Abstract: The study examined strategies adopted by teachers in the implementation of Guidance and Counselling in junior primary schools. This paper is based on my Phd studies and only presents one facet of it. Guidance and Counselling is an area that has recently gained traction in the primary school curriculum, hence, the need to upscale its implementation. An interpretive qualitative case study research design was utilized enabling teachers to share their experiences and thoughts in a naturalistic setting and allows the researcher to capture detailed, nuanced perspectives from teachers in the real-worldcontexts. Twenty participants from four schools were purposively sampled to gather detailed, contextual data and foster a deeper understanding of the phenomenon. Semi- structured interviews, observations and document analysis were used to generate data. Data were analysed using thematic content analysis. The research revealed that teachers were using different strategies in implementing G&C in primary schools. The results of the study further pointed out that staff development workshops were needed to enhance the implementation of G&C properly. The study recommends a culturally relevant model which embraces pedagogies such as adopting the use of cultural counselling villages.

Abstract: This study assessed the contribution of socio-economic practices on school dropout among students in public secondary schools. The study was grounded in the Social Reproduction Theory. The research objectives included to: investigate how socio-economic practices contribute to dropout among students and to explored strategies for mitigating the impact of socio-economic practices on students’ dropout in public secondary schools. The study employed convergent design under the mixed approach and it targeted, 16 heads of schools, 16 school board chairpersons, 15 ward education officers and 395 teachers. The study sample were 133 participants, including 5 heads of schools, 5 school board chairpersons, 5 ward education officers, and teachers. The study employed both probability and non-probability sampling procedures to sample the targeted population. The instruments were validated using research experts and reliability was determined through split half method whereby the reliability coeffient was 0.88. Data was collected through questionnaires, interviews and document analysis guide. Descriptive statistics, including frequencies, percentages and means were used to analyze quantitative data. The study revealed that domestic work reduces students’ time for academic engagement and disrupts concentration in class. Strategies such as enhancing parental involvement, strengthening policy frameworks, and increasing community sensitization are essential. In conclusion, socio-economic practices such as child labour, early marriages, pastoralist lifestyles, and poverty significantly contribute to high dropout rates. In recommendation, leaders should prioritize community sensitization campaigns to raise awareness about the importance of education, and the government should formulate and enforce policies that address the root causes of school dropout.

Abstract: The study assessed the contribution of school feeding programmes on pupils’ retention in public primary schools in Arusha District. Specifically, the study investigated how feeding programmes influence pupils’ retention, identified the challenges affecting their provision and proposed strategiess to improve the programme. The study was guided by Maslow theory of human needs. The study adopted a mixed methods approach using a convergent design to collect quantitative and qualitative data. The target population included 102 head teachers, 27 ward education officers, 102 school committee chairpersons, 1456 teachers and 30,475 pupils. By using Yamane formula, a sample of 395 was obtained from the total population of 32,162 and respondents were selected through simple random, purposive and systematic sampling. Data were collected through questionnaires, interviews, focus group discussions. Validity was ensured through expert review and credibility through communicative validation. Reliability was tested using split half method and a coefficient of 0.87 was obtained. Pilot testing was done in three schools to check clarity and usefulness of instruments. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS while qualitative data were analyzed thematically using ATLAS.ti software. Ethical measures included informed consent, confidentiality and voluntary participation. The findings showed that feeding programmes are present in most schools and help improve attendance retention concentration and academic performance. Challenges included low funding, poor infrastructure, political interference and weak community support. The study concluded that school feeding programmes contribute to pupil retention and recommends stronger government support, active parental contribution, community sensitization and improved programme management.

Abstract: The study explored the challenges encountered by school administration in promoting students’ discipline in public secondary schools in Itilima District Council. The study employed Theory X by Douglas McGregrory (1960). The study employed a mixed method research approach with a convergent parallel design. The population was 483 teachers and 33 heads of schools. The sample size was 75 teachers. Purposive sampling and total population sampling were used to obtain respondents for the study. Data was collected through interviews and questionnaire guides, and were analyzed thematically and statistically. Research ethics were considered before, during, and after data collection. The study showed challenges faced by school administration in promoting students’ discipline, it includes students ignoring teachers’ instructions, lack of stakeholder involvement, and limited resources. The study concluded that school counselors are very much needed to always offer guidance and counselling in order to develop students’ positive behavior. The study recommended that school administration should use different strategies in shaping students’ behavior and avoid using the same strategy repeatedly, as this might lead to an increase in negative behavior.

Abstract: The study purposed to assess the influence of school boards on the management and administration of public secondary schools in Arusha district. Specifically, the study aimed to: assessed the effectiveness of school boards and investigated strategies for improving school board participation. Democratic governance theory guided the study. A mixed-methods approach with a convergent design was used. A total of 937 individuals including 778 teachers, 39 heads of schools and 120 school board members were targeted. A sample of 90 respondents was selected. Data were collected using questionnaires for teachers and school board members and interview guides for heads of schools. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were used to analyze the quantitative and qualitative data respectively. Three experts in education management and administration validated the instruments. Results of reliability testing by Split half method indicated that the reliability coefficient for teachers’ questionnaire was 0.89 while the one for the school board members was 0.92. The study found out that involving school boards members in decision-making processes, positively impact on student achievement and effectively address disciplinary issues. Moreover, strategies such as regular training sessions and better communication were identified to enhance school board participation. The study concluded that school boards play a critical role in the management and administration of public secondary schools in Arusha district. It was recommended that policymakers prioritize initiatives to enhance school board participation through adequate funding and supportive policies and that the government to develop training programmes to improve the effectiveness of school board members.

Abstract: This study was undertaken to examine how vocationalisation of secondary education affects students’ experiences and attitude towards pursuing technical and vocational careers. The study employed a single case study design. The target population was the students and teachers in the technical secondary school in Moshi Municipality. The sample had 41 total participants including 35 students selected using stratified sampling procedure, considering gender and the two class levels, 5 technical subject teachers and Head of school selected purposively. The school head was selected using a purposive sampling technique. Data were collected through open-ended questionnaires. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics for quantifiable data and thematic analysis for qualitative information. The results show that the students’ experiences in technical subjects were building self-employment opportunities, a good foundation for future career/dream, and enhancing academic performance in other academic subjects. It was also found that, majority of students would prefer proceeding with technical career fields after completing basic education. The study concludes that technical secondary education builds and nurtures technical skills, which are beneficial to students and the nation at large. The study recommends the establishment of more technical secondary schools to open more opportunities for all the students in basic education who need technical skills.

Abstract: The study examined the influence of school infrastructure utilization on learners’ academic performance in government primary schools in Kichwamba Sub County Kabarole District. The researcher used a cross-sectional survey design with both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The study population consisted of head teachers, teachers, health workers and students from candidate classes. A sample size of 148 respondents was used. The study used both questionnaires and interview as methods of data collection. After quantitative data was collected it was edited, coded and then the data entry was done using the Statistical Programme for Social Scientists (SPSS) version 26. The relationship between the independent and dependent variable was tested using the Pearson product moment correlation coefficient. Thematic analysis was used during qualitative data analysis. The study found out that there is a strong positive correlation between physical infrastructure and pupils’ academic performance. The study further found out that there is a weak but significant relationship between co-curricular facilities and pupils’ academic performance. The study further found out that there is a strong positive correlation between health facilities and pupils’ academic performance. This is an indication that sanitation facilities in primary schools have a strong bearing towards pupil’s academic performance. The study therefore concluded that there is a significant relationship between school infrastructure utilization and pupils’ academic performance in government primary schools in Kichwamba Sub County Kabarole District. The study recommended that the department of quality assurance and standard officer should ensure primary schools implement the non-formal curriculum to aid talent development among primary school pupils.

Abstract: The study assessed the effectiveness of school feeding programs on enrollment of pupils in primary schools in Kaliro District. The descriptive design was used to determine scores for individual items in the school feeding program, while the correlational design was used to determine the relationship between the school feeding program and enrollment, retention, and cognitive ability acquisition. Questionnaires were used to obtain data from 93 respondents including teachers, pupils and headteachers. The researcher entered quantitative data into a Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) spreadsheet, transformed it into frequencies and percentages, and then present it in summary tables to show scores for individual items. Items for feeding programs and the three dependent variables were rated using mean on the 5-point Linkert scale. The school feeding programme has some favourable effects on the number of pupils enrolled in public primary schools. Effective enrollment is measured in terms of improved regular school performance, decreasing early departure from school, stimulating parents’ desire to send their children to school due to the positive environment, inspiring pupils to follow programmes geared towards schooling, and reducing child labour as well as classroom attendance. Additionally, the school feeding programme has been found to enhance pupils’ overall health and nutrition, leading to improved cognitive abilities and concentration in the classroom. Moreover, by providing nutritious meals to pupils, the programme helps address food insecurity and ensures equal access to education for all children, regardless of their socio-economic background

Abstract: There have been controversies regarding the effectiveness of teachers through the Teachers’ Service Commission (TSC), which is a teacher management body in Kenya. This dates back to early 2021 when the TSC launched training on teacher professional development and, consequently, began enrolling teachers across the country. This formed the purpose of the study, which aimed to examine the influence of school supervisory strategies on the performance of teachers in secondary schools in Mandera West sub-county, Mandera County, Kenya. The study adopted the Contingency Management Theory and consisted of a mixed methods approach. The study employed a descriptive research design with a target population of 404 stakeholders in the public secondary schools in the subcounty, and a sample size of 30% (121). The research subjects were selected from the larger categories of stakeholders using a stratified sampling design. Data was collected through questionnaires for BOM (Board of Management) members and teachers, and interviews were conducted with the principals. Secondary data was collected from specified documents through document analysis. The researcher piloted the research instruments using 12 (10% of the sample) secondary schools’ stakeholders in the neighboring subcounty of Mandera County. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data, and correlation analysis was used to measure the strength of the relationship between school supervisory strategies and the performance of teachers. Qualitative data was used to triangulate the quantitative findings. The study found that various principal’s supervisory strategies were evident within the public secondary schools in Mandera West subcounty. The strategies were also applied in diverse measures, where some were rated as low priority to high priority. These various strategies are associated with different advantages. The study revealed a strong positive correlation between teacher performance and supervisory strategies (r=0.758) but this correlation was found to be statistically insignificant (α=0.108). The study recommends that school principals employ supervisory strategies that have a dominant influence on teacher performance, including establishing clear reporting channels.

Abstract: Academic performance is key to the success of any education system in a country. The Church of Uganda has been instrumental in supporting education systems in Uganda. It is against this context that this study set out to review of church’s effort the ts in the academic performance of students in the church of Uganda-founded secondary schools. The main objective of the study was to review of church’s efforts in academic performance of students in church of Uganda founded secondary schools.The study used both qualitative and quantitative research design that involved the use of primary and secondary data. Primary data was purposively collected from 60 respondents. The findings were that much as the church tries to uplift academic performance in her founded secondary schools, it faces numerous challenges that include limited funding to mention but a few. It is recommended that Church of Uganda whose role it to conduct continuous assessment should take kin interest in improving the performance of students in its schools by availing continuous trainings to teachers, conducting continuous assessments of learners and availing adequate funding to support the school’s academic activities.