Secondary school heads lament delayed disbursement of funds

Secondary school heads across the country are raising fears that some core activities in the school calendars are bound to be adversely affected by delays in the release of capitation funds by the government.

In a meeting in Mombasa on Wednesday, the school heads challenged the government to increase the allocation per child to match the changing economic realities. 

“We don't even get 100% of the Ksh.22,000, there was a balance of Ksh.4,000 last year, this year we have received Ksh.17,000, and we need the balance,” Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (KESSHA) Chairperson Indimuli Kahi said.

The annual gathering of heads of secondary schools came on the back of challenges currently facing the education sector, especially, in matters of money.

Public secondary schools bear the brunt of delayed funds disbursements; the government gives each student in high school Ksh.22,444 as capitation, but school heads say this allocation is not enough, and that is also comes late and is not paid in full.

The schools insist that the delay in disbursement and the payment of fees by the parents is taking a toll on not just learning in schools but other attendant activities, such as sports, drama and arts.

The government is under pressure to not only release the funds in full and on time but to also increase the capitation per child.

“We propose that the Ministry of Education considers increasing the capitation from the current figure of Ksh.22, 244 we had proposed last year to Ksh.30,000,” Kahi added.

The school administrators said the increase will help them adjust their budgets that have been affected by the increase in the cost of living in the recent past.

“For sub-county schools, for example, we must provide lunch, we have to buy maize and maize has gone up, we have to buy beans and a 2kg tin is Ksh.500...for some of us who provide rice, a kilo of rice has gone up,” Janet Moraa, a head teacher, said.

The ministry on the other hand said the issue of funding for not just secondary education but the entire sector will be better handled, particularly since the government has allocated more funds this financial year, from 25 per cent of the budget to 29 per cent, with Ksh.628 billion set aside.

Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu assured them that the government has allocated sufficient funds to this financial year's plans.

The CS also said that the formula for the release of the funds will be rationalised this year

“We want to get back from the quarterly system that is current, to the 50, 30, 20 this year,” he said.

Machogu also wants the schools to be prudent in the management of the funds and stretch that shilling in order to mitigate the high cost of commodities

The CS and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) also told the head teachers of plans to hire more teachers this financial year.