Cost-Sharing and Students’ Affordability at Selected Public Colleges of Education

Zulu, Betty (2016) Cost-Sharing and Students’ Affordability at Selected Public Colleges of Education. Masters thesis, University of Zambia.

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Abstract

The study investigated Cost-Sharing at Public Colleges of Education as a mechanism being implemented to respond to diminishing government funds. Specifically, the study sought to establish the extent to which sources of funds contributed to colleges’ budgets and students’ affordability in the era of Cost-sharing and reduced government funding. An Embedded mixed method design in which qualitative data played a supplementary role to quantitative data was used where questionnaires and document analysis were used for quantitative data while qualitative methods used semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and observations. Quantitative data were analysed using SPSS through which Statistical Tables, Means, Standard Deviations, Charts, Chi-square Tests and Tests of Correlations were generated. Qualitative data were analysed in line with quantitative data. The study comprised 248 respondents; two principals, two accountants, eleven heads of departments, 27 lecturers and 205 students from two Colleges and one planner from Ministry of General Education. Purposive sampling was used to select respondents under qualitative data and stratified random sampling was used for quantitative data. Meanwhile, convenient sampling was used to select two public colleges in the Copperbelt Province. The key findings of the study indicated that user fees contributed more to institutional budgets ranging from 45% to 88% than government grants ranging from 12% to 46%.There was no direct donor contribution towards colleges’ budgets for the years considered except the NIF III Fund that was received in 2010. Furthermore, 70.73% of student and 63% of lecturer respondents indicated that user fees were not affordable for the majority of students at the two colleges. The study established that 59% of the students’ respondents had faced difficulties in paying user fees promptly and 81.5% had similar challenges in financing for their living expenses. Poor socio-economic status especially low income levels were major constraints on students’ affordability. The findings further indicated that the funding mechanism at the two public colleges was not sustainable since user fees were the major source of income. It was further established that the two colleges raised funds mainly through parallel and distance education programmes to supplement government grants and user fees. Finally, the study established that cost-sharing could be made sustainable if various stakeholders came on board to bail out tertiary institutions. The challenge of affordability and financial austerity has been compounded by the lack of financial aid to students at public colleges. Therefore, students’ affordability and financial sustainability can be realised if there is a reform to the tertiary education financing framework that is backed by sustained political will coupled with sustainable resources. The study made the following recommendations to government that it should consider: introducing a funding formula based on unit cost, extending financial assistance to needy students in form of students’ loans to public colleges and it should prioritise funding to capital projects and equity concerns. Further research should examine government funding modalities towards public colleges in Zambia.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Subjects:	L Education > LC Special aspects of education > LC5201 Education extension. Adult education. Continuing education
Divisions:	Africana
Depositing User:	Geoffrey Obatsa
Date Deposited:	14 Dec 2018 11:50
Last Modified:	14 Dec 2018 11:50
URI:	http://thesisbank.jhia.ac.ke/id/eprint/8644

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