Government Urges Parliament to raise Capitation funds for Free Education

In recent years, the government of Kenya has been grappling with the challenge of financing free education in the face of a rapidly growing student population. According to an article published on Capital News, the Ministry of Education has expressed concerns over the resource constraints caused by the increasing number of students seeking education in the country.

As of January 2024, the student population had risen by a staggering one million, posing a significant challenge to government funding. Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang highlighted the fact that while the student population has been growing, the budget allocated for Free Secondary Education capitation has remained the same.

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Kipsang emphasized that the current allocation of between Sh64 billion and Sh65 billion is insufficient to cater to the capitation requirement of Sh22,224 per student. Consequently, a downward revision has been made to provide a capitation of Sh17,000 per student. This adjustment means that the government can only fund approximately 3.2 million children, leaving a shortfall of around 1 million students.

In light of this funding deficit, Kipsang urged Parliament to increase the blocked figure from Sh65 billion, matching the Sh22,224 capitation requirement for the 4.2 million students in secondary schools. However, it is worth noting that even if the capitation was increased to Sh22,224 per student, the government would still underfund the State Department of Basic Education by Sh22 billion. This underfunding is exacerbated by the depreciation of the Kenyan Shilling, which has not been factored into the current allocation.

The article also highlights the concerns raised by the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) regarding the government’s failure to release capitation fees. This delay has had adverse effects on public school operations, with headteachers struggling to run their institutions due to the ongoing financial crisis. The underfunding issue is expected to persist until 2023 when there will be no new intake of students into secondary schools, reducing the underfunding to around Sh11 billion.

In an attempt to address the financial challenges faced by schools, the government has cautioned principals and heads of institutions against charging extra levies. The funding provided by the government is intended to cover the tuition-related facilities and needs of the schools. Any additional charges would place an undue burden on parents and guardians, who are already grappling with the cost of education.

In conclusion, the government of Kenya is currently facing hurdles in financing free education due to the increased student population. The current budget allocation falls short of the capitation requirement per student, necessitating a downward revision in funding. The government is urging Parliament to increase the allocated budget to meet the needs of the 4.2 million students in secondary schools. However, even with an increase in capitation, there is still an underfunding issue that needs to be addressed. It is crucial for the government to find sustainable solutions to ensure that every child has access to quality education without imposing additional financial burdens on parents and guardians.