• Melly says schools are operating on deficit budgets.
• Each secondary school student gets Sh22,244, but the principals want it increased to Sh26,915.
MPs will push for early disbursement of capitation funds to avoid crises that schools undergo whenever the cash is late.
National Assembly Education committee chairman Julius Melly on Thursday said, “Funds are important but their early release is even more important.”
He spoke during the 44th Kenya Secondary School Heads Association conference at the Kenya School of Revenue Administration in Mombasa.
Melly remarks came as principals and head teachers suffered a blow after the government maintained the capitation, despite a request for an increase.
In the budget read by Treasury CS Henry Rotich on Thursday, the government maintained a Sh13.4 billion capitation for Free Primary Education and Sh55.4 billion for secondary education.
School heads and teacher unions meeting in Mombasa have been calling for an increased capitation, saying the 100 per cent transition programme has led to an increase in the number of students in secondary schools.
“There has been no commensurate increase in facilities. Children are sitting on stones. Teachers have to handle 100 students in class. It is chaotic,” Knut national vice chair Collins Oyuu said.
After the launch of the transition programme, which is one of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s legacy projects, students in secondary schools have increased by 200,000 last year from 2.6 million.
Kenya Secondary School Heads Association chairman Indimuli Kahi said the capitation should increase by at least 21 per cent.
Currently, each secondary school student gets a capitation of Sh22,244, but the principals want it increased to Sh26,915.
Kahi said factors like inflation, the rising cost of goods and services, and increased number of students should be factored in.
The capitation has remained the same since 2003.
Melly said it is a pity that schools are operating on deficit budgets.
“It is not ideal for learning and not ideal for the future of our children. Worse still, this money comes late,” he said.
Melly said his committee will sit with stakeholders, including Education CS George Magoha, to look into ways the money can be released earlier and if possible have the whole year’s capitation released at the same time.
He also said the capitation funds of the pupil must be released to the child’s new school upon transfer.
“Last year there were almost 500 schools which never received capitation funds but through our efforts we were able to hasten the process,” he said.
Melly praised the government’s move to introduce the National Education Management Information System (Nemis), but said the teething problems raised by school heads should be addressed.
“The government should now ensure a child’s records move with the child upon transfer,” Melly said.
Melly was accompanied by committee members Eve Obara (Kasipul Kabondo MP) and Thaddeus Nzambia (Kilome MP).
They urged the Education ministry to ensure the capitation funds are used for their intended purposes.
Melly urged school heads to push for a kitty to develop schools.
“Let’s come up with different unit courses to push for funds for children with specific challenges,” he said.