Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu has refuted reports that schools will be breaking for the mid-term break early because of lack of enough capitation.
While speaking in Migori on Tuesday, June 4, the education CS stated that the government had already met its 50 percent capitation for the first term adding that 30 percent for the second term was on its way.
However, he insisted that he would not issue any specific dates when the capitations will be disbursed, maintaining that school programs will continue as planned.
“We are also very soon, I do not want to talk about specific dates, giving another 30 percent of the capitation to our Secondary schools and Primary Schools, the normal running will be able to continue in all our schools,” he said.
Also Read: Govt Announces New Half Term Dates for Schools
School Heads Disagreement with Machogu
However, the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA) and other associations have argued that only Ksh8,300 per student has been disbursed, opposed to the expected Ksh11,000 expected for term one.
From the amount received, Ksh565 was retained by the ministry for the centralized procurement of books, Ksh2,000 was used for infrastructural development. Also, the schools were expected to set aside Ksh750 for every student for the Edu Afya.
KESSHA National Chairman Willie Kuria lamented that some schools did not even have the capacity to pay salaries to some of the staff members explaining that primary schools were the most affected because they did not charge any fees.
“The day schools have no other source of funds because they do not charge any other fee. They rely fully on this capitation, and schools are crowded. Workers in schools have not received their salaries. Sometimes it is difficult for us to make any statutory payments,” Kuria said.
At the same time, Kuria said that the ministry failed to include form one students in the capitation adding that the money was released based on the number of form fours from the previous year.
Also Read: Govt to Splash Ksh300M on Counting Desks, Schools and Teachers
Earlier Announced Mid Term Break Dates
The Ministry on May 29 announced a change of Half Term dates for the second term for all Pre-Primary, Primary and Secondary Schools.
In a circular copied to all County Directors of Education, Education Principal Secretary (PS) Belio Kipsang announced that the dates had been moved to 26th and 28th June 2024, from 20th June to 23rd June.
“Following the disruption of the opening dates, it has been decided that the Half-Term dates for Term Two, 2024 be revised as follows: Original Dates 20th – 23rd June 2024; New Dates 26th -28th June 2024,” read part of the circular.
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