Financial Management Practices and Access to Instructional Resources in Government-Aided Primary Schools in Northern Division in Mbale City

Abstract

The study investigated the effect of financial management practices on access to instructional resources in government-aided primary schools in Northern division in Mbale City. The main objective of the study was to examine the contribution of financial management practices on access to instructional resources in government-aided primary schools in Northern Division in Mbale City. The financial management practices include, access, directing and resource allocation. The study was guided by three specific objectives: To examine contribution resource allocation on access to instructional resources in government-aided primary schools in Northern Division in Mbale City. To assess the contribution of directing on access to instructional resources in government-aided primary schools in Northern Division in Mbale City. To establish the contribution of management control on access to instructional resources in government-aided primary schools in Northern Division in Mbale City. The study adopted a descriptive research design and a sample size of 105. The findings of the study for the first research objective revealed that indicates that resource allocation significantly impacts access to instructional resources in government-aided primary schools in the Northern Division of Mbale City, with an R Square value of .245 demonstrating that it accounts for 24.5% of the variance in resource availability. The statistically significant F Change statistic of 33.082 (p = .001) confirms the robustness of this effect. Despite this notable contribution, it is evident that a substantial portion of the variance, 75.5%, is influenced by factors beyond the scope of this model. The findings of the second research objective reveal that directing has a significant impact on access to instructional resources in government-aided primary schools in the Northern Division of Mbale City, with an R Square value of .332 indicating that directing accounts for 33.2% of the variance in resource availability. The statistically significant F Change statistic of 48.343 (p = .002) further supports the substantial role of directing in enhancing access to instructional materials. However, the remaining 66.8% of the variance is influenced by other factors not included in this model, showing the need for a broader examination of additional elements that may affect resource access. Finally, the findings of the third research objective reveal that management control significantly affects access to instructional resources in government-aided primary schools in the Northern Division of Mbale City, with an R Square value of .378, indicating that management control explains 37.8% of the variance in resource access. The strong correlation coefficient of .607 underscores the robust positive relationship between management control and resource availability. The statistically significant F Change statistic of 59.510 (p = .001) confirms the substantial contribution of management control to explaining variations in access to instructional resources. However, the adjusted R Square of .362 highlights that while management control plays a crucial role, other factors also significantly influence resource accessibility, suggesting the need for a comprehensive approach that considers additional variables to fully enhance resource management in these schools. The multiple regression analysis demonstrates that resource allocation, directing, and management control each significantly and positively influence access to instructional resources in government-aided primary schools in the Northern Division of Mbale City. The results reveal that resource allocation (Beta = .259), directing (Beta = .268), and management control (Beta = .317) all have substantial positive effects, with statistically significant p-values indicating robust associations with improved resource access. The model’s constant is also significant (p = .003), showing the overall validity of the findings. These results show the importance of effective resource allocation, strategic directing, and robust management control in enhancing access to instructional resources, suggesting that improvements in these areas could substantially benefit educational resource availability in these schools. The study recommends that Mbale City should create a detailed and strategic resource allocation plan that considers both current needs and future requirements.