Cash crunch hits schools as Education ministry delays funds
Public secondary and primary schools are staring at a financial crisis after the Ministry of Education delayed to release funds for the third term.
The schools opened for third term on Monday September 2.
Principals and head teachers, who were expecting to receive the funds at the beginning of this term, have expressed anxiety as they are yet to receive the third term disbursement.
However, 15 percent balance that the government owed schools last term has been disbursed to pay suppliers, buy stationery and clear salaries arrears for teachers employed by boards of management.
“The government has already paid out 15 percent of second term disbursement which is 30 percent. However, we are yet to receive any funding for third term,” Kahi Indimuli, the Chairman of the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association told People Daily in an interview on Wednesday.
He continued: “Though, we expect the 20 per cent to be sent to our schools accounts anytime. We ask the ministry to release the money in time to help as plan and prepare for the national examinations.”
The government pays Sh 22, 244 for learners in secondary school and Sh1, 420 for those in primary schools.
People Daily has established that there were massive disparities in the disbursement of Free Day Secondary Education (FDSE), and Free Primary Education (FPE) funds last term among schools and it is expected that this term would be any different.
In January, the government released Sh36 billion to public secondary schools and Sh6 billion to primary schools.
While in May, it released Sh14.5 billion to public primary and secondary schools, being 50 per cent of the capitation for the second term.
For this term, the government is yet to release funds to the schools after they opened in Monday.
Normally, government releases 50 per cent of the cash, which is based on the population of learners in each school, at the beginning of the first term.
Thirty per cent is paid in the second term and the remaining 20 in the third term.
Indimuli has warned delay in releasing the funds is likely to interfere with preparation of the national examinations.
In addition, he said that public schools will not be unable to manage to pay services and suppliers of equipment and materials to be used in the exams.
The exams are scheduled to begin next month, candidates sitting the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exams set to begin their exams on October 28 with the Mathematics paper, and finish their last paper Social studies and Religious Education on October 31.
Form four candidates will officially begin their Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams on November 4 and the last paper will be done on November 27.
Practical exams in subjects such as agriculture, home science, woodwork and art and design – which take seven months to complete – started in January and are expected to be complete next month for assessment.
The students who take foreign languages, including French, German and Arabic, will have their oral examinations between October 21 and October 25.
The timetable from Knec also includes strict rules and penalties for candidates involved in exam malpractices.
“A candidate who commits an examination irregularity in any paper will have the results for the WHOLE SUBJECT cancelled. Such a candidate will not be entitled to a result for the subject,” KNEC Act No. 29 of 2012 Offences and Penalties states in Sections 27 to 40 that also gives heavy penalty for cases of examination irregularities.
“If there is evidence of wide-spread irregularities in any examination centre, the examination results for the whole centre will be cancelled,” the act cautions.
