Basic education is being starved as a result of government budget cuts to free education and increases to TVETs.
Despite requests for increased funding from stakeholders, the National Treasury kept nearly the same amount of money allotted for capitation to students in primary, junior, and secondary schools, which is likely to contribute to the ongoing financial issues plaguing the basic education sector.
While there has been some adjustment to the funding allotted to students in the three sub-sectors, overall changes have been negligible in comparison to the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and the Technical and Vocational Educational and Training (TVET) sector, which seem to be the largest beneficiaries according to the 2024 Printed Budget Estimates.
For the current fiscal year, the total capitation for students enrolled in basic education is Sh103.4 billion. The proposed budget includes a little increase of Sh103.7 billion.
The budget for the Free Day Secondary Education (FDSE) program is Sh63.9 billion, down from Sh65.4 billion, and the Free Primary Education (FPE) program is allocated Sh9.12 billion, down from Sh12.5 billion in the current fiscal year.
The junior secondary school (JSS), the newest part of basic education, is the only one to benefit from an increase from Sh25.5 billion to Sh30.7 billion from the previous year.
Since Grades 7 and 8 are now in JSS, primary school education has been reduced to two classes, and secondary school education has lost one class to JSS. This is the rationale behind the elimination of the FPE and FDSE.
Since primary schools host the JSS, which will have three classes starting in the next school year, they will receive extra funding.
Every pupil in FPE is entitled to Sh1,420; in JSS, they receive Sh15,042, and in FPE, they receive Sh22,244.
On September 29, 2022, students at Mboto Sunrise Primary School complete their Competency-Based Curriculum work under a tree.
However, less money actually makes it to the schools because of insufficient funding. The money is frequently not disbursed on time, which causes the institutions to owe suppliers of products and services.
In order to reflect the current state of the economy, the Kenya Primary Schools Heads Association, Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association, and Teachers Unions have previously urged for greater and timely capitation.
The government has budgeted Sh2.8 billion for elementary, secondary, and JSS infrastructure, down from Sh6 billion in the current budget, as it prepares to implement Grade 9, the final class of JSS.
The National Assembly’s pertinent departmental committees will now process the printed estimates, which are derived from the Budget Policy Statement. The committees have the authority to recommend changes to the Budget Appropriations Committee on the industries they oversee.
After receiving a substantial increase in funding from the previous Sh316.7 billion to Sh352.5 billion, the TSC now controls a large portion of the education sector budget.
Amidst demands for advancements from thousands of tutors who have remained in the same job groups, the government has committed to hiring 20,000 new teachers.
According to published forecasts, the TVET industry has made significant progress, with its allocation expected to increase from Sh0.98 billion to Sh20.1 billion. A further Sh7.7 billion will go toward TVET student capitation and scholarships, an increase of Sh2.5 billion, and Sh2.3 billion would go into building and outfitting Technical Training Institutes.
The Sh22.1 billion in scholarships designated for university and TVET students under the higher education finance model would also assist TVET students. Only those students who begin their first and second years of study in September are eligible for this.
The Universities Fund will oversee the scholarships, which will be given to students depending on their need following an assessment conducted with the Means Testing Instrument.
The current budget for university education is Sh63.8 billion, a decrease from Sh97.5 billion. Capitulation is a part of this.
The Higher Education Loans Board has increased its allotment to Sh32.9 billion from Sh30.3 billion. Student loans are financed by the funds based on need.
The budget for research, science, technology, and innovation has increased to Sh1.05 billion from Sh0.749.
Basic education is being starved as a result of government budget cuts to free education and increases to TVETs.
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