School heads to be grilled over usage of funds
School heads to be grilled over usage of funds
School heads to be grilled over usage of funds
According to Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu, school administrators will soon appear before parliamentary committees to respond to questions regarding funding for their institutions.
According to Machogu, schools have been categorized by the government and are now a unit accountable to Parliament.
“My friends, the world is evolving. Since secondary schools are now considered audit units, Machogu would no longer be responding to inquiries on your behalf, he stated.
He explained that, in contrast to the current situation when the Education Cabinet Secretary (CS) or Principal Secretary (PS) respond to questions on their behalf, legislative committees will invite the principals to respond.
Headteachers were forewarned by the CS not to impose unapproved levies illegally, as they would suffer severe repercussions should the parliamentary committee choose to call them in.
Speaking at the conclusion of the Secondary School Heads conference in Mombasa, Machogu was surrounded by eight thousand Kenya Secondary School Head Teachers Association (KESSHA) members.
The CS also warned head teachers against withholding National Examination Council Certificates for students who had sat for such examinations.
He advised the principals to follow government guidelines, outlawing withholding the national examination certificate for students over unpaid school fees.
“National Examination Council Certificates are not to be withheld by schools for any reason, including non-payment of fees. I wish to take this opportunity to reiterate these policy and legal requirements and to urge you to enforce them strictly,” said Machogu.
He warned the head teachers against introducing illegal levies for students against government policy.
“We have prescribed the maximum allowable fees that each level of school can charge,” Machogu stated.
Before the year is up, he promised to present to Parliament a thorough analysis of the education sector’s legal and policy Bill, which has caused significant trepidation in the field since independence.
“We have finalised the draft session paper and 13 Bills through which we seek to implement the recommendation of Presidential working party reform submitted to Parliament before the end of this year,” Machogu stated.
According to him, among the changes are the following: the 2023 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exam will be calculated using the mean score for English, Kiswahili, or sign language mathematics, together with five other disciplines.
According to the CS, the new system raised the entrance standards and observed an improvement in the KCSE exam results from the previous year.
He said senior secondary schools will have three pathways under CBC Science Technology Engineering, Mathematics (STEM), Social Science, Arts, and Sports Science.
The 47th National Kenya Secondary School Association (KESSHA) principals stated that KNEC ought to operate on its own and take accountability for exam cheating.
To prevent government meddling, the principles suggested that the Kenya National Examination Council maintain its independence.
