Secondary Schools Face Financial Crisis Amid Sh11 Billion Funding Dispute.
Secondary schools across Kenya are at risk of losing up to Sh11 billion meant for their operations due to a prolonged financial crisis. This situation arises as school headteachers and the Ministry of Education hold conflicting views on the financial status of the schools.
Last week, headteachers raised concerns that the Ministry had not only delayed the release of second-term funds but also failed to provide the full funding allocated for the first term, leading to arrears totaling about Sh11 billion. However, on Thursday, Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu disputed these claims, stating that both primary and secondary schools had already received their full capitation for the first term.
“No school is closing down because the 50 percent capitation has been given to each secondary school and all our primary schools,” Machogu asserted.
The government allocates Sh22,244 annually for every student in public secondary schools. The government distributes this amount in three tranches: 50 percent in the first term, 30 percent in the second term, and the remaining 20 percent in the third term. According to headteachers, the first term’s allocation was less than the expected 50 percent. They claim that instead of receiving Sh11,000 per student, they only received Sh8,319.68, leaving a shortfall of Sh2,802.32 per student.
A document by the Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (KESSHA) titled “Free Secondary Education Capitation, 2024” supports this claim, indicating that the Ministry released only Sh8,319.68 per student for the first term. The document states, “Therefore, a balance of Sh2,802.32 is still owing.”
CS Machogu, however, clarified that the funds to be released next are the 30 percent meant for the second term. This suggests that the institutions might permanently lose the Sh2,802 per student, amounting to Sh11 billion across the 4.1 million learners in public secondary schools.
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“So what we are going to distribute this particular month is another 30 percent for the second term,” Machogu said during the launch of the fourth National Education Sector Strategic Plan at the Kenya School of Government. This plan aims to guide the Ministry in providing access, equity, and quality education and training over the next five years, with a requirement of over Sh4 trillion for funding the education sector.
The issue of underfunding in secondary schools has persisted over the past five years. In December last year, a petition to the National Assembly Committee on Education highlighted that secondary schools owe Sh54 billion in capitation arrears accumulated between 2018 and 2023.
In March, Basic Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang admitted that the Ministry had reduced the capitation per learner for free secondary school education from Sh22,244 to Sh17,000. This reduction means that schools are receiving Sh5,000 less per student, a cut attributed to the rising student population while the budget remained fixed at Sh65 billion. Kipsang disclosed this information before the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee.
The financial shortfall has left secondary schools in a precarious position, potentially disrupting operations and impacting the quality of education. As the Ministry and school heads continue to differ on the disbursement of funds, the future of secondary education funding in Kenya remains uncertain. The resolution of this dispute is crucial to ensuring the stability and efficiency of secondary schools across the nation.
Secondary Schools Face Financial Crisis Amid Sh11 Billion Funding Dispute.
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