The Ministry of Education has moved to take full control of all schools’ sporting activities, next year. In a latest circular by the Ministry’s Principal Secretary, Dr. Belio R. Kipsang, budgeting and coordination of all schools’ games activities shall be controlled by Ad hock committees to be constituted at Sub county, County and Regional Levels.
Currently, Coordination of Co-curricular activities is done by, mostly, the elected sports committees at each level spearheaded by the Chairperson (Who must be a principal) and a Secretary (Who is an elected teacher and acts as the championship’s chief Coordinator). The committees have other members, thus: the Vice Chairperson (a Principal), the treasurer (a Principal), the Vice treasurer (a Principal), the Vice Secretary ( A teacher), among other members as directed by the Ministry of education.
In the Circular, the Ministry now directs formation of new committees to run the games activities; effective 2019. The current sports secretaries have been left out as their responsibilities have now been passed to an Education officer or a Quality Assurance officer who shall be appointed by either the Sub County Director of Education (SCDE), County Director of education (CDE) and the Regional Coordinator of Education (RCE) for Sub- County, County and Regional Committees respectively.
“For purposes of accountability and transparency in the management of Co-curricular activities, there shall be established the following management committees at the Sub- County, County and Regional Levels: Co-curricular Activities Sub- County Committee, Co-curricular Activities County Committee and Co-curricular Activities Regional Committee,” says Dr. Kipsang in the circular.
According to the Ministry, the committees will have:
- One member from Kenya Primary schools Heads Association (KEPSHA),
- One member from the Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (KESSHA),
- The Education Director at each level; who shall be the chair to the Committee,
- The Quality Assurance and Standards Officer,
- Chairmen of the various (Current) Co-curricular activities (Committees),
- The Teachers Service Commission, TSC, Director or his/ her representative at each level,
- One member from the Kenya Private Schools Association (KPSA),
- One representative from Special Needs Education (SNE) and
- The Secretary to the committee; who shall be an Education officer or the Quality Assurance Officer.
This new directive will affect all the Co- curricular activities that are funded by the Ministry of Education; Primary schools games and sports, Secondary Schools games and sports, Special needs Education secondary schools games and sports, Special needs Education primary schools games and sports, Music festival, Drama Festival and the Science & Engineering Fair.
NEW COMMITTEES TO TAKE FULL CONTROL OF BUDGET MAKING
According to Dr. Kipsang, the committees will be tasked with the budgeting for funds released by the Ministry of Education, Programming (Preparing Championship programmes), Coordination of activities among other responsibilities.
In budgeting, the committees shall plan for:
- Travel, accommodation and subsistence of all students, participants, at all levels,
- Acquisition of trophies, certificates and other awards at the respective level,
- Maintenance of security and health issues during the activities at the particular level,
- Identification of the hosting venues,
- Transportation of teams to the next level and
- Facilitation of their officials ( who include: team managers, chaperons, drivers, executive committee members) while accompanying their teams to the next level. The list of officials to be facilitated does not include coaches, though.
