Strained schools send students home due to hold-ups in capitation funding payments
In urban centres and beyond, a crisis is brewing within Kenya's education system. Delays in government capitation payments are causing significant disruptions, derailing children's studies and pushing schools to the brink.
According to reports, some schools have outstanding fees balances exceeding Sh10 million, with some boarding schools even facing arrears running into tens of millions of shillings. These financial strains are causing principals to send learners home and forcing schools to struggle with paying for food, laboratory practicals, wages, and daily operations.
The education authority or governmental financial body responsible for school funding is the principal cause of concern due to payment delays. Union leaders, including KNUT Secretary General Collins Oyuu, are urging the Treasury and Ministry of Education to release funds immediately, stating that capitation money is institutional money, needed for schools to buy lab materials and prepare candidates for national examinations.
Dr. Manyasa, the Usawa Agenda Director, warns against holding funds because of data clean-up. He argues that denying timely resources to millions of children is more damaging than any potential issues that might arise from incomplete data. Thousands of learners are losing valuable class time due to the delay in capitation, and some learners lack unique personal identifiers (UPIs) because they do not have birth certificates, causing them to miss lessons.
In an effort to address this issue, the Ministry of Education has instructed schools to verify and submit each learner's UPI as part of a national data clean-up. Only schools whose data is fully validated by Friday will be activated on the system to receive government services, including capitation. However, sub-county institutions, which are mainly day schools, are the most affected by these delays, and union leaders fear that this could deepen the inequality between well-resourced private schools and struggling public institutions.
The first cohort of learners under the Competency-Based Education (CBE) system is set to sit for assessments. Yet, some schools lack the necessary laboratories or equipment for practicals under the CBE system. National Parents Association chairman Silas Obuhatsa mentioned that delays force schools to find alternative ways to generate income, such as parents offering manual labor or borrowing heavily.
Dr. Manyasa urges the ministry to separate data clean-up from capitation disbursement, stating that the current situation is undermining the credibility of assessments and the education system as a whole. He calls for immediate action to ensure that all schools receive the funding they need to provide quality education for all learners.
Read also:
- Understanding Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis: Key Facts
- Stopping Osteoporosis Treatment: Timeline Considerations
- Tobacco industry's suggested changes on a legislative modification are disregarded by health journalists
- Expanded Community Health Involvement by CK Birla Hospitals, Jaipur, Maintained Through Consistent Outreach Programs Across Rajasthan
