Ogamba worried of education quality in the face of Sh64bn undisbursed cash

Education CS Julius Ogamba has warned that the quality of the country’s education risks being watered down after it emerged public schools are owed Sh64 billion.

The billions in capitation have spread over the last nine years.

Ogamba spoke when he appeared before the National Assembly’s Education Committee to respond to questions and statements from members.

MPs had sought clarification on a number of issues, among them claims that some school heads have been forced to charge extra levies to bridge the capitation gap.

“We need to discuss how we can fund the education sector in the country. Persistent underfunding affects the quality of education. It is a live problem,” Ogamba told the Committee chaired by Tinderet MP Julius Melly.

“We ask for a budget but it is reduced. We are grappling with the question of what do we do about it? We don’t get what we ask for. We continue to accumulate as the number of students increases.”

The CS challenged the MPs to consider having the education budgetary allocation ringfenced from any future cuts to ensure seamless funding of the critical sector.

Igembe North MP Julius Taitamu, shocked by the undisbursed millions, demanded that the CS explains the current funding status in public schools.

“You are lying! Just tell the country that it is the parents running the schools,” Taitamu said.

“How free is education in the country? How do school heads plan without capitation funds? How do they run the schools in such circumstances?” Narok Woman Representative Rebecca Tonkei added.

Committee chairperson Julius Melly also unconvinced demanded comprehensive explanation why  parents continue to be charged extra levies.

“Parents are asked to pay for examination fees in schools. Why are you allowing parents to be fleeced?” Melly posed.

“Are we able to provide free education? We need a national conference on this.”

Kibra MP Peter Orero regretted that for the last six years, schools have never received the entire capitation as out of the Sh22, 000 [per student] required for three terms, in first term schools received Sh8,000, in second term they received Sh5,200 and in third term they received Sh3,500.

“The heads of intuition cannot complain because if they do so they will either be sacked, transferred or localized. Like in my case when I was a principal I was localized and that is why I decided to become an MP,” Orero stated.

The CS was also on the receiving end after it emerged that although each learner has a capitation of Sh76 to cater for the activity fees, Sh40 is retained at the ministry headquarters, locking out the learners from co-curricular activities.

As a result, learners end up not participating in co-curricular activities forcing parents and guardians supplement from their pockets.

In junior schools, Sh700 has been allocated for curricular activities and Sh647 for internal assessment per learner while in secondary school’s activity for term one was Sh595.

INSTANT ANALYSIS

Public schools have been struggling to keep the students in schools due to delayed funding, something that has seen some school administrators charging parents extra levies to have the schools running. To avoid situations of charging illegal fees, CS Ogamba is now urging for timely disbursement of capitation fee as well as ring fencing the same.