Schools Capitation to be Reviewed and Increased Every 3 Years

The Presidential Working Group on Education Reforms has recommended that the comprehensive education system’s capitation for students be reviewed every three years.

The recommendation follows repeated calls for an increase in the funds allocated for the capitation of students in soon-to-be-former primary and secondary institutions.

The report also recommends a marginal increase in the amount of money allocated to students over the current rate, with education stakeholders stating that the report’s recommendations have increased their access to financial resources.

The report recommends that pupils in preschool receive Ksh.1,170 per year, those in primary school receive Ksh.2,238 instead of Ksh.1,420, those in junior school receive Ksh.15,043, an increase of Ksh.43 per year, and those in senior school receive Ksh.22,527, an increase of Ksh.280.

The marginal increase has been embraced by the Kenyan primary and secondary school heads associations, who view it as a step in the right direction despite the fact that it does not reflect the current economic climate, which has skyrocketed the prices of essential goods.

According to the estimates of the Working Group, it costs Ksh 10,998 to provide porridge for breakfast and two meals for lunch and supper at a school.

However, the actuality in many schools is quite different; the numbers significantly differ from the reality schools face across the nation.

Citizen Digital’s budget documents for a typical secondary school indicate that the cost of feeding approximately 1,800 pupils has nearly tripled in the past year. In 2022, a typical school spent Ksh.35,112 to feed one pupil.

In 2023, a school will need approximately Ksh 53,069 to feed one pupil, more than doubling this cost. This increase prompted the school administration to turn to parents for assistance, resulting in a nearly Ksh18,000 increase in school fees.

The estimates provided by the working group informing the amount of money left aside for capitation are based on the prices of staple foods such as rice, corn, beans, fat, cabbage, and spices.

This year, these expenses have more than doubled in school budgets, leaving school administrators at wit’s end as they attempt to stretch that government dollar as far as possible.

However, according to school administrators, there is a glimmer of optimism in the form of the proposed financial minimum essential package that will allow schools to operate regardless of the number of students enrolled.

Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Associations (KSSHA) Chair Indimuli Kahi said, “We have been asking what the minimum amount is to run a school, other than relying on capitation, because some schools have had so few students that capitation has not been enough to provide them with the essential teaching learning materials.”

In its report, the Working Party introduced the minimal essential package, which allocates annually Ksh.70,000 to pre-primary institutions, Ksh.537,000 to primary institutions, Ksh.2.03 million to junior institutions, and Ksh.3.04 million to senior institutions.

According to the secondary school directors association, this will revolutionize the financing of education.

“With the implementation of that and a modest increase in capitation, we applaud this notion. Kahi added, “We will be able to calculate the required cost per school once we know which pathways the senior schools will pursue and what the cost implications will be for the learning areas and infrastructure requirements.”

Stakeholders applaud the team’s decision to conduct a review of the capitation every three years, requesting that the government act efficiently in disbursing 50% of the funds for the first term, 30% of the funds for the second term, and 20% of the funds for the third term.

Currently, the schools have not received the complete amounts owed to them for the first and second terms. The second term concludes next week, which raises concerns that the schools will remain in debt as the third term approaches.

Schools Capitation to be Reviewed and Increased Every 3 Years