Why NGO wants state to increase funding on education

Says the environment in schools has not been adequately resourced to facilitate optimal learning

In Summary

•According to the NGO, millions of children globally are deprived of learning due to several factors

•These include being caught up in emergencies, face extreme poverty, or are discriminated against because of their gender, disability or ethnicity

A teacher takes a Grade 4 pupil through a lesson at Oloolua Primary School in Kajiado county.
LITERACY LEVELS: A teacher takes a Grade 4 pupil through a lesson at Oloolua Primary School in Kajiado county.
Image: FILE

Save the Children has called on the government to increase funding for education to respond adequately to emerging needs.

The NGO in a statement on Wednesday said education budgets should be adjusted amid rising CBC learning needs, inflation and the growing number of learners enrolled in schools.

Save the Children champions the rights and interests of children across the world putting the most vulnerable children first.

It said that even though Kenya has made significant strides in the provision of quality education through free primary and secondary day education, more needs to be done.

Save the Children Country Director Yvonne Arunga said that despite the progress, the learning environment in schools has not been adequately resourced to facilitate optimal learning and unlock children's full potential as envisioned in the CBC.

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 current budget process should consider revising primary school per capita grant to Sh8,546 up from Sh1,440, secondary school per capita grant from Sh22,244 to Sh29,401 being the minimum optimal capitation and apply a differentiated unit cost for Special Needs Education (SNE) capitation," Arunga said.

"National education budgets should also respond adequately to CBC learning needs, inflation and the growing number of learners enrolled in schools."

According to Save the Children, every child has the right to education.

It is now advocating for increased government commitment to holistic skills development in learning institutions in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals, Kenya Vision 2030 and the African Agenda 2063.

According to the NGO, millions of children globally are deprived of learning due to several factors.

These include being caught up in emergencies, facing extreme poverty, or being discriminated against because of their gender, disability or ethnicity.

"The world's most vulnerable and excluded children are missing out on education," Save the Children says.

It is estimated that today, nearly 400 million children of primary school age globally cannot read or write while 25 million children will never enrol in school; two-thirds of them being girls.

This means without a quality basic education, children are less likely to escape the cycle of poverty and may never have the opportunity to fulfil their potential.

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