•Kenya has made significant strides in provision of quality education through free primary and secondary day education.
•The recent budget policy statement makes a notable reduction in primary and secondary schools’ budget allocation for the financial year 2024/2025.
Image: NCCG
The players in the education sector are pushing for reforms aimed at increasing the state's capitation for school-going children from pre-school to secondary level.
In the proposals some of which will be contained in the proposed amendments to the Basic Education Act 2013, the players want the capitation raised to reflect the current economic realities.
Among the proposals raised is the revision of the primary school’s capitation from Sh1,400 to Sh8,500, while for Secondary school capitation be increased from Sh22,244 to Sh29,401.
For special needs education, the players are proposing an increase from the current Sh3,720 to Sh74,000 per learner in primary school and a rise from Sh57,974 to Sh91,646.
This will also see the introduction of Junior School capitation for special needs institutions set at Sh84,000.
Kenya has made significant strides in the provision of quality education through free primary and secondary day education.
The current competency-based curriculum framework aims to promote learners’ well-being and acquisition of capabilities, skills, and values to contribute meaningfully to the economy and society at large.
However, the learning environment in schools has not been adequately resourced to facilitate optimal learning and unlock children's full potential as envisioned in the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
Save the Children Country Director Yvonne Arunga says that National education budgets should also respond adequately to CBC learning needs, inflation, and the growing number of learners enrolled in schools.
“The current budget process should consider revising primary and secondary school per capita grant being the minimum optimal capitation and apply a differentiated unit cost for Special Needs Education (SNE) capitation,” said Arunga.
Notably, the Free Primary Education (FPE) and Free Day Secondary Education (FDSE) per capita grants fail to provide adequate resources for learning in schools especially those in the arid and semi-arid regions including low-resourced areas.
The recent budget policy statement makes a notable reduction in primary and secondary schools’ budget allocation for the financial year 2024/2025.
This reduction does not consider ongoing reforms in the education sector, which call for an upward review of per capita grants to cater to CBC needs, including introducing a minimum essential package to cover fixed and operational costs independent of learner enrollment.
Mathare Member of Parliament Anthony Oluoch and his Kibra counterpart Peter Orero, are also set to introduce amendments to the Basic Education Act No. 14 of 2013, which will recognise schools offering Alternative Provision of Basic Education and Training (APBET).
The amendments will provide the registration guidelines for the institutions that will enable them to be recognised as a category of schools to benefit from GoK capitation grants, teacher deployment and management.
Oluoch says that there is a category of children, mostly in informal settlements in Kisumu, Nyelenda, Nyaweta, Manyata, Kitale, Mombasa and other places, that go to schools which in the evening act as churches or social halls who should be recognised.
“In total, there are about 1.8 million to 2 million Kenyans who neither go to public nor private schools. The act doesn’t capture this group,” said Oluoch.
Orero who is also a member of the education committee noted that in Kibra there are over 250 APBET schools. It is estimated that in Nairobi 3600 abet school and 4000 across the country
He called on the ministry to ease the registration requirements for these institutions. Adding that the bill has gone through the budget committee and is set for the education committee, then be tabled for debate on the floor of the house.
“There is an estimated two million pupils catered for under the APBET, yet the constitution doesn’t recognise them because they can’t get assistance from the government,” said Sharp Education Centre Director Paul Wanjohi.
The forum brought together MPs, the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA), the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK), the Kenya Primary Schools Headteachers Association (KEPSHA), Save The Children Organisation, Special Schools Heads Association of Kenya and Civil Society organisations.