Government releases Sh 17.47 billion to schools

The government says it has released more than Sh17 billion to schools, with a stern warning to head teachers not to send home children with fee balances.

The Sh17.47 billion disbursed Tuesday for first term is a big relief for principals and head teachers who started the term without cash last week.

The funds were released on the second day of Form Ones reporting, with many learning centres grappling with congestion and inadequate infrastructure.

The funds will come in handy as schools need to put in place measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19, with some schools already reporting infections.

Schools also need the cash to pay suppliers and settle other pending bills.

While releasing the funds, Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha said Sh2.62 billion would go to primary schools as secondary schools get Sh14.85 billion.

“With the release of the capitation funds, principals are advised to keep all their learners at their respective schools to ensure no part of class time is lost during the shortened academic calendar,” Prof Magoha said in a statement.

He warned schools heads against sending home students with fee arrears.

“Principals should dialogue with parents of learners with fee balances to find practical ways of clearing any arrears,” he said.

The funds released yesterday are part of the support the government offers for its Free Primary Education and Free Day Secondary Education programmes.

Fee guidelines

The government releases the cash in the ratio of 50:30:20 every academic year.

The amount released Tuesday was 50 per cent of capitation funds for the 30-week 2021 academic calendar.

Prof Magoha said principals and head teachers must strictly adhere to the new guidelines the ministry issued on fees, warning that any charges will not be tolerated.

The ministry revised downwards the fees for the current academic year, owing to the short time learners will be in school.

Fees for national school students were reduced by Sh8,500 while extra county secondary school parents will pay Sh5,500 less.

For the 2021 school calendar, students in national schools will pay Sh45,000 while their extra county school counterparts will part with Sh35,000.

For all students, the government will pay Sh22,244 as tuition fee.

Form one reporting

On Form One reporting, Prof Magoha directed parents and stakeholders to ensure that all learners report to the centres they were placed.

“The government is impressed by the high turnout of Form One students, who started reporting to their secondary schools on Monday,” he said.

His directive came even as parents continued to question the credibility of the National Education Management Information System (Nemis), saying some schools had sold their children’s slots.

On Tuesday, some parents who spoke to the Nation said they were shocked after finding their children’s names reflecting in different schools yet they did not initiate any transfers.

“I had the admission letter with me, and I have bought all the items as indicated in the admission letter, but after queuing for hours since morning, we were turned away. I was informed that my daughter’s name could not be found in the Nemis system,” said a parent whose daughter was turned away.

The student had been admitted to join Kereri Girls High School in Kisii County but despite having an admission letter, the system showed she was supposed to join a day school.

Her case was resolved by the ministry and her placement reversed to Kereri Girls.

The ministry said similar cases had been detected and asked parents to seek assistance.

Swapped placement

The ministry also resolved a case of a parent who took her daughter to Mugoiri Girls High School in Murang’a County only to find her placement had been swapped.

The parent on Monday wept bitterly and blamed the swapping on corrupt deals.

Sources revealed some principals were colluding with parents to swap students admitted to top schools.

In the ministry’s guidelines, Prof Magoha directed schools to only admit students according to Nemis records.

“Only students who appear on the current Nemis list of schools will be admitted to that school. The joining instructions must also be stamped by the head teacher of the primary school where she sat the exam,” said Prof Magoha.

At the end of the Form One reporting, the CS said, all learners from Grade One to Form Four will be back to class for the first time since March 2020, when all schools were closed as part of measures announced by the government through the Ministry of Health to control the spread of Covid-19.

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