Head teachers in panic over cash crunch

Students sitting their Kenya Certificate of Secondary Examination (KCSE) last year.  The exams are due to start in a week’s time and head teachers say they have not received money to buy necessary equipment. [PHOTO: file/STANDARD]

By AUGUSTINE ODUOR

Lack of funds to purchase examination kits has thrown secondary school heads into a panic.

Schools have not been provided with funds to purchase equipment for candidates sitting biology and physics practicals in the national examinations.

The government’s delay in releasing the free secondary education cash has left many heads of schools in a position of not knowing what to do. The exams are due to start in a week’s time.

The National Chairman of the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (Kessha), John Awiti, has confirmed that many schools have not bought the necessary equipment for the examinations.

“Several schools have said they cannot afford to buy the critical equipment and items needed for practical subjects,” he said.

• .

  Keep Reading

• 
  It makes sense to re-visit where Grade Nine should be domiciled
• 
  You have let us down, UDA tells Sakaja over rot at City Hall
• 
  Concern over closure of schools owned by flower farms
• 
  Grade 9 to remain in primary despite secondary school push

He added that the Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) has already sent schools a list of the items to be purchased.

“The schools have received a raft of items to be bought but where is the money? The government has not sent any cash for third term so we do not know how the students will write these examinations,” he said.

On Sunday, Education Principal Secretary Dr Bellio Kipsang said the ministry and Treasury were working to ensure the funds are available this week.

“We have prioritised the secondary school money and we shall ensure it is sent to schools early this week. We are currently in consultation with Treasury to ensure schools get equipment needed for practicals in biology and physics so that examinations go on uninterrupted,” Kipsang told The Standard Sunday via telephone.

He, however, did not disclose how much money was being processed.

Secondary school head teachers who spoke to The Standard talked of panic in schools as the examinations date approached.

“This time, we may be caught off guard as schools are barely prepared for these examinations. We need money to buy these items way ahead of examinations,” said a senior teacher at a Nairobi school.

Knec Chief Executive Officer Paul Wasanga announced last month that some 449,246 students will sit this year’s Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) in 7,606 centres.

He said the examinations that are to start on October 22 are slated to end on November 15.

Sudanese pupils

Wasanga also said some 844,475 pupils will sit this year’s Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) in 23,819 centres.

About 900 pupils from the Republic of South Sudan will write KCPE this year. The primary school examinations take three days.

He said KCPE will officially start November 12, with candidates’ rehearsal scheduled a day before.

Public schools have continued to manage one crisis after another following incessant delays in disbursement of the free education funds.

Awiti accused the government of reneging on the agreements reached regarding disbursement of the funds.

“We agreed that the funds would be released on a 50:30:20 basis for first, second and third terms respectively, yet they have released less money every time,” he said.