Schools to close early due to financial crisis
Schools to close early due to financial crisis
It is already becoming apparent that schools are choosing to close early in order to conclude Term One due to financial constraints, even as concerns about the scope of the curriculum are raised.
According to The Standard, a number of secondary schools will start to close this week as they struggle with financial difficulties.
The revised education calendar shows that First Term began on January 8, 2024 and closing date was set for April 5, 2024.
This means schools are expected to close next week Friday marking 13 weeks of learning.
However, with early closure, some schools have lost up to two weeks of learning time which could see a rush against time for the students as teachers try to cover the syllabus.
Naivasha Girls Secondary School which was initially set to close on April 4 reviewed the closing date and learners are now set to break for holidays on March 28.
“There was a board meeting last week that resolved the school be closed this week as part of cost-cutting measures after the government delayed disbursement of funds,” a teacher at Naivasha Girls who sought anonymity told The Standard.
The students will also get an extended holiday that will stretch for a whole month as they are set to report back for the second term on April 24.
This means the holiday period will now run for four weeks rather than the scheduled three weeks by the Ministry of Education.
A further spot check by The Standard shows that most schools within Nairobi are planning to release the students before Good Friday. This will be the case for Huruma Girls Secondary School and Jamhuri High School.
Headteachers hinted that the government’s refusal to issue capitation was the cause of the financial problem, which has made it difficult for the majority of schools to maintain their daily operations.
Principals stated that some parents’ failure to pay their children’s fees is making the problem worse. The National Treasury disclosed the Term One capitation of Sh31.34 billion in January. Free elementary education received Sh4.74 billion of this, junior secondary schools received Sh7.6 billion, and free day secondary schools received Sh16.2 billion.
The government also released Sh2.8 billion to cater for school examination and invigilation costs.However, this was only a fraction of the capitation the government was supposed to disburse.
Last week Basic Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang assured that the capitation will disbursed to the institutions this week.
“We have released 25 per cent… in the next 10 days we should have released the resources,” he said while appearing before the National Assembly Public Accounts Committee to respond to audit queries.
Under free primary education and free day secondary education policies, the government sets aside Sh1,420 and Sh22,244 for each learner as capitation for primary and secondary schools respectively every year.
This money is supposed to be remitted termly using a 50: 30: 20 formulae.Teachers unions have in the last two weeks raised concern over the dire situation in schools. Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) was first to register the distress in schools over cash crunch.
Collins Oyuu, Knut Secretary General, issued a warning that the delayed release of money for this year’s Free Primary and Secondary Education could cause school programs to come to an abrupt end.
At a time when some head teachers have expressed dissatisfaction about the financing situation, claiming that it is impeding smooth operations, the union urged that capitation money be disbursed immediately in order to prevent a crisis in educational institutions.
Akelo Misori, secretary general of the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Teachers (Kuppet), voiced concern that if the Sh54 billion in outstanding capitation is not given, schools could not open for the second term.
“We will not be opening schools for the upcoming term,” Misori declared last week at a Nairobi press conference.
The unionists were also against the Ministry of Education’s recent budget cuts, especially the decrease in secondary school capitation from Sh22,224 to Sh 17,000 per student.
According to Misori, the institutions have been severely damaged by the knock-on consequences, making it difficult to pay for non-teaching staff, utilities, and educational supplies.
The regional office for Kuppet Nyeri issued a warning last week regarding the potential for early school closure due to the government’s delayed capitation payment.
Francis Wanjohi, the union’s county executive secretary, stated that head teachers were facing difficulties paying for school operations because the government had only paid out 25% of the monies for First Term, compared to the anticipated 50%.
Regretfully, the Ministry of Education has only paid out half of the capitation funds this term. Since they cannot afford to purchase necessities to maintain students at their schools, this has put a great deal of stress on principals, according to Wanjohi.
