Secondary students to be funded based on subjects

The government wants to change how it finances secondary school education by abolishing uniform capitation and instead focussing on subject costs.

This would mean that students taking STEM subjects — science, technology, engineering and maths — would get better funding than those taking other subjects, hence, their schools would receive more funds.

These subjects require more and costlier equipment and facilities, such as laboratory equipment, than subjects such as history, sociology and economics. 

Each learner would be funded based on the subjects under the new curriculum through a system called Differentiated Unit Cost (DUC).

The DUC system is more applicable to secondary schools as the new curriculum allows learners to begin specialisation at senior secondary under the new curriculum.

The pathways are STEM, arts and sports science, and social sciences.

The proposal, the second version of the document, is before Parliament's Education committee and must be adopted by the House and assented to by the President.

If adopted, it will mark a departure from the current practice whereby every student is allocated a flat Sh22,244 per year under Free Day Secondary Education.

It is one of Education CS Prof George Magoha's options to solve the financing problems and resource gaps in schools that undermine learning.

It borrows heavily from the university financing model of funding whereby the government funds students strictly using enrollment numbers and the courses they take.

The proposals details are in the 'Sessional Paper No. 1 of 2019' sent to Parliament and seen by the Star. It is a blueprint that will anchor the implementation of the new curriculum. Financing secondary education is especially interesting.

"To enhance financing in education, training and research, the government will ..establish secure and sustainable funding mechanisms by developing the differentiated unit cost model at all levels of education and training," the paper reads.

The new approach will consider the operational and maintenance costs of subjects, including staff and facility costs.

The main focus will be secondary school.

This approach is seen as the government's plan to push for higher enrollment in the sciences, technology, and mathematics.

Yesterday, Kenya Secondary School Heads Association chairman Indimuli Kahi praised the plan, saying it was good to enhance development of pathways. 

"It will work best when we have pathways beginning in senior secondary... It will need good data keeping and regular reviews to make it work," Kahi told the Star yesterday.

Under the new structure, basic education is organised into three levels: Early years, middle school and senior school.

Early years will include two years pre-primary for children aged four to five and primary education for six years (three of which will be in early years, while the other three will be upper primary.

Secondary school will be divided into two: Three years for junior secondary and another three for senior school before proceeding to universities for a minimum of three years.

The Education sector gets close to Sh 700 billion from the government and other stakeholders.

Government remains the top funder, contributing at least 52 per cent of funds in the education sector. It is followed by parents who contribute 38 per cent of the total.

County governments that took over the management of Early Childhood Education comea in third, contributing just 3.7 per cent to education financing.

Others include internally generated funds, Constituency Development Funds, NGOs and religious bodies, private sector, external loans and grants.

Low funding

Secondary school allocation is considered insufficient to run the institutions.

In February, secondary school heads called for an increase in direct fees paid by learners to cater for the increased operating costs.

The principals who appeared before the Education Committee in Parliament deplored the high costs of utilities that cut into funding.

The principals' proposal sought an extra Sh6,257, apart from the capitation provided for learners, to push the cost of day school education to Sh28,501.

This meant parents could once again be required to pay to facilitate their children's education in day secondary school.

The government currently provides Sh22,244 as capitation to every student in public secondary school, an amount equal to that charged as school fees in day schools.

In the proposal, National schools would be required to pay Sh69,402 compared to the  Sh53,554 currently charged.

Extra County Schools would be charged Sh58,208, up from Sh40,435.

County schools would pay Sh47,972, up from the current Sh40,435.

Under the plan to mobilise resources for the education sector, the government also plans to establish a National Skills Development Fund, considered essential for youth employment and in realising the big Four agenda.

This will finance learners who decide to pursue hands-on skills in technical and vocational institutions.

The document further reveals that the government will enhance local production of specialised equipment and instructional materials to be used in Kenyan classes.