Challenges Facing Headteachers in Managing Discipline of Students in Public Secondary Schools in Keumbu Subcounty, Kisii County, Kenya

Abstract

The management of the student discipline ranks as one of the emerging issues within the Kenya public in educational parlance. A number of cases have been documented in which the management of discipline by the head teachers has brought them in a collision with the law; provision of the law regarding the practice, the type and extent of discipline raise substantial conjecture which inspire the current study. The study zeroed in on the views of head teachers, deputy head teachers, classroom teachers and board of management (chairpersons) from keumbu sub-county. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. Simple random sampling was used to select 34 head teachers, 64 class teacher and 10 head of board management. Questionnaires were used to collect data from the respondents who were selected to participate in the study Analysis of data collected was done both quantitatively and qualitatively. The study found out that despite ministry of education policy on aspects of discipline, still corporal punishment was being practised, alternative methods of discipline were not yet effective and the education ministry needed to carry out an aggressive training for teachers on strategies of enforcing discipline. Stakeholders within the school systems needed to be involved in crafting a strategy of discipline that involves the community. .