Funding and Spending for Mainstreaming Support for OVC in Public Nursery Schools in Nyeri Country, Kenya: Practice, Constraints and Policy

Abstract

The goal of expanding educational opportunity for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) is extricably linked to the amount of funding invested in education to maximise student learning and participation. Deprivation of interventions during the early years results in lifelong deficiencies and disadvantages. Therefore, substantial disparities in the amount of funding in Public Nursery Schools (PNS) may cause substantial disparities in the quality of educational opportunities for OVC.  The amount of funding provided in PNS influences the specific instructional, curricular and psychological components necessary to deliver national education standards in PNS. Provision of special attention to mitigate barriers that impede OVC access to equal benefit with all children involves adequate funding to establish and sustain support structures in schools. The purpose of this study was to find out the influence of adequacy of funding and spending for mainstreaming support for OVC in PNS in Nyeri County. The study employed a descriptive survey design with a sample of 19 PNS. Data was collected through questionnaires for head teachers and preschool teachers and an interview with the District Centre for Early Childhood Education (DICECE) programme officer. The study found out that funding for OVC support compromised continuity of OVC, continuous staff development, staff motivation and allocation of funds to support structures such as feeding programmes and provision of bursary funds. To avert this crisis the study recommends that the Ministry of Education in Kenya, the Children’s Department and NGO’s should increase intersectoral linkages for more budgetary allocations to ECE. More so funds specifically earmarked for OVC support could mitigate challenges experienced by OVC in preschools.