With just hours remaining until schools reopen across the country, institutions are staring at a financial crisis, as the government has yet to release capitation funds critical for their operations.
The exit of 965,501 candidates who sat last year’s Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination, coupled with the absence of a Form One class this year, is expected to significantly dent the financial muscle of secondary schools. Primary schools are the greatest beneficiaries under the Competency Based Curriculum, CBC.
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Adding to the pressure is the long-standing reduction of Sh5,000 per student from the total capitation of Sh22,244 allocated for secondary school students. This cut has disrupted school operations for years.
Yesterday, the government said it was releasing Sh.48 billion for the first term capitation.
“The Ministry will disburse Kshs. 48,379,800,028.32, being 50 percent of the capitation due to schools this Academic Year.” A press release from the Ministry of Education reads in part.
Sh.4.1 billion will go to primary schools and Sh15.1 billion has been allocated to free day junior secondary and Sh28.9 billion to free day secondary schools.
This goes against early assurance in December by Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba that capitation funds would be disbursed before schools reopened in January.
The term one funds will account for 50% of the government school fees capitation. In Term Two,schools will receive 30 percent of the capitation, while the balance of 20% will be disbursed in Term Three.
Continue reading: Fees Structure Guidelines for Secondary schools 2025
In other related news, he pioneer cohort of the Competency-Based Curriculum will transit to Grade 9 this Term. This is a major milestone in the roll-out of this transformative curriculum.
To ensure seamless transition to Grade 9,the Government initiated the construction of 16,000 classrooms countrywide in four phases.The completion status thus far is at 93 percent.
In the few instances where part of the construction works have not been fully finalised, our field officers and heads of institutions are under instruction to effect temporary measures to ensure that all learners are accommodated. The measures will include using alternative spaces within the school and merging streams where class sizes allow.
In terms of learning resources,9,926,618 textbooks have been dispatched to schools countrywide. The distribution is expected to be complete by Monday,6th January,2025.
On teachers, the Government, through the Teachers Service Commission, has employed a total of 76,928 teachers. Of these, 56,928are on permanent and pensionable terms while 20,000 are intern teachers.
