School Governance and Sustainable Quality Education in Public Schools in Kenya

Abstract

School governance plays a critical role in shaping the sustainable quality education in public schools in Kenya. Governance at the school level involves decision-making processes, policy formulation and implementation, and prudent utilization of resources. A well-structured governance in schools leads to the achievement of infrastructural development as well as improvement in learners' learning outcomes. However, the sustainable quality education has fluctuated over time under various levels of leadership in the education sector, including school management. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of school governance on the sustainable quality education in public schools in Kenya. The objectives of the study included: determining the influence of transparency, accountability, stakeholders’ engagement, and inclusivity on sustainable quality education in public schools. The study was anchored on the systems theory. Document analysis and qualitative methods were adopted. Qualitative analysis involved thematic analysis of recurring issues relating to school governance and sustainable quality education. The study revealed that public schools had significantly experienced challenges relating to school governance practices, which included transparency, accountability, stakeholders' engagement, and inclusivity, in the management of schools, thereby affecting sustainable quality education. The study also showed that governance principles needed to be integrated into their school management practice to address sustainable quality education in public schools. The study recommended capacity-building for school leaders to strengthen good governance practices in public schools in Kenya.