JSS Headaches Over Sh9.6 billion Delayed Funding
Kenyan schools are still waiting to receive Sh9.6 billion in capitation funds for the first term, a month after Grade 7 learners reported back to school.
The delay in receiving the funds is causing headaches for headteachers, who are struggling to cover basic costs without them.
Guidelines from the Ministry of Education specify that the new junior secondary school (JSS) operates different bank accounts from the primary section, meaning that using money meant for primary school to run the JSS may cause audit queries.
Each learner in a public school has been allocated Sh15,000 per year, to be disbursed in three tranches of 50%, 30%, and 20%. Of this amount, Sh4,000 will be used for infrastructure development, especially the establishment of science laboratories.
The ministry will require Sh5.7 billion capitation for the second term, according to estimates presented for consideration in the supplementary budget estimates for the fiscal year 2022/23.
The chair of the Kenya Primary Schools Heads Association has confirmed that the money has not yet been wired to school accounts.
Many schools have immediate needs, such as purchasing tuition materials, while others have increased enrollment in Grade 7 due to new students from feeder schools that failed the ministry requirements for hosting JSS.
Basic Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang has warned head teachers against charging levies for learners in Grade 7, saying the government will cater to their education.
However, the delay in receiving funds is just one of the problems faced by schools implementing JSS.
Headteachers also complain that the delivery of textbooks has been poor, with only textbooks for agriculture and Kiswahili provided.
Schools are also struggling with a shortage of JSS teachers, with the Teachers Service Commission recently recruiting 30,000 teachers for JSS, but schools only received between one and three new teachers.
This has forced teachers in the primary school section to take up lessons for JSS.
The Ministry of Education has yet to provide data on how the 1,253,577 learners who sat the inaugural Kenya Primary School Education Assessment are distributed in private and public schools.
There are fears that thousands of learners will drop out since they have not reported to school. Meanwhile, the ministry’s estimate for Grade 7 learners is 1,272,830, according to a report presented last week to the Education Committee of the National Assembly.
The figure is 19,253 higher than the actual number that sat KPSEA. During the presentation of the report, Dr. Kipsang complained that the funds allocated for co-curricular activities in schools are inadequate.
JSS Headaches Over Sh9.6 billion Delayed Funding
