Abstract:
Funding in secondary education continues to be a problem globally, Zimbabwe included. Funding in secondary schools is mainly by the state and various stakeholders though the challenge of inadequate funding still persists. Amongst the remedies for inadequate funding, was entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship is regarded as the key pillar to availability of funding in secondary education. Furthermore, entrepreneurship in education is beheld as The primary focus of the study was to assess the main sources of funding in secondary schools; assess the impact of inadequate financial resources in financing secondary schools; analyze the role of entrepreneurship in financing secondary schools and to evaluate sustainable ways that schools can adopt to minimize inadequate financial resources. The study was based on the human capital theory and the theory of innovation. The study adopted a pragmatist philosophy and a mixed approach. Convenience sampling was used to select the sample of 80 heads of secondary schools for quantitative data. For qualitative data, 10 SDC cluster chairpersons in Hurungwe District were used. A structured open and close-ended questionnaire and an interview guide were used to collect data. The analysis of the data was done using descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS software as well as the thematic approach for quantitative data analysis. The findings from the study show that, major causes of inadequate funding include the negative economic conditions in the country affecting parents’ income levels and the decline in donor funding which has been experienced in recent years. Major sources of funding include government funding and parents’ levies. Very few schools were engaging in entrepreneurial activities and furthermore, those schools that are not engaging in entrepreneurial activities have major challenges in meeting most of their obligations as they rely mainly on the traditional means or ways of funding in secondary education. With these findings the objectives of the study were addressed. The recommendations made to address the objectives of the study include that; current funding mechanisms to be improved and schools to adopt and maintain entrepreneurship activities in secondary schools to improve funding
and thus meet their mandates or objectives stimulating entrepreneurial activity, enabling people to identify opportunities and start new business ventures.
