The influence of financial resources on the integration of the national goals of education

Abstract

Financial Resources refer to the money availed to a school for spending in form of cash. Finances in the preschool institutions are sourced from parents in form of fees, donors, well wishers, NGOs, FBOs, and CBOs to name but a few. The general aim of this study was to examine the influence of financial resources on the integration of the national goals of education in Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE). The study employed a Descriptive survey research design. The N=158 including 28 head teachers and 130 preschool teachers. The n=66 including 14 head teachers and 52 preschool teachers. The head teachers were interviewed following the guide with the following questions as in the interview guide: What is the influence the influence of financial resource on the integration of the national goals of education in early childhood development and education? The head teachers interviewed indicated that the current state of standards for publicly funded preschools programmes vary widely, particularly in the areas of teacher qualifications, perpupil spending, and learning standards. Low standards and spending levels will most likely result in programmes that do little to enhance childrens’ learning and development. The preschool teachers responded to questions in the questionnaires. (a) Closed questions required the respondents to indicate the extent to which they agreed/disagreed on the statements on a scale of 5-1. (b) The open question required the respondents to state on their opinion how financial resources influenced the integration of the National Goals of Education in Early Childhood Development and Education. The researcher used both qualitative and quantitative analysis of the data obtained. 38% the of respondents on average indicated that the financial resources which influenced the integration of the national goals of education in early childhood development and education include school levies, inadequate government funding, insufficient supply of different resources, financing of preschool teachers’ salaries, unpaid school levies and ineffective community programmes.This was followed by 30% who strongly agreed with the statements in the questionnaires. The study established that financial resources influence effective implementation of ECDE programmes in preschools. A unit increase in the financial resources would lead to an increase in effective early childhood development and education by a factor of 0.4683. This study recommends that ECDEprogrammes centers should receive adequate funding to maintain effective running and management of the centers including putting up adequate infrastructures, remunerating teachers and supporting their professional development and promoting conducive learner friendly environment to facilitate quality content delivery.