The government is set to release funds to schools in the coming days with schools across the country set to open for the first term starting on the 25th of April 2022.
This is good news for parents set to enrol their children in secondary schools in form or those continuing their learning in the other forms.
The government is set to allocate Sh. 2 billion to primary schools for the Free Primary Education (FPE) programme while Sh. 16.9 billion is set to be released to cover the Free Day Secondary Education (FDSE) programme just a week before schools reopen for the new academic year.
“Every school will receive funds before they reopen. The money will be in their bank accounts by Tuesday so that they will have a week to prepare” said Cabinet Secretary for Education Prof George Magoha.
CS Magoha also issued a warning to heads of institutions who may try to flout the Ministry of Education’s directive regarding not sending learners home for school fees at the beginning of the new term.
“No one should send children away from schools for school fees…that will be criminal, the money belongs to the government, the children too belong to the government,” said CS Magoha.
Magoha also urged parents whose children were assigned to schools located far away from their homes to report to the nearest education centres so that the problem could be resolved.
CS Magoha was speaking while attending the conference for beneficiaries of the Wings to Fly and Elimu scholarships that were held in Nairobi.
On his part, Equity Bank Chief Executive Officer James Mwangi said that the portal for the scholarship is now open, allowing submission of applications for both the Elimu and Equity-Wings to fly scholarships.
“We have opened the website so that children can apply online. We will release the application forms to all the branches then we will give scholars six days to apply,” said Mwangi.
The filtering process of candidates who shall benefit from the scholarship will be completed within two weeks so that the selected learners will be able to join form one.