Public schools yet to receive free education cash
Teacher Charity Mutahi conducts a lesson at King’ong’o Primary School in Nyeri County on August 29, 2017. Public primary and secondary schools are facing a cash crisis that is nearly grinding operations in the institutions to a halt. PHOTO | JOSEPH KANYI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
On Wednesday evening, Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang said Sh6.64 billion has been earmarked to benefit 2.5 million students in 8,526 public secondary schools.
Dr Kipsang said the government had fully paid for the free primary and free day secondary schools education for second term and third term.
- Earlier, headteachers said they had not been able to pay suppliers, non-teaching staff and teachers employed by boards of management.
Public primary and secondary schools are facing a cash crisis that is nearly grinding operations in the institutions to a halt.
The cash is for supporting the free primary and secondary education.
However, the Education ministry said it had released Sh8.68 billion.
On Wednesday evening, Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang said Sh6.64 billion has been earmarked to benefit 2.5 million students in 8,526 public secondary schools.
The remaining Sh2 billion will benefit 8.9 million learners in 22,262 primary schools under the Free Primary Education programme.
SPECIAL SCHOOLS
Dr Kipsang said the government had fully paid for the free primary and free day secondary schools education for second term and third term.
A further Sh226,499,371 is said to have been disbursed to primary schools under the Special Primary Schools and Units grants.
“The funds will cater for children with Special Education Needs (SNE) in special and integrated primary schools. Some Sh200 million has also been sent to low cost boarding schools in arid and semi-arid regions in the country,” the PS said.
However, school heads said the money was yet to reflect in their accounts.
Earlier, headteachers who spoke to Nation said they had not been able to pay suppliers, non-teaching staff and teachers employed by boards of management.
PAY SUPPLIERS
A teacher at a special school in western Kenya said he had lost control over his staff since he has not paid them since July.
“Suppliers are now avoiding us since they do not trust us any more yet we have to get food to feed students in school,” said the teacher.
Another principal in Nairobi said the worst challenge they were facing was being unable to pay suppliers and feed students in addition to facing constant harassment from suppliers and non-teaching staff.
Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association and Special Schools Heads Association of Kenya had asked the government to get its act together and release the funds on time.
The headteachers complained of finding it hard to manage students in schools as they have to evade suppliers, non-teaching staff and teachers employed by boards of management.
Schools have about four weeks before they are officially closed to pave the way for the national examinations and the repeat presidential election.
