Ministry Holds Sh54 Billion Amid School Debt and Teacher Protests
Ministry Holds Sh54 Billion Amid School Debt and Teacher Protests. In recent times, shocking revelations have brought to light a grave funding deficit in secondary education. This situation involves the misappropriation of funds earmarked for public institutions, leaving us with a pressing concern. School administrators, those dedicated individuals working tirelessly to shape our students’ future, have been dealing with a challenging issue. Over the past five years, the National Treasury has chosen to retain billions of shillings intended for students’ capitation. Their reason? Financial constraints. This unfortunate decision has resulted in a substantial sum of nearly Sh5,000 being held back, causing our schools to miss out on the Sh22,244 meant to support each student over five long years.
Moreover, the Ministry of Education has consistently held on to around Sh1,979 per child, creating a significant shortfall in the annual budget for our public schools. This leaves our educational institutions with just Sh15,479 to cover their operational expenses. Adding to the complexity, schools are also required to allocate an additional Sh5,000 for infrastructure funding. The result? An average of only Sh10,479.37 per child for school operations.
Specifically
All these financial woes have placed secondary school administrators in a tough spot, and they’ve come together to claim that the government owes them a whopping Sh54 billion. It’s not just about numbers; it’s affecting the efficient functioning of our schools and creating difficulties for suppliers who rely on timely payments
Now, let’s delve into this further. These revelations come in the context of the Ministry’s previous announcement that it had successfully remitted all outstanding funds to schools. But just when it seemed like a happy ending, the Kenya Secondary Schools Heads (Kessha) submitted a petition to Parliament that paints a grim financial picture. Administrators have disclosed that the Ministry has been disbursing an average of just Sh17,458 per child over the past five years, revealing significant funding shortfalls.
The report also highlights that in 2019, the government failed to allocate Sh3,167,804,931 of the total capitation to secondary institutions. These funding disparities continued in subsequent years, piling up deficits and causing ongoing disputes between educational administrators and the government.
Part of the problem has been a shift in the disbursement strategy, moving from a school calendar model to a fiscal year formula. This transition has only made funding disparities worse. In recent fiscal years, schools have been facing significant deficits, with an average withholding of Sh5,000 per student.
Subsequently
So, the total value of the report, as submitted by secondary school directors, is a jaw-dropping Sh54.2 billion. The Ministry of Education currently reimburses schools with just Sh15,479 per student, retaining Sh1,978 per pupil to cover various expenses. On top of that, schools receive an additional Sh5,000 per student for infrastructure development, which leaves them with a mere Sh10,479.37 per child for daily operational expenses.
Education Minister Ezekiel Machogu has acknowledged the funding challenges, pointing to a fixed allocation despite a growing student population. He has also raised concerns that the situation could worsen with an anticipated increase in enrollments. The current budget simply falls short of the approved Sh22,240 per student, creating a substantial funding gap.
This disclosure of the public school financing crisis comes on the heels of a public dispute between secondary school administrators, the Ministry, and teachers’ unions. These financial hardships have led schools to let go of educators supported by their boards of management, resulting in a decline in the quality of education. The petition states, ‘Due to financial constraints, a number of schools are unable to provide the necessary resources for conducting practical lessons, particularly in the sciences.’
To conclude
Additionally, they argue that insufficient funding has limited students’ access to clubs, athletics, the arts, modern agriculture, and other activities that enrich their academic experiences and offer career prospects in those fields.
In response to these challenges, school administrators are now calling for a change. They are urging a lifting of the directive that withholds infrastructure funds from capitation. They are also requesting a capitation assessment every three years to account for inflation, a review of boarding and dining fees to consider inflation, and measures to ensure that secondary school students with outstanding fees make the required payments. The petition also argues that the Ministry of Education should provide guidance on how to handle situations in which Form 4 students leave with unpaid fee balances, given that the current practice prohibits withholding Form 4 certificates as a means to ensure fee collection.