Schools Likely to Close As Cash Crunch in Schools Bites
The high cost of goods and the long delays in the receipt of capitation funds have prompted school administrators to publicly lament their difficulties in keeping students in the classroom.
The government has been urged by headteachers and principals to distribute school capitation money, warning that failure to do so could result in closure of the institutions.
They claimed that because they are currently obliged to purchase products on credit due to a lack of cash, the government urgently has to help in the current situation.
Also Read:Â Counties Where Teachers Are Crying Foul Over Hardship
As the national chairman of the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers and the MP for Emuhaya, Omboko Milemba, remarked, “Schools have started rationing food to students, which is a very critical act.”
“The Ministry of Education must deliver capitation grants to schools immediately. Due to financial difficulties, schools are barely able to keep up. “Headmasters are negotiating food rationing or meal skipping with students, which is a very delicate subject, particularly in boarding schools,” Milemba said.
He issued a warning that students and the academic calendar might be impacted by school closures.
“Suppliers haven’t been paid, and things are bad. As a union, we are urging Ezekiel Machogu, the cabinet secretary for education, to put the disbursement of monies first for the next three days in order to prevent the closure of schools, Milemba said.
Also Read:Â TSC Sends Crucial Message To All Its Employees
The high food price crisis has affected all schools, according to Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association Nandi Central chairperson Zakayo Chepchieng, causing them to spend extra to keep students in school.
In contrast to the past, when they used to pay full sums, parents are still making the same school tuition payments, most of which are made in tiny installments, according to Chepchieng.
“We virtually exclusively use credit, which is expensive. We don’t know who will pay for the schools’ massive deficits, which worries me. The only option, according to another headteacher, is to raise the capitation or fees.
By Friday, May 2, 2023, the government would distribute Sh28 billion to primary schools, junior high schools, and senior high schools nationwide, according to an announcement made by Machogu on May 30, 2023.
In Rarieda, Siaya County, the CS spoke at Kametho Primary and Junior Secondary School.
President William Ruto and the administration have a new funding plan, which Machogu stated will allow 70% of pupils from disadvantaged families access to education.
The government pays for education at every level, so there is really no justification for a parent not sending their kids to school, according to the CS.
Schools Likely to Close As Cash Crunch in Schools Bites
