Parents and teachers have undergone training in the management of school finances in a move that is likely to boost accountability levels as well as reporting.
Heads of schools of public schools are part of the training that is also being attended by deputy headteachers, chairpersons of boards of management of schools and representatives of parents.
To start with, the training is targeting 4,000 school managers in the two-day training which is part of the Kenya Primary Education Development (PRIEDE) project, which has received support from the Global Partners in Education (GPE). The remaining schools will undergo similar training later.
The PRIEDE program is aimed at improving competency in early grade Maths as well as improve management systems at national and school levels.
In the two-day meeting, school administrators will undergo training on how to govern and manage capitation that is disbursed from the government and other public primary school monies.
The training was necessitated by a discovery that some school managers lacked proper financial accountability and reporting for the resources that they are controlling.
Besides capitation, the Ministry of Education allocates funds to schools for health and nutrition, infrastructure and special needs and disabilities grants, mobile schools, the national school-based deworming program and cheap boarding.
There are also other sources of funding to schools such as the National Government Constituency Development Funds, Non-Governmental organizations (NGOs), religious bodies, donors and well-wishers, the county governments and even contributions from households just to mention but a few.
In the governments new and strict guidelines, any financial donations, allocations and grants must be receipted under the guidelines.
According to the guidelines, all National Constituency Development Funds (NCDF), donations, or fundraising must be receipted and recorded in the cash books of the school.
The content of the training includes the following:
- Laws governing transparency and accountability
- Safeguards and information disclosures
- Accounting and reporting
- Management of educational facilities and equipment
Schools managers will also be trained on the process of auditing school books of accounts as well as handing over and taking over in public primary schools.
In the government’s financial allocations, schools receive funds on a per learner basis. These funds are then distributed in three tranches at the ratio of 50:30:20 for the first, second and third terms.