Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has responded to reports that Kenya Secondary schools across the country could close earlier before the official date of October 25, 2024.
While addressing the press on Friday, October 11, in Embu County, CS Ogamba clarified that the government has disbursed capitation funds to secondary schools nationwide.
He also stated that he was not aware of a circular concerning early school closures.
“In terms of capitation, this term, the funds were actually released two days earlier or just on time for the students’ opening. I haven’t seen the circular you are talking about,” he said.
CS Ogamba Says Funds Were Fully Disbursed
CS Ogamba acknowldged media reports on delays in the disbursement of funds, noting that the Ministry is monitoring the situation to identify any challenges that arise.
“I have seen something in the news that there is an issue relating to finances and I want to assure the country that as far as the Ministry is concerned, the funds were released,” he said while addressing the press.
“We are going to find out what discrepancies they are talking about, and if there are any, we will address them.”
Also Read: Why Schools Could Be Forced to Close Early
Cash Crunch in Schools
The clarification follows concerns raised by the Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (KSSHA) that many schools are on the brink of running out of funds required for daily operations, tuition, and infrastructure maintenance.
KSSHA Chairman Willy Kuria revealed that the expected capitation per student was Ksh22,244 for tuition alone.
However, only Ksh15,192 per student has been disbursed by the government, resulting in a deficit of Ksh7,052 per student.
In addition, the government directed schools to allocate Ksh3,850 for infrastructure from the expected amount. As a result, the remaining balance for tuition and operations for each student stands at Ksh11,342.
KSSHA also warned that schools would not be able to purchase the necessary materials for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) 2024 exams, which were set to begin in October.
Also Read: KCSE 2024: KNEC Announces New Exam Paper Features
Additionally, the association mentioned that some schools have been unable to administer end-of-year examinations for learners in various classes due to the financial shortfall.
“There’s already a serious financial crisis in schools and it is not possible to complete the term, if the remaining capitation is not released. We’re very worried that the debt burden in schools is getting out of hand,” Kuria said.
The 2024 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams are scheduled to begin on October 22 and end on November 22.
However, the rehearsals will begin on October 18, 2024.
On the other hand, the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) will begin on October 28 and end on October 30.
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