Schools yet to receive third term free education funds
School heads’ association chairman John Awiti addressing a press conference on the sidelines of a meeting in Mombasa on June 22, 2014. FILE PHOTO | LABAN WALLOGA |
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Secondary school principals and the Kenya National Union of Teachers urged the government to release the funds immediately to allow schools prepare candidates for national examination.
The Treasury released some funds to the schools early in the month, but the headteachers said it was a part of the second term allocation and used the funds to settle supplier dues incurred before the closure of institutions in August.
Schools have been hit by cash crunch over the delay in release of the free education funds in what could affect national examinations set to start at the end of this month.
Head teachers reckon that the Treasury has failed to disburse funds for the third term more than two weeks after schools re-opened, prompting a number of the learning institutions to send children with fee balances home.
Secondary school principals and the Kenya National Union of Teachers urged the government to release the funds immediately to allow schools prepare candidates for national examination.
“The French paper is starting on September 30 which is two weeks away. The minister must intervene for the greater good of the child,” said Kenya Secondary School Heads Association chairman John Awiti.
The Treasury released some funds to the schools early in the month, but the headteachers said it was a part of the second term allocation and used the funds to settle supplier dues incurred before the closure of institutions in August.
The booksellers were owed more than Sh1 billion and some had stopped supplies to public schools.
The government pays fees for more than 10 million children in primary schools and about 2.1 million students in secondary schools.
Primary school pupils are allocated Sh1,400 each by the government while secondary students get a grant of Sh10,265 per student. Fifty per cent of the cash is released in the first term, 30 per cent in the second term and 20 per cent in the third term.
“We are concerned that the (cash) crunch will affect examinations. Specimen and chemicals for practical examinations have not been bought. The Ministry of Education must take responsibility for this,” said Mr Awiti.
He observed that secondary schools had only received last term’s remaining allocation of 15 per cent and still needs 20 per cent to cover September and November.
Kenya Primary School Head Teachers Association chairman Joseph Karuga said that it was unacceptable for the government to be pressed each term before releasing funds to schools.
“We had expected that the government will release funds on time but here again we are still making appeals two weeks after re-opening schools the way we did for second term,” he said.
“We did not get the second term allocations on time and we had to look for alternative source now we are again begging for the release of the funds for third term,” added Mr Karuga.
The parliamentary committee on Education Wednesday warned that it would have to summon Education Cabinet secretary Jacob Kaimenyi to explain why the government has not released funds to schools.
