TITLE:
ECD Policy Framework and Pre-Primary School Teachers’ Capacity in Quality Service Delivery in Muranga County Kenya
AUTHORS:
Kamau Joyce Muthoni, Ong’ang’a H. Ouko, Kimamo Githui
KEYWORDS:
Early Childhood Development(ECD), Pre-Primary Teacher’s Capacity, Quality Service delivery, ECD Policy Framework
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.10 No.9,
August
30,
2022
ABSTRACT: The National Early Childhood Development Policy Framework in Kenya has
been in place since the year 2006 accompanied by a service guideline to promote
its implementation. The goal of the policy framework was to enhance access,
equity and quality service delivery for all children from conception through 8
years. However, even with the policy in place there are quality issues in
pre-primary schools in Kenya. Implementation of the framework has been slow
hence affecting quality of services. This is even so with the Muranga County
whose education achievement in early grades is still below the national
standards. It is documented that Pre-primary schools in the County have poor
infrastructure coupled with poor delivery of content at this level. Therefore,
the purpose of this study was to assess pre-primary teachers’ capacity and the
Quality of Service Delivery. The purpose of the study was to determine
pre-primary teachers’ capacity in promoting quality service. Lilian Katz’s
theory on perspective of quality was used.
The study applied mixed methodology research approach in which stratified
random sampling, proportionate simple random and purposive sampling were
employed to select the sample. Data from; teachers, head teachers and parents
was collected using questionnaire,
observation schedule and interviews respectively. The study used thematic analysis for qualitative data while
quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential
statistics and presented using tables and figures. The study established that
Pre-primary teachers’ capacity at p = 0.023 influences quality service delivery. Subsequently, the study
recommended that the government
should empower/retool pre-primary teachers in order to achieve quality
services.