Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Ministry of Education to release capitation funds.
The union on Thursday threatened that failure to disburse the funds would culminate in the union advising school heads to close the institutions and send learners home.
Kuppet Deputy Secretary-General Moses Nthurima dismissed the announcement made by Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba regarding the release of funds.
Despite the government's statement that Sh48.4 billion had been allocated for public schools, he pointed out that many schools are yet to receive the expected cash.
“Two weeks since the schools opened for the new year, the government has not disbursed capitation funds. Many schools already face serious financial challenges, including payment of suppliers, school contractors and workers and student accommodation. We are demanding that government remits the capitation to schools within seven days from today. Failure to this we shall advise the principals to close the schools,” he said.
The deputy secretary-general revealed that the government still owes schools money from last year, with Sh7,000 per learner remaining unpaid.
He said the in Junior Secondary school arises from the government's decision to reduce capitation funds for secondary schools.
“While the government saves money, the loss in educational opportunities far outweighs any benefits. Although 27 percent of the national budget (Sh656 billion) is allocated to education, much of it goes toward paying school bills, leaving little for actual learning. This year, the Ministry of Education has only disbursed Sh15,240 per student, leaving a balance of Sh7,000 out of the Sh22,000 per student. An additional Sh20-64 billion remains undisbursed, yet the government continues to claim it supports access to education,” he said.
Mr Nthurima emphasized the urgency of the government releasing capitation to schools, saying that the consequences of neglecting this issue would be dire, as students would be deprived of food, books, and essential learning facilities, which could spark unrest.
“What we are asking for is simple: the government must release the capitation within seven days. Our principals are under immense stress, and it's taking a toll on them. They are workers too, and they cannot continue shouldering the burden of financing education on their own,” he said.
“We are demanding that the government release the capitation to schools within seven days. If this does not happen, we will have no choice but to ask principals to close the schools. The consequences of such a situation would be harmful to the country. When children are not being fed, when they don't have books or the necessary learning facilities, they will inevitably react. However, we are not wishing for such reactions.”
He further stated that the projected deficit is now estimated to exceed 50,000, despite the government's efforts to recruit and deploy 70,000 teachers to JSS over the past two years. He added that this shortfall persists even with the reduction in the number of learning areas across all three JSS classes.
“Quite unfortunately, the government is employing emergency measures for JSS when it has an obvious solution to the teacher deficit. The retention of the Grade Nine class in primary schools has left secondary schools with empty classes and idle amenities including classrooms, laboratories, sports facilities and, even more importantly, teachers,” he said.
