Schools On Brink Of Closure As Cash Crunch Bites.
Teachers urged the government to urgently intervene
School heads have come out to complain that they are struggling to keep learners in school due to the high prices of commodities and delays in the release of capitation funds.
Headteachers and principals have called on the government to disburse school capitation funds or else the institutions will be forced to close down.
They said the government urgently needs to intervene in the ongoing situation as they are now forced to buy supplies on credit due to a shortage of cash.
Emuhaya MP Omboko Milemba who is also the national chairman of the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers said schools have started food rationing to students which is a very critical act.
There is an urgent need for the Ministry of Education to send capitation grants to schools. Schools are operating on the edge due to financial challenges. Headmasters are talking to pupils to agree on food rationing or skipping meals, which is a very sensitive issue, especially in boarding schools,” Milemba said.
He warned that the closure of schools will affect learners and the education calendar.
“Suppliers have not been paid, the situation is dire. As a union, we are calling on Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu to stop everything else he is doing and prioritise the disbursement of funds within the next three days, otherwise, schools will be forced to close,” Milemba said.
“Parents are still paying the same school fees, most of them in small instalments, unlike before when they used to pay full amounts,” Chepchieng said.
“We take almost everything on credit, which is very expensive. I’m afraid the schools will have huge deficits and we don’t know who will pay. The only way is to increase fees or the capitation,” another headteacher said.
On May 30, 2023, Machogu announced that the government will release Sh28 billion to Primary schools, Junior and Senior Secondary schools in the country by Friday, May 2, 2023.
The CS spoke at Kametho Primary and Junior Secondary School in Rarieda, Siaya County.
“I am here with good news because President William Ruto and the government have a new funding model that will give 70% of students from poor backgrounds access to education,” Machogu said.
There is really no excuse for a parent not taking their children to school because the government is paying for education at each and every level, the CS said.