School capacity will be reviewed and increased after every three years

According to the proposals of the Presidential Working Group on Education Reforms, the capitation for students in the comprehensive education system should be updated every three years.

The recommendation follows repeated calls for an increase in the funds given for student capitation in soon-to-be-defunct primary and secondary schools.

According to the research, preschoolers earn Ksh. 1,170 every year, primary school children earn Ksh. 2,238 instead of Ksh. 1,420, junior high students receive Ksh. 15,043, an increase of Ksh. 43 per year, and senior high students earn Ksh. 22,527, an increase of Ksh. 280.

Despite the fact that it does not account for the current economic crisis, which has driven up the cost of commodities, Kenyan primary and secondary school heads organizations have welcomed the minor raise.

The Working Group determined that feeding two kids at a school two meals for lunch and dinner, plus porridge for morning, would cost Ksh 10,998.

However, the reality in many schools is considerably different; the data substantially differ from the condition that schools face across the country.

According to Citizen Digital budget statistics for a typical secondary school, the cost of feeding about 1,800 students has more than tripled in the last year. In 2022, a typical school spent Ksh. 35,112 to feed one pupil.

In 2023, a school will need around Ksh 53,069 to feed one kid, which is more than quadruple the current cost. In response to this increase, the school administration sought parental assistance, resulting in an almost Ksh18,000 increase in school fees.

The working group’s estimates of how much money should be set aside for capitation are based on the cost of staple items such as rice, corn, beans, oil, cabbage, and spices.

School administrators are at a loss for words as they strive to stretch federal funds as far as they can because costs in school budgets have more than quadrupled this year.

According to school administrators, there is a ray of optimism in the form of a proposed financial minimum essential package that will allow schools to function regardless of student attendance.

Also read: The Ministry of Education has issued new guidelines for JSS Capitation Funding.

“We have been asking what the minimum amount is to run a school, other than relying on capitation,” says Indimuli Kahi, chair of the Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Associations (KSSHA), “because some schools have had so few students that capitation has not been enough to provide them with the essential teaching learning materials.”

In its report, the Working Party detailed the lowest essential package, which offers annual support of Ksh. 70,000 for pre-primary institutions, Ksh. 537,000 for primary institutions, Ksh. 2.03 million for junior institutions, and Ksh. 3.04 million for senior universities.

According to the secondary school directors organization, this will totally change how education is funded.

“We applaud this idea, with its execution and a slight increase in capitation.” According to Kahi, “we will be able to calculate the required cost per school once we know which pathways the senior schools will pursue and what the cost implications will be for learning areas and infrastructure requirements.”

Stakeholders applaud the team’s decision to review the capitation every three years, and they ask that the government use its resources effectively by distributing 50% of the funding for the first term, 30% for the second term, and 20% for the third term.

The full amount owed to the schools for the first and second terms is still outstanding. The conclusion of the second semester is approaching next week, raising concerns that the institutions may still be in debt when the third term begins.

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