All public primary and secondary schools may end the second term earlier than usual should the government fail to disburse capitation funds on time.
School heads claim that the government did not disburse the full capitation amount to schools in the 2023/24 financial year and that the institutions are owed about Sh5,000 per learner in unremitted capitation funds.
Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Associations Chairman Indimuli Kahi said schools risk losing out on these portions of government funding for free primary education and free day secondary education for a second year in a row.
“We did not receive the full capitation amount in the 2021/22 financial year, and we are yet to receive the full amount of the current 2022/23 financial year. We are in a very delicate situation where schools are headed for the end-of-term exams, which need some financing; we also need to pay the non-teaching staff,” said Indimuli.
The government gives each student in high school Sh22,244 as capitation per year and Sh1,420 for each pupil in primary school. The school heads, however, says this allocation is neither paid in full nor on time hence affecting schools operations.
Indimuli added that these funds should have been deposited before the end of the term. The Ministry of Education calendar for the 2023 academic year shows that learners will break for the second term holiday on August 12, 2023, for a period of two weeks up to August 27, 2023.
Parents To Pay More Fees as School Heads Propose Funds Increment
Johnson Nzioka, the Kenya Primary Schools Heads Association chairman, said schools are struggling to meet their day-to-day operations due to the underfunding, and this will lead to an earlier closure.
“One way to avert a crisis will be closing early, to save on some days that we otherwise don’t have funds to meet operations,” he said.
Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Mochogu last month said all school funding would be better catered for this year, given the huge education fund allocated by the Treasury.
Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndung’u proposed to the National Assembly to effect the budget allocation of Sh628.6 billion to the education sector to improve educational outcomes.
On his part, Basic Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang said that all the money had been sent to schools, but according to Nzioka, schools are receiving funds meant for the first term.
