Trends in Government Bursary Allocation and Students’ Access to Public Vocational Training Centres in Bungoma County, Kenya

Abstract

The county governments have been spending a lot of money on public Vocational Training Centers (VTCs) trainees in form of bursary to promote equity in access and quality education. It is on this basis that the objective of this paper was to establish the trends in County Government Bursary (CGB) allocation and students’ access to public VTCs in Bungoma County for the period 2014 to 2019. Descriptive research design was adopted. The study was guided by socialist economy and the principle of demand and supply theories. The study used sample size of 48 managers and 358 VTCs trainees. The study used stratified proportionate sampling technique. Data was then collected using questionnaires and document analysis. A reliability of 0.75 was established through test-retest method. It was established that although the trends of the County Government Bursary allocation and access to Bungoma County VTCs fluctuated, there was steady rise in both variables. The study recommends diversification of courses and funding in VTC in line with the ever-changing technological world and market demand to promote increase in students’ access over the years.