KNUT demands that student capitation be paid out right away.

KNUT demands that student capitation be paid out right away.

For effective functioning, the Ministry of Education has been urged by the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) to promptly disburse capitation money to schools.

The union’s Secretary General, Hesbon Otieno, said in a speech on Sunday, April 27, that this would help the planned shift during the second term.

The SG says that the second term is when ninth graders will choose their senior secondary school courses, therefore sufficient financing is essential for a seamless transfer.

As a result, he advised the government to give the headship and any remaining balances from the first semester before classes start, not halfway through the term or at the conclusion.

“The ministry must release the 30 percent that is scheduled for release during the second term. It should be published in a timely manner before the start of classes, and any remaining balances from the first semester should be released so that the schools can start on a positive note as a result of the transfer, he stated.

“I realize that pupils are about to start selecting the routes they will take in grade 10. Schools must be prepared to make sure this procedure occurs quickly so that there are no delays or annoyances for the heads of institutions and the school administration.”

The first senior secondary pupils under the Competency-Based Education (CBE) program will be the current Grade 9 students, who will begin to concentrate in different pathways beginning in Grade 10.

According to the updated curriculum, there are three possible routes — Arts and Sports, Social Sciences, and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) — and each student is expected to choose no more than two.

Students will be started on their desired career paths through pathways that are based on both their aptitude and their preferences.
Nevertheless, this has run into difficulties since the ministry announced that mathematics, a compulsory topic in the 8-4-4 curriculum, would only be required for STEM students, which sparked a lot of opposition.

As a result of the demonstration, the ministry reversed the mandate and declared that students in the other two routes would also be taught some form of mathematics.
In order to make education more affordable, accessible, and relevant for students, the Competency-Based Curriculum was renamed to Competency-Based Education (CBE) on Friday, April 15, in an effort to simplify learning pathways.