JSS Crisis Gets Worse as Treasury Cuts Education Spending.
After the National Treasury cut funding intended for school nutrition programs and junior secondary schools (JSS), students are facing a crisis.
Members of the education committee, which is led by Tinderet MP Julius Melly, were taken aback when they discovered that the Treasury had drastically cut JSS’s capitation, impacting almost one million students, by a staggering Sh15.4 billion.
The MPs were also informed that the school food program’s whole Sh4.9 billion budget had been eliminated, endangering the lives of 4.5 students who depend on school meals to continue their education.
The JSS budget cut is the most recent blow to an industry already crippled by the teachers’ strike.
After the lengthy Easter break, junior secondary teachers staged protests across the nation on Monday against the Teachers Service Commission’s (TSC) unwillingness to hire them on a permanent and pensionable basis.
The intern instructors pledged to avoid schools in an effort to stifle educational activity and accused TSC of disobeying a court order directing it to hire them.
They highlighted a decision by the Employment and Labour Relations Court that, despite the court granting the TSC a grace time to comply, invalidated the internship status for trained, registered, and licensed teachers.
The intern teachers were led by John Melvin in a demonstration that took place from the Green Park Bus Terminus to the TSC offices located on Capitol Hill. Melvin stated that these protests would take place every week until the government responded to their requests.
“We urge all parents to make prior academic arrangements for their sons and daughters as junior secondary school teachers will be absent from school as we look forward to resume learning in the second term of 2024,” Melvin stated.
They insisted that if the government did not set aside money, no junior secondary school teacher would be required to report to work during the third term of 2024. They wanted all intern JSS teachers to be hired on permanent, pensionable terms of service beginning in June 2024.
In a further gesture of good faith, they demand that the government pay them immediately for the services they provided over the previous year under illegitimate internship contracts.
“We are on our own and responsible for implementing the Competency Based Curriculum, but the unions and parents have abandoned us. Melvin stated, “This precedent set by the Teachers Service Commission and the Ministry of Education emboldens unscrupulous employers to expose Kenyans to harsh and exploitative labor practices both domestically and internationally.
12,672 students with special needs are also impacted because the budget did not account for Sh453 million for them. The students are entitled to boarding at a cost of Sh35,730 per pupil.
During his appearance before the committee, Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang expressed worries that since children’s access to free education is no longer guaranteed, their lives were in danger.
“We are requesting this money because, if we do not get it, issues of equity and treating our children equally everywhere will be compromised,” the PS stated.
program for feeding
“If we encompass the school feeding program, we encompass Article 53 of the Constitution,” he continued. Since this home alone is responsible for creating the budget, I kindly ask that we be granted our money back.
All children have the right to be shielded from maltreatment, neglect, damaging cultural customs, and all types of violence, according to Article 53 of the CoK.
The PS expressed disappointment in his report to the committee for the underfunding of the following areas in the 2024–2025 fiscal year: free primary education, free junior secondary education, free day secondary education, and school examination and invigilation area.
PS Kipsang expressed concern over the fact that the recurrent budget had been cut by Sh7 billion, including the Sh4.9 billion school feeding program, Sh1.5 billion under the capitation of Free Day Secondary Education, Sh1.2 billion under the capitation of Free Primary Education, and Sh347 million under Operations and Maintenance, in addition to the Sh15.4 billion designated for JSS.
He clarified on JSS that while they have been allotted Sh30.66 billion, the entire amount needed is Sh46. 1 billion.
A rise in enrollment
According to him, the funds will support an increase in enrollment from 2170 429 students between July and December 2024 to 3,289,450 students from January to June 2025.
Regarding funding for special education in junior school, Kipsang expressed worry that the budget did not include Sh453 million to support 12,672 students who would be eligible for boarding at a rate of Sh35,730.
He expressed sadness that there is a funding gap of Sh621 million because the JSS has only received Sh2.8 billion of the Sh3.4 billion needed to build learning resource centers and classrooms for Grade 9.
“More learners will be facilitated at the rate of Sh15,042,” he declared. To cover all students, there is still a Sh15.449 billion shortfall.
Kipsang expressed sadness over the Sh12.7 billion financial deficit they had for secondary education during Free Day, noting that they were only given Sh63.9 billion, whereas Sh76.7 billion is needed.
He stated in his submission that 4,253,155 students are anticipated to enroll in free day secondary school between July and December 2024, with enrollment dropping to 3,244, 325 students between January and June 2025.
He clarified that the cost per learner is Sh22,224, but the drop in learners is due to having form 2, 3, and 4 alone as there won’t be any students joining form 1 in January 2025.
He expressed sadness for the Sh586 million financing gap in senior school special needs education, noting that only Sh200 million, or 5,597 students at the rate of Sh25,730 out of the 21,999 qualified students, has been provided, leaving a need of Sh786 million.
“Every learner will receive about Sh18,757 only if they are facilitated with capitation against the proposed budget of Sh63.886 billion in the financial year 2024/25,” he stated.
On the other hand, 1,381,100 students will not be supported in Term 111 of the 2024 academic year, and 372,270 students would not be funded in Terms 1 and 11 of the 2025 academic year, if learners are to get full capitation of Sh22,244 as per the existing policy.
He expressed regret that they were only given Sh30.7 billion of the Sh46.1 billion needed for the school exams invigilation costs, leaving them with a funding imbalance of Sh15.9 billion.
He claimed that the amount allotted would not cover the required Sh8.8 billion, which would not cover the costs of all administrative expenses, including the payment of examiners and invigilators.
JSS Crisis Gets Worse as Treasury Cuts Education Spending.
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