Schools Face Financial Strains Ahead of New Student Admissions
As secondary schools prepare to admit a new batch of Form One students, many school principals are facing financial difficulties as they struggle to run their institutions with nearly empty funds.
Despite the government’s goal of achieving 100% transition from primary to secondary education, most schools are operating in debt due to the high inflation rates.
This make it difficult for school management to run operations with the current recommended fees.
It has also led to a number of issues that pose challenges to the school principals, including accumulated school fee arrears running into millions of shillings, even as the severe drought in some parts of the country strike.
There’s high inflation rates that have increased the cost of living, and stretched facilities.
According to the school principals who spoke to The Standard, they are currently operating under the Dr. Kilemi Mwiria committee recommendations of 2013, which set the current school fees structure, but this is no longer in line with the present high inflation rates that have increased the cost of essentials.
These principals, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, expect to admit new students from next week in accordance with the government’s 100% transition goal, but it will be a challenging task to manage their institutions with the current high cost of goods.
For the last two years, the school financial calendar has been disrupted due to interruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, and with four school terms per year, most parents have not been able to clear their children’s school fees.
The government has directed that no student should be sent home for lack of fees, but this has resulted in accumulated arrears and the school principals are not sure how they will recover the funds owed by former students.
They are also not allowed to withhold the students’ certificates, as the government has directed that learners should collect their documents.
The school principals have said that the construction of additional classrooms in secondary schools to accommodate Junior Secondary School will help after the government announced that Grade Seven will be domiciled in primary schools.
However, the challenge will be in boarding as the schools are not allowed to charge extra levies, but purchasing additional beds and making repairs to accommodate additional learners in the 100% transition plan will be a challenge.
The severe drought that has hit some parts of the country has also led to high food prices, and with the current inflation rate, it has become increasingly difficult for schools to purchase essential goods and services.
The cost of basic needs has escalated, with sugar, cooking fat, maize, and beans all becoming more expensive.
The school principals believe that the fee structure set by the Dr. Mwiria-chaired task force needs to be reviewed and shouldered by the government, as parents are also affected by the harsh economic situation.
The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) and the Uasin Gishu Chair have urged the government to consider doubling the free secondary school capitation funds and to release the funds on time to enable schools to be better managed.
They also noted that staffing will be a challenge if new teachers are not hired to replace those deployed to Junior Secondary School.
With the expected 100% transition, managing schools that already have stretched facilities, especially boarding, will be a challenge, and the government needs to address the high cost of basic needs in schools and review boarding rates since 2014.
Schools Face Financial Strains Ahead of New Student Admissions