Release school cash, Kuppet tells govt

Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi (left) with Permanent Secretary Dr Belio Kipsang (right) during a past press briefing. Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) has asked the government to release free secondary education funds to schools. PHOTO | DIANA NGILA 

By OUMA WANZALA
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Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) has asked the government to release free secondary education funds to schools.

 

Kuppet national chairman Omboko Milemba said school heads are finding it hard to keep pupils in schools due to lack of funds.

“It is the Ministry of Education that sets the school calendar and should be at the forefront to ensure that they release funds on time in order to avoid unnecessary inconveniences as it is was in the budgetary allocation,” said Mr Milemba.

He said that several school heads have started to send students back home on flimsy reasons in order to raise money to keep them in schools.

“Principals were expecting a 50 per cent of the allocation this term and we fear that this could affect the quality of education unless the schools get the money,” said the national chairman.

Mr Milemba added that at the moment there is no learning that is going on in secondary schools as the money is supposed to be used to buy learning materials.

He also called on the government to double the allocation per each student from 10,265 to 20,530 saying that the cost of living had gone up.

Similar sentiments were echoed by Kenya Secondary School Heads Association chairman John Awiti.

Mr Awiti said that they were yet to receive any communication from the government on when they would get the cash.

However, he said that the secondary schools can still do inter-borrowing as they wait for the cash.

Mr Awiti said day secondary schools were the most affected with the delay in the disbursement of the cash as they cannot borrow.

“We have heard that the delay is as a result of bureaucracy at the National Treasury. It is our hope that they will release the funds as soon as possible,” said Mr Awiti.

Attempt to get comments from Cabinet Secretary for Education Prof Jacob Kaimenyi and his Principal Secretary Dr Belio Kipsang were unsuccessful as their phones went answered and they did not reply to text messages on the issue.