Ministry of Education to Restore Full Student Capitation After School Heads Outcry
The Ministry of Education has announced plans to restore the Sh5,000 slashed from each student’s capitation funding, easing secondary school heads‘ concerns as students return from midterm break.
Cs in Education Ezekiel Machogu agreed that the allocated funds for the Sh17,000 free day secondary program had decreased from 22,244 to approximately Sh17,000.
The CS mentioned during a stakeholders forum at the Kenya Institute of Special Education, Nairobi, that they had reduced the amount to Sh17,000 per year due to the tight fiscal space and economic constraints. However, the CS expressed optimism about the improving economy, stating that they should now be able to provide each student with the revised figure of Sh22,244.
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The findings supporting the petitions submitted by secondary headteachers to Parliament in November last year, reveals that schools have been receiving Sh5,000 less annually for capitation, requesting intervention to assist in the collection of a Sh54 billion debt owed to the schools over a five-year period.
According to their petition, the Ministry of Education provided Sh17,458 as the capitation per pupil, as stated by the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (Kessha).
According to Kessha, the government failed to allocate Sh3,167,804,931 of the total capitation to secondary institutions in 2019.
The financing shortfall has continued to worsen in subsequent years, with institutions failing to receive Sh16,982,119,448 during the 2020–2021 fiscal year, or an average deficit of Sh5,000 per child.
For the fiscal year 2021/2022, the total amount due is Sh15,968,967,196, equivalent to approximately Sh4,451 per student absent from school.
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The fiscal year 2022-2023 recorded the most significant shortfall, amounting to Sh18,101,294,280 in total debt, or Sh4,905 per child.
This adds up to Sh54,220,185,855.
Head teachers assert that deductions from the school’s received funds worsen the financing situation.
According to the petition, on average, the ministry retains Sh1,978 per student for medical coverage at school. As a result, the funding has fallen to an average of Sh15,479.36.
Additionally, it is mandatory for the head teachers to allocate Sh5,000 per child towards the infrastructure fund. The institutions have a meager Sh10,479.37 per child to cover operational expenses.
In their recommendation, the head teachers advocate for the exemption of the directive to retain infrastructure funds from capitation.
Those schools were encountering notable financial difficulties due to underfunding, accrued deficits, and the necessity to retain an infrastructure fund that cannot be utilized for school operations.
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In September last year, Machogu acknowledged a funding shortfall of approximately Sh22 billion for Free Day Secondary Education.
The CS informed the National Assembly Committee on Education that 3.9 million students are currently enrolled in secondary schools, with a budget allocation of Sh65 billion for this fiscal year.
Machogu stated that the approved amount of Sh22,240 per learner falls short, resulting in a Sh22 billion funding shortfall.
Machogu further cautioned that the situation might worsen, given the projected surge of over 240,000 students in secondary schools next academic year.
“We anticipate that the number of students enrolled will reach 4.2 million the following year.” “Sh15,476 per learner will be the capitation if current funding levels persist,” he stated.
The CS delivered the remarks in the presence of the MPs, accompanied by Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang, in response to inquiries regarding capitation and other matters within his jurisdiction.
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Machogu warned that they must address how to deal with the underfunded Sh22 billion. He emphasized that until they adequately handle the issue of underfunding and raise the capitation to 100 percent of the required amount, the challenge with capitation will persist.
Ministry of Education to Restore Full Student Capitation After School Heads Outcry
