Headteachers Say There Is No Money to Run Schools
Headteachers of public schools have called on the Ministry of Education to instruct parents to pay school fees for learners in Grade 4, Class 8, and Form 4. A majority of learners who reported to the school for the second term have not paid school fees for the second term.
Heads of secondary schools spoke to the media on Friday that most of the schools will not be able to keep students in schools for long as they are facing an impending financial crisis.
Chairman for Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA), Kahi Indimuli said that schools need student’s fees payment so that they can run schools including maintaining the boarding section.
“Principals are struggling without funds. It is literally impossible to give food to students and then take care of their boarding requirements,” Mr. Indimuli said.
In the last week, Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha told school heads to allow students in schools without paying school fees.
The CS implored school heads to avoid sending children home for school fees. This direction applied to both public and secondary schools.
However, it seems parents took advantage of the directive and escorted their children to school without paying school fees. Mr. Indimuli said that some parents did this and this has caused an impending financial crisis.
“Parents have to must pay their children’s second term school fees so as to meet their obligations,” said Mr. Indimuli.
For parents having children in boarding schools, Mr. Indimuli said they are aware that they should pay boarding fees whole those with children in day schools pay for lunch for their learners.
Some students had not even cleared second-term school fees before the government closed schools in March and this has led to schools to be in debt, straining their relationship with suppliers.
Mr. Indimuli Said that the money the government sent over a week ago will not be enough to run schools.
The Ministry released Kshs. 14.4 Billion to secondary and primary schools to help them in preparing for the reopening of schools as the government began the implementation of phased reopening.
Kshs. 13.2 Billion went to secondary schools while primary schools received Kshs. 1.2 Billion.
Mr. Indimuli also said schools should have received 30 percent of 2020’s capitation but the funds the government released were not part of the capitation. Schools were to use the funds for the preparation for reopening institutions of basic education.
In January, the government released 32.5 billion to schools as term one capitation.
The lack of payment of school fees by learners is indeed proving to be a hard nut to crack as principals are exhausting whatever little they received to run schools. Hopefully, the government will listen and act accordingly.
Mr. Indimuli’s plea comes after the government closed two schools in Mombasa due to COVID-19 cases.
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