Four Things CS Machogu Will Test At The Ministry of Education.
Education Cabinet Minister Ezekiel Machogu was on the receiving end after announcing that the government will no longer fund public universities, urging them to find ways to generate revenue.
Machogu took on a role that was undergoing reform, a position former CS Prof George Magoha hinted requires a person of strong character to navigate.
The career manager has a job. From the Competency-Based Curriculum (UKTN) to the teacher shortage.
MAachogu appeared before the Vetting Committee and vowed to crush cartels in the ministry, implement the new curriculum and ensure that parents do not pay extra fees in schools.
Education CS nominee will be sworn in for his vetting on October 21, 2022.
National Assembly
“If there are cartels in the ministry, it’s time they pack up and go elsewhere. With me at the helm, I love value for money. We will monitor closely so that we don’t lose any money at all,” Machogu said.
UKTN headache
Leading up to the August 2022 polls, then-Vice President William Ruto welcomed the shift from the 8-4-4 education system to UKTN, implementation of which has been underway for five years.
“As Kenya Kwanza, we support the progression from what we had as only knowledge and exam-based education, to the new format of knowledge, skills and competence, as well as values-based education,” he said.
Concerns about the implementation of the curriculum, which is currently in the sixth grade, include additional costs, insufficient teacher training, a limited number of staff and extensive learning facilities.
University funding
University Funding has seen the CS elude the public’s attention, particularly due to its stance that higher education institutions should generate their own income to survive, rather than relying on the treasury.
University Fund is being operationalised. It is not the Ministry officials to do that. The agency that sends the funds is this institution. This will be operationalized during my first month in office.”
The government finances universities through the University Fund on the basis of the Maximum Differentiated Unit Cost (MDUC) criteria. According to the criteria, the government is expected to bear 80% of the costs, while the universities and households pay 20% of the costs.
Last year, data from the UFB showed that there was a shortage of capital for public universities that nearly doubled within two years, from Ksh13 billion in 2020 to Ksh. 27 billion in 2021, which translates to a 100.7 percent jump.
The report also showed that the capitation per student had fallen to Ksh35,616 over the same period, with an average allotment per student of Ksh135,244.88 in December 2021, compared to Ksh170,861.63 in June 2020.
teacher shortage
On the teacher shortage, Machogu stated that in order to hire at least 116,000 new teachers, the government of Kenya Kwanza will first hire at least 30,000 teachers.
He notes that the internship program will also be institutionalized because it is cheaper and affordable. He said that once someone serves as an intern, they can be permanently admitted.
During the campaign period, Ruto promised to bridge the public school deficit within two fiscal years.
“For each phase, we will hire 58,000 teachers when we form the government, to fill that gap.”
Ruto said that Ksh25 billion will be set aside annually for capitation, teacher training and recruitment, mainly in the marginalized areas, so that all students have access to education.
According to the Teacher Service Commission (TSC), Annual Report 2021, the teacher shortage was 99,213 in primary and secondary education.
The report presented to the National Assembly identified 44,134 and 55,079 primary and secondary schools.
Exam Cheating
With the national exam just around the corner, the CS faces a tough job, especially in taming cheating and dismantling restrictions.
dr. Fred Matiangi and Prof Magoha have been at the forefront of promoting the integrity of national testing through radical policies and guidelines.
The KCPE rehearsals and the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) will begin on November 25, 2022, the exams will begin on November 28, and end on November 30, 2022.
Rehearsals for KCSE will begin on November 18, before the test runs between November 21 and December 23, 2022.
Education CS Prof. dr. George Magoha monitors the day 2 distribution of KCSE 2021 exam materials in Murang’a County on Tuesday, March 15, 2022
Ministry of Education