Students in Eldoret town, Uasin Gishu County, on May 9, 2023, as schools reopened for the second term. Schools across the country are struggling to keep learners in school as commodity prices continue to rise and previously set budgets are broken.
| Jared Nyataya | Nation Media GroupEducation
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Give us money or close schools, heads say as commodity prices rise
Schools across the country are struggling to keep learners in school as commodity prices continue to rise and previously set budgets are broken.
At the same time, the Ministry of Education is yet to disburse the capitation funds to schools, a month after they opened.
School managers are now caught between running up more debts with suppliers or asking parents to pay more as the institutions run out of food and other supplies. They are now warning that they will not be able to keep students in school unless the government intervenes urgently. Some head teachers have also said there is a risk of unrest if the delay in releasing funds continues.
The situation has been exacerbated by the inability of many parents to pay school fees in full as many households struggle economically.
Commodity prices have risen dramatically, in some cases more than doubling since schools drew up their budgets.
“There is an urgent need for the Ministry of Education to send capitation grants to schools. Schools are operating on the edge due to financial challenges. Headmasters are talking to pupils to agree on food rationing or skipping meals, which is a very sensitive issue, especially in boarding schools,” said Emuhaya MP Omboko Milemba, who is also the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers national chairman.
“Suppliers have not been paid, the situation is dire. As a union, we are calling on Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu to stop everything else he is doing and prioritise the disbursement of funds within the next three days, otherwise, schools will be forced to close,” he said. He warned that the closure of schools would be detrimental to learners and the educational calendar.
The Nation has established that schools are buying a 90kg bag of beans for between Sh15,000 and Sh20,000 while maize is going for between Sh7,000 and Sh8,000. Both are common in most schools’ diets.
“Githeri used to be the main food in our school but now it’s too expensive. Rice is cheaper, but I’m afraid if we start feeding them rice and then go back to githeri when prices stabilise, the students will resist and it will be chaos,” said a head teacher. He added that reducing portions was not an option.
Electricity, fuel increase
Apart from food, the cost of electricity and fuel has also increased. According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, 50 units of electricity sold for Sh1,326.535 in May, up from Sh796.83 at the same time last year. A litre of diesel was selling at an average of Sh169.10, up from Sh131.91 at the same time last year, while a litre of petrol costs Sh183.29 compared to Sh150.94. Many schools use diesel to run generators and petrol for their vehicles.
Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet ) Secretary-General Akelo Misori (left) and Chairman Omboko Milemba addressing the press in Nairobi on March 7, 2023. Mr Milemba has said there is an urgent need for the Ministry of Education to send capitation grants to schools.
The current prices are well above what schools budgeted for in June last year, putting management committees in a difficult position as they cannot adjust the fees mid-year without government approval.
While the government pays tuition fees for students in primary and secondary schools, parents pay for boarding and meals in day schools.
“We have used what parents have paid to buy learning materials, pay salaries, electricity and print exams, among other things,” said a head teacher in Embu County.
Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association Nandi Central chairperson Zakayo Chepchieng said the high food price crisis has affected all schools, forcing them to spend more to keep learners in school.
“Parents are still paying the same school fees, most of them in small instalments, unlike before when they used to pay full amounts,” the official said. “We take almost everything on credit, which is very expensive. I’m afraid the schools will have huge deficits and we don’t know who will pay. The only way is to increase fees or the capitation,” said another head teacher.
Due to the high cost of living, suppliers have also imposed harsh conditions on schools, demanding advance payment before supplying essential food items.
Silas Obuhatsa, president of the National Parents Association, opposed the closure of schools “because parents are also starving at home”.
National Parents Association Chairman David Obuhatsa Silas (centre). Mr Obuhatsa opposed the closure of schools “because parents are also starving at home”.
“It’s easier to manage pupils in school than at home. We don’t support the closure of schools before the right calendar date,” he said, urging parents with huge school fees arrears to salvage the situation by meeting their obligations.
“School managers should also try to persuade learners to accept to eat what’s available food, not necessarily from their routine menus,” he added.
Nandi Governor Stephen Sang said secondary school principals had appealed to the county government for assistance in buying food.
“Whenever I come to my office, I find several requests from schools asking my administration to help them buy maize and beans, which they cannot afford unless the prices come down,” the governor said.
Last week, Mr Machogu promised that Sh28 billion would be paid into schools’ accounts by Friday last week. The CS did not respond to our calls, with sources in his ministry confirming he was in a day-long meeting, as was Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang.
Reporting by David Muchunguh, Winnie Atieno and Tom Matoke
