RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SCHOOL ACCOMMODATION STATUS AND PRINCIPALS’ PERCEPTIONS ON COST EFFICIENCY OF PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN BOMET COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

Public secondary schools in Kenya are expected to operate cost-efficiently. However, the cost of education in many public secondary schools in Bomet County remains high, indicating potential cost inefficiencies. Grounded in the cost efficiency theory and the principal-agent theory, this study investigated the relationship between school accommodation status and principals' perceptions of cost efficiency in public secondary schools in Bomet County, Kenya. The correlational research design was adopted. Purposive, stratified, proportionate, and simple random sampling techniques were used to select five Sub-County Directors of Education (SCDE) and 175 principals. Data was gathered from principals using a semi-structured questionnaire, while information from SCDEs was collected through an interview schedule. The instruments were piloted in Nakuru County, yielding validity and reliability thresholds of 0.822 using Cronbach's alpha. Descriptive statistics, including frequencies and percentages, were used to analyse the data, while the Chi-Square test of independence examined the relationship between school accommodation status and principals' perceptions of cost efficiency using SPSS software. Results showed that 77.1% of principals were from day schools, 17.4% from boarding schools, and 5.5% from day/boarding institutions. Nearly three-quarters (74.8%) of principals perceived their schools' cost efficiency as low, 20.3% as moderate, and 4.9% as high. SCDEs were aware of cost-saving strategies employed by principals but did not explicitly state how these impacted cost efficiency. No statistically significant relationship was found between school accommodation status and perceptions of cost efficiency (χ2 [4, N = 143] = 2.121, ρ > .05). The study concludes that most public secondary schools in Bomet County are day schools, with cost efficiency perceived as low. Factors other than accommodation status likely influence principals' perceptions of cost efficiency. Recommendations include equipping principals with financial management skills to enhance schools' cost efficiency.