Teachers’ Unions, UASU Calls for Increased Education Budget
Teachers’ and lecturers’ unions have urged the government to increase the current allocation of funds for education, stating that inadequate budgetary provisions and late disbursements continue to hinder the delivery of services at educational institutions.
The unions representing the teaching community from early childhood through basic education and higher education institutions argue that the government should reevaluate its policies to eliminate what they refer to as the commercialization and privatization of education.
In the current fiscal year, the education sector was allocated Ksh.628 billion, or slightly more than 17 percent of the total budget.
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The KNUT, KUPPET, and UASU teachers’ unions argue that the percentage should be increased to at least 30 percent. For the current budget, this would amount to more than one trillion shillings.
UASU Secretary General Constantine Wasonga argues that the government should spend at least 30% of its budget or 10% of its GDP, up from the current level of 6%. It should disburse funds promptly to prevent a crisis.”
In its report, the Presidential Working Group on Education Reforms proposed marginal increases in capitation for primary and secondary institutions that the teaching community deems insufficient.
KNUT proposes increasing primary school students’ capitation from Ksh. 1,170 to at least Ksh. 5,000 per student.
KNUT seeks an annual increase from Ksh.15,544 to Ksh.22,000 for junior secondary school students currently receiving Ksh.15,544.
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And for senior secondary students, KNUT suggests increasing their annual capitation to Ksh 35,000.
At the university level, union leaders opposed the government’s implementation of the new funding model.
According to them, the model has been implemented prematurely despite the fact that it is intended to address social status differences among students and their families.
Janepha Kumba, the Treasurer of UASU, expressed concern over the situation, emphasizing that first-year students were already in school without financial support.
She questioned the readiness of schools to handle this and suggested waiting until adequate plans were in place. She stressed the need for attention to the matter.
Wasonga also raised the issue, stating that it was impractical to teach students without the necessary funding.
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He pointed out that institutions had initially accepted these students, implying they had financial arrangements in place. If the funds were not available, he suggested sending the students back home.
The Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) stopped accepting loan and scholarship applications on October 7, 2023.
In a statement released at the beginning of the month, HELB Chief Executive Officer Charles Ringera indicated that processing of the application would commence immediately, with the disbursement of funds to universities and students to follow shortly.
At the conference, early childhood educators advocated for the adoption of all ECD teachers by the Teachers’ Service Commission (TSC) in order to standardize their employment terms and eliminate the favoritism and discrimination they face at the county level.
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Teachers’ Unions, UASU Calls for Increased Education Budget
