The Perception of Stakeholders towards the Implementation of Non-formal Curricular Activities in Secondary Schools in Kenya.

Abstract

A school curriculum deals with learners experiences planned inside and outside the school. It has three main dimensions; the formal, non-formal and informal which are all pertinent to holistic learning and in turn well- balanced development of learners. Implementation of the curriculum in schools in Kenya tends to emphasize the formal aspect of the curriculum alone .This arises out of   the general belief that the formal curriculum allows learners immediate eligibility into institutions of higher learning and subsequently into the world of work. Research has shown that learners who embrace the non-formal aspect of the curriculum excel academically. Still, there are learners who are not endowed academically but have advanced in the non-formal dimension of the curriculum earning incomes from the same. Stakeholders in education have a great influence in the implementation of non-formal curriculum activities; hence the purpose of this study was to establish the perceptions of the stakeholders towards the implementation of non-formal curricular activities in secondary schools in Mumias and Matungu sub-counties. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. A stratified random sampling was undertaken to identify the school types which stood at 9types, 16 out of 56 schools were identified in the random sampling and 154 teachers, 1159 students, 22 heads of schools, 30 heads of departments, 10 parents. 1 sub-county Quality Assurance and Standards Officer was selected in the purposive sampling. The instruments of data collection included questionnaires, structured interviews, observations, Focused Group Discussion and document analysis .The study was carried out in Mumias and Matungu sub-counties in Kenya and targeted only secondary schools. Descriptive analysis of data was employed. The results were presented in form of tables. The findings of this study revealed that stakeholders have both positive and negative perceptions towards the implementation of non-formal curriculum activities and recommends that all stakeholders in education  develop a more positive attitude towards non-formal curricular activities as the non-formal curricular activities aid the learners to develop wholesomely and in turn integrate well into their immediate society.