Many economists have highlighted the role that entrepreneurs
and entrepreneurship could
play in responses to poverty and social
instability on the continent. They argue in a great
majority that private
investment is the only way out of Africa's miasma and
1 (Available at
http://treesofhealing.org/?p=90).
underdevelopment and that the sector's economic potential and
social contribution needs to be re evaluated and given strong regulatory
support from African governments. It is suggested that in the perspective of
boosting the continent's development, investment should be done in the field of
agriculture, manufacturing, education, health care, telecommunication, and
infrastructure (Ayittey 2007).
However the prevailing investment environment in Africa seems
not to be encouraging enough and has been for ages now at the centre of many
observations (Ayittey 2007, Elkan 1988, Boettke 2007).
Back on the field of education, the existing literature that
investment is not a new phenomenon in Africa. Private schools did exist in
Africa long time ago and there has been a growing desire for more investment in
the field. This desire, as observed in the research has many motivations. The
case study of private schools in Kibera; where there is an incredible growing
number of populations, is just a picture of that desire for investment all over
the continent. However, critics as well governing bodies such as UNESCO and
OXFAM deplore that private schools entrepreneurs are geared towards profit
making and as such cannot claim to be offering quality service to the
population. The study of entrepreneurship in this case equally set out to
determine if this assertion in worthy of credibility.
1.6 Why mixed methods?
The case study approach in conducting the research in Kenya
required specific techniques of data collection. We thought that the study
would benefit from a mixed method in order to gather as much information as
possible from several angles, but equally to compare the results of the
investigations through the answers obtained with different techniques. Hence,
questionnaires, interviews, documentation were appropriately used at this
effect. Many
scholars such as Creswell (2003) have valued this scientific
approach especially in social sciences as it enables the researcher to perform
a triangulation with the data collected.
The integration of quantitative and qualitative methods for
this study therefore provides us with so many advantages. It enables us to
understand clearly the motivations behind entrepreneurs' investments in private
schools in Kibera which is a captivating point in appraising the mushrooming of
private schools in Africa. Further it gives a picture of what the investment
climate in most African countries actually look like. Finally with these mixed
methods, we are able to evaluate the satisfaction level of the beneficiary
people involved in the educational business.
Above all, this multi- strategy approach provides us with
general information concerning the contribution of private schools
entrepreneurs in educational provision in Africa. Using this approach, the
overall procedure warrants and conveys to us a sense of rigour of the research
itself and this is quite useful in clarifying the nature of our intentions or
accomplishments. (Bryman 2006:98)
