Govt releases Sh21b for free schooling

The government has released Sh21.5 billion for free primary and secondary education programmes in public and secondary schools.

Director of Secondary and Tertiary Education Robert Masese has said out of this amount, Sh15.2 billion has been earmarked to benefit 2,354,786 students in 8,041 secondary schools.

The remaining Sh.6.6 billion will benefit 8,933, 038 pupils in 21,745 public primary schools.

According to the government's schedule, 50 per cent of the capitation is usually sent out in January.

Second term allocation is 30 per cent which is sent out before schools open in April. The rest — 20 per cent — is supposed to be released in August for the third term.

The government funds each secondary student Sh12, 870 annually and Sh1,420 for every pupil in public primary schools.

TUITION EXPENSES

The money is meant meet tuition and operations expenses the schools incur while providing education services to learners in basic education institutions.

Secondary and Tertiary Education boss has said all the schools must acknowledge the funds received by issuing school official receipts for both tuition and operation accounts to the Principal Secretary for Education with copies to their respective county and sub-county directors of education.

“These must be received within two weeks of receipt of the grants, failure to which further release of the grants to such schools will be suspended,” said Mr Masese

The circular further states that individual students’ should sign form lists showing the amount awarded and the list be attached to the payment vouchers kept in the school as per procedure and every student issued with a school receipt for the allocation.