed the role of human resources management (HRM) practices in enhancing students’ performance in public and private secondary school in Mbulu district. The objectives of the study were, to investigate the influence of HRM practices on students’ performance in public and private secondary schools in Mbulu district and to identify the best HRM practices for enhancing students’ performance in public and private secondary schools in Mbulu district. This study adopted concurrent triangulation design and mixed-methods research design for a target population from 32 public secondary schools with 592 teachers and 32 head of schools; 7 private secondary schools with 147 teachers, 7 school heads, and one District Educational Officer (DEO) in Mbulu district. Stratified and random sampling was used to select 80 teachers while 8 heads of school and one DEO were interviewed. The university experts evaluated the instruments to determine content validity and the reliability test (TQ=0.91) was conducted by using Cronbach alpha. The collected, data were analysed using descriptive statistics in the SPSS version 25 and the result were presented in tables. The study found out that HR managers should focus on compensation and benefits that are competitive and attractive in retaining high-quality teachers and staff. Additionally, they should provide support to employees to ensure a smooth transition when necessary. In recommendation, the government and other stakeholders should support HRM for performance both in public and private secondary schools. Similarly, continuous evaluation and improvement of HRM practices based on feedback and self-assessment should also be prioritized.