Budget constraints make it difficult to implement educational modifications

Budget constraints make it difficult to implement educational modifications

Budget constraints make it difficult to implement educational modifications. Over a year has elapsed since President William Ruto initiated his education sector reforms, yet the anticipated increase in funding for primary and secondary schools remains unfulfilled.

The Presidential Working Party on Education Reform (PWPER) taskforce compiled these reforms into a report, which was submitted to President Ruto on August 2, 2023.

President Ruto had directed the immediate implementation of certain recommendations. Nonetheless, the ambitious plan to revise school funding has faced delays, prompting stakeholders to voice concerns over the persistent issue of underfunding.

“The recommendation to increase school funding should have been implemented much earlier. Just like the adjustments in university funding, this should have been a priority,” stated Collins Oyuu, the secretary general of the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), in an interview with The Standard on Monday.

The report also suggested a secondary level of school funding to ensure flat-rate financing for routine operations.

Budget constraints make it difficult to implement educational modifications.

According to the report, Free Primary Education, launched by Kenya’s third President, the late Mwai Kibaki, was slated for increased funding since 2003. For the past two decades, the program has allocated Sh1,420 per learner and remained unchanged during President Uhuru Kenyatta’s tenure.

The reforms propose an increase of Sh818, elevating the amount to Sh2,238. While the primary school funding model has not been updated since 2003, the new comprehensive model recommends a funding review every three years.

Additionally, the proposed funding model allocates Sh15,043 per Junior Secondary School learner and Sh22,527 per Senior Secondary School student as capitation.

Schools are also anticipated to receive additional funds for daily administrative activities. The Kenya Kwanza administration pledged to provide flat-rate funding, varying by school level, known as the minimum essential package.

The essential package is distributed as follows: Sh70,200 for pre-primary, Sh536,880 for primary education, Sh1,632,120 for junior school, Sh1,890,000 for senior school, and Sh2,060,940 for special needs education.

“If we had executed the recommendations of the presidential working party, we would have significantly mitigated the school funding issues,” remarked Willy Kuria, chairman of the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association.

According to Kuria, schools are currently struggling due to the government’s failure to provide the allocated amount for Free Day Secondary Education. “For the past five years, we have been receiving Sh17,000 as capitation, which has restricted activities to the minimum,” Kuria explained.

Budget constraints make it difficult to implement educational modifications.

This funding shortfall has compelled some principals to seek alternatives, such as raising fees beyond the limits set by the Ministry of Education, thereby burdening parents and guardians.

Primary school heads are also sounding the alarm about the precarious state of the Free Primary Education program, warning that it risks collapsing due to insufficient funding. Johnson Nzioka, chairman of the Kenya Primary School Heads Association, disclosed that this year, the government only funded primary schools for the first term, despite the second term nearing its end.

“This implies that institutions have not received funding for the second term, even as they approach the August holiday in less than a month,” Nzioka noted.

In June, the government disbursed Sh36 billion in capitation funds for the second term of the academic year as schools prepared for a three-day mid-term break. The funds were allocated to free day secondary, free primary, and free day junior secondary school programs.

The majority of the funds, Sh19 billion, were allocated to secondary schools under the free day secondary education program. Junior secondary schools received Sh14 billion, while primary schools were allocated Sh2.74 billion.

Budget constraints make it difficult to implement educational modifications.