Schools to Receive Ksh. 15 Billion This Week to Prepare For KCPE and KCSE Exams
Education Cabinet Secretary for Education Prof Magoha announced that Primary and Secondary schools are set to get Sh. 15 Billion Capitation this week.
The CS said that the money will cover the balances that heads of schools said were a source of financial problems that could derail the administration of national examinations.
We shall release the money next week to schools and therefore no one should try to cause panic or anxiety,” said Prof Magoha on Thursday.
The announcement is great news to the 7,000 secondary school heads who gave an indication in the last week that they may not be able to adequately prepare for the administration of the KCPE and KCSE examinations if the funds are not released.
Earlier this year when schools fully reopened, the Ministry of Education released Sh 4.6 Billion to fund primary schools and another Sh. 14.6 Billion to fund secondary schools.
School heads accused the government of withholding huge sums of money, saying that this could lead to schools running into more financial trouble.
However, the Ministry, said that the money released was only 25 percent of the total amount of money that should be sent to schools in the First term.
The model of free education of the government is spread in a 50:30:20 ratio. This means that half of the money is sent during the first term, with 30 percent in the second term and 20 percent sent to schools in the Third term.
School managers said that the Government’s delay in releasing the capitation balance was frustrating the purchase of chemicals for practicals and apparatus for science subjects.
Kenya Secondary School Heads Association Chairperson Kahi Indimuli said that any further delays would cause thousands of Form Four candidates to fail to sit for their examinations.
“As we speak, schools do not have money. The government promised to release the final tranche of 25 percent by the end of February,” Indimuli said in the past week.
Indimuli was positively receptive to the announcement and hoped that the funds would be wired without failure.
He said that preparations for Science subjects, i.e. Biology, Physics, and Chemistry papers may not be adequate if the government does not release the funds in time.
Indimuli said that some schools do not even have the critical apparatus required during the examinations. Some on the other hand may need the money to do minor repairs in their laboratories with examinations looming.
1,088,986 candidates will sit KCPE for their examinations from March 22 to 24 while another 699,745 candidates will for the KCSE examinations that will start on March 25.
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