Kenyan Gov’t admits that Funding Free public education is difficult.
Education Secretary Ezekiel Machogu has issued a statement detailing the government’s struggles to adequately fund education initiatives. If the supplementary budget isn’t used immediately to allocate more money, the Ministry of Education fears a crisis could develop.
Basic Education permanent secretary Belio Kipsang informed the National Assembly Committee on Education that he has been in talks with the National Treasury about a financial gap of Sh22 billion, necessary for the proper running of educational institutions.
Dr. Kipsang was chastised by the committee chairman, Julius Melly, for being too bureaucratic and evasive when asked about the source of finances, which Melly says does not give an authentic perspective to the public.
Several groups have complained that the government has not increased funding for schools at the same rate as recent increases in enrollment.
Mr. Melly questioned Kipsang on his assurance of Sh22,244, asking why he was not disclosing the government’s commitment of Sh16,000. He said the PS was being dishonest about how much money was actually available. Due to economic difficulties, the ministry’s current budget allocation per student under the Free Day Secondary Education Program has been decreased to Sh16,428 from the original Sh22,244.
In 2024, there will likely be close to 4.2 million students, according to predictions. With the current budget level, this would mean a drop in per-student capitation to Sh15,476.
STEM Learning Given the persistent budget gap and the difficulties many schools are having making ends meet, Ezekiel Machogu has petitioned the House committee to step in and ensure schools receive adequate funding.
PS for Basic Education Belio Kipsang echoed these worries, saying that despite an extra budget of Sh8.9 billion, it is still not enough to address the needs of schools across the country. He suggested that the Constituency Development Fund should now be responsible for constructing 3,000 classrooms this year.
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