Release capitation to schools before May 6.
Finally giving in to pressure, the Ministry of Education moved the date of the school reopening to May 6, 2024. Ezekiel Machogu, the cabinet secretary for education, issued an order Tuesday morning that is both tardy and reactionary.
After floodwaters wrecked certain schools, parents, educators, and leaders had long voiced the alarm, but the ministry chose not to pay attention.
While Machogu was delaying the reopening of educational institutions, some pupils from distant regions had already left for school.
When they arrived at their schools, they might have discovered that they were closed, and even if they had been accepted, the schools might not have had the funds or a plan for them for the entire week.
The Ministry of Education had not yet paid the institutions’ capitation even though classes were scheduled to resume yesterday.
As the majority of schools had to close early owing to budgetary limitations brought on by a lack of government financing, one would have thought that the matter would be resolved over the April break.
It is questionable if the ministry’s bureaucrats have any knowledge of effective planning and smooth implementation of the same.
More than Sh87 billion is still owed to schools by the government for the fiscal years 2022–2023 and 2023–2024. School administrators are placed in an unpleasant situation when the second tranche of capitation, which is due this term, is delayed.
Each learner is expected to receive Sh22,244 from the government each year, which is paid out in three installments: 50% in the first term, 30% in the second, and 20% in the third. For the previous two years, this has not been the case.
Suppliers have put pressure on the majority of schools for payment defaults. The country’s educational system may suffer from delayed disbursements, with day secondary schools—which are entirely dependent on capitation—suffering the most.
Perhaps worse off are the schools that are currently experiencing flooding. Before May 6, the Ministry of Education ought to make the capitation available.
Release capitation to schools before May 6.
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