Headteachers worry over one million students missing capitation
Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association Chairman Indimuli Kahi speaks to journalists on June 26, 2023 as the 46th annual national conference of the association started in Mombasa.
Secondary school principals meeting in Mombasa are worried that one million children will miss out on the capitation grant after the President assented to the Finance Bill 2023.
Speaking during a press conference at Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Hall in Mombasa, Kenya Secondary School Heads Association chairperson Indimuli Kahi said more funds should be allocated to ensure that all children receive capitation.
“The other day, the Basic Education Principal Secretary Dr Belio Kipsang, in his remarks in Parliament, indicated that with what is in the budget, there is a possibility that one million pupils will not get the capitation grant. Already, there is this fear about what we are getting in the implementation of the Finance Bill as far as education is concerned, we have to take cognisance of the red flag that the PS has already raised,” he said.
Sanitation issues
He continued: “It means that the complaints we have now, that we are not getting the full Sh22,244, then we may get less this financial year.”
The principals are set to discuss sanitation issues in boarding schools after three students and a teacher at Mukumu Girls High School in Kakamega County succumbed to an illness linked to contaminated food and water in April.
The more than 7,000 school heads are worried about hygiene in their institutions amid overcrowding problems due to the 100 per cent transition policy. Mr Kahi said they had invited students to discuss sanitation and the challenges they face in educational institutions and how best to resolve them.
The principals also want to understand the State’s preparedness for the introduction of the competency-based curriculum in senior secondary.
“This is the first year of junior secondary school, we have two more years before the students enter senior secondary school. What are the different pathways that students will choose? Will all schools choose all three options? If not, what criteria will be required for each school to choose?” asked Mr Kahi. “This is preparation time for us and we would like direction and advice on what we should do to prepare in time.”
The President of the International Confederation of Principals, Prof Peter Kent, is expected to talk about preparing school leaders for curriculum change.
“Curriculum will always change, but how should education managers like us prepare for it? We will have discussions with the Ministry of Education led by Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu and his two principal secretaries Dr Kipsang and Beatrice Inyangala,” said Mr Kahi.
Selling uniforms
At the same time, the association refuted claims that its members have turned educational institutions into money-making ventures by selling uniforms.
“That is a perception. No headteacher in his right mind would want to turn his school into a money-making machine by selling uniforms. We don’t sell uniforms. People should understand that schools are also subject to the public procurement process,” he explained, adding that they were only providing an avenue for parents to easily access the uniforms.
“Look at the newspapers, schools advertise. You will find that schools have advertised supply of uniforms, which means that those who apply will be selected on a competitive basis. After that, we either tell a parent to go and buy there or the supplier to bring the uniforms to the school,” he said.
He said they don’t mind if parents buy uniforms anywhere. “It is the same parents who will start saying they are being exploited.”
This year's conference theme is Enhancing Effectiveness and Efficiency in Education, and Mr Kahi said the secondary school managers will take stock of their efficiency and effectiveness for the past year and the lessons learnt.
“We are also looking at how we did in the old dispensation that is coming to an end, the 8-4-4, and how we can learn from those lessons to improve in the new competency-based curriculum,” he said.
