Why early closures in public secondary schools
Why early closures in public secondary schools
Why early closures in public secondary schools
This week, a few public secondary schools might close in order to relieve the financial strain that the delayed distribution of capitation funds has placed on the institutions.
According to The Standard, a number of secondary schools will be sending their kids home this week due to severe financial difficulties.The term started on January 8, 2024, and the official closing date was scheduled for April 5, according to the updated school calendar.
According to Johnson Nzioka, National Chairman of the Kenya Primary Schools Association (Kepsha), maintaining school operations is becoming more challenging.
“We have been waiting for the money that was promised to be sent. Nzioka stated, “We required the funds to relieve the pressure from head teachers.
Some of the parents who spoke to The Standard acknowledged receiving messages from schools to pick their children.
“I have just received a message to pick my student from school before Easter holiday,” said a parent in Nairobi.
Early closure, according to Secretary-General of the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), indicates that the government has not followed through on its promise to provide funding to schools. Misori remarked, “It is sad that school managers have been punished to run schools without money and that the promises made by the ministry are all lies.”
According to him, principals won’t reopen schools until funding is received.
“We won’t permit educators to return to the classroom to control their stress levels. MPs need to set aside enough money to support both hiring new teachers and maintaining public schools,” Misori said.
Bellio Kipsang, the Basic Education PS, announced last Monday that the institutions will have access to the school capitation this week.
“We have released 25 per cent… in the next 10 days we should have released the resources,’’ Kipsang said.
PS spoke while appearing before the Public Accounts Committee of the National Assembly to reply 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 funds for primary and secondary schools respectively every year.
This money is supposed to be remitted termly using a 50: 30: 20 formulae.
In January, National Treasury released Sh31.34 billion in capitation ahead of schools’ reopening.
Out of this, Sh.4.74 billion was disbursed for free primary education, Sh7.6 billion for Junior Secondary Schools and Sh16.2 billion for free day secondary schools in the first term.
Government also released Sh2.8 billion to cater for school examination and invigilation costs.
However, the released funds were only a fraction of the money the government was to provide for capitation.
Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary-General Collins Oyuu said schools must close early because principals cannot feed the learners.
“There is only one option: to close schools. And this is because school heads cannot generate food to give learners. This is a big crisis that we must bite the bullet and make right decisions,” said Oyuu.
According to Misori, until the Sh54 billion in capitation debt owed to schools is settled, no classes will open for the second term.
