It’s sweet news for teachers, candidates

Cabinet secretary education Jacob Kaimenyi  PHOTO: COURTESY

By RAWLINGS OTIENO

Kenya: It is good news for teachers, candidates and parents after the Government announced waivers and allocations to be included in the upcoming budgets to improve and lower the cost of education.

Beginning next year, candidates sitting national examinations at the end of primary and secondary education will no longer pay exam fees. Teachers are also big winners as Sh2.3 billion has been set aside to promote 7,500 teachers and an additional 5,000 tutors are to be recruited from July.

And parents who have borne the brunt of rising school fees will also receive a reprieve, as the Government will foot some service charges in schools blamed for raising levies and also increase the subsidy for students.

These are among the goodies Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi announced yesterday during a press conference at the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) headquarters where he met the union officials.

Kaimenyi explained the measures are to implement the Basic Education Act, but it was also evident the interventions were aimed at averting a looming confrontation with teachers. The Government promised to increase the capitation for the Free Primary and the subsidised secondary education in all public schools.

Authorities moved to forestall an industrial action that had been called by Knut by accepting to recruit 5,000 teachers in the next financial year beginning July.

Apart from bridging teachers’ deficit, the Government has set aside Sh2.3 billion to promote 7,500 teachers, a move calculated to avert another looming confrontation with teachers. Kaimenyi said that in the next three years, no pupil or student will pay any money to get education in public learning institutions.

“We are moving towards offering free basic education from early childhood education to the secondary level. We have increased the capitation for each pupil that includes the examination fee,” said Kaimenyi.

Kaimenyi said the Government would also foot the electricity and water bills and meet the cost of  paying the subordinate staff.

This is designed to eliminate levies charged by schools that burden parents. All these will be implemented progressively for the next three financial years of the Jubilee Government.

Currently, the capitation for each pupil is Sh1,020 but come next year, the amount will be increased by between 44 to 50 per cent which translates to between Sh448 to Sh510 per pupil. This means that the capitation for each child will be between Sh1,468 and Sh1,530 per child.

Since the inception of the Free Primary Education in January 2003, enrolment has increased from 5.9 million to 8.7 million pupils currently in public schools.

Last month, Wajir South MP Abdullahi Diriye moved a motion in Parliament to compel the Government to increase the capitation per child from Sh1,020 to 3,060 citing the ever-rising inflation levels.

The CS maintained that it is the role of the Government to make sure that the teacher-pupil ratio meets the international standard.

Girls over 10 years old will be supplied with sanitary towels after the Government increased the budget for the items from Sh200million in the last financial year to Sh 400million.

According to Kaimenyi, in the next three years, students in all public Secondary schools will have lunch at school at the taxpayers’ expense. “We will make sure that all students in secondary schools get lunch at the school. We want to fully implement the Basic education Act as it is,” said Kaimenyi.

For promotion of teachers, the Government needed Sh3 billion but has only allocated Sh2.3 billion, falling short by Sh700 million, which Kaimenyi says they will look for ways to fix. “Talks and consultations are still underway. We will look for a way of fixing the deficit,” added Kaimenyi. The second phase of the teachers’ commuter allowance has also been factored in the budget at a cost of Sh3.8 billion, which the teacher will start enjoying at the end of July this year.

Graduates’ jobs

Knut Secretary General Wilson Sossion said the union had requested the Ministry of Education Sh18 billion for recruiting 40,000 teachers and another Sh5.9 billion for implementing the CBA signed last year to pay for commuter allowance. “We have had consultations with the CS and dialogued. We have been given part of what we requested and it seems the Government is committed to fulfil its pledges,” said Sossion.

However, the Government seems to be silent on the issue of Early Childhood Development Teachers after Knut had requested 28,000 teachers that could have cost Sh4.8 billion. The Government is also moving to de-ethnicise and erase stereotypes by coming up with the Kenya Future Leaders Programme that seeks to make young graduates patriotic citizens.

According to Kaimenyi, the programme will employ more than 30,000 graduates once they finish their studies and they will be deployed across the 47 Counties and not in their original home counties. “We are fine-tuning the programme that will create employment for young graduates. We must promote national cohesion and strengthen primary education outcomes,” said Kaimenyi.

The graduates will be first trained on lobbying skills, communication and leadership skills using a curriculum being developed by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development before they are deployed.

Already, the Government through the Education ministry has set aside Sh355 million to kick off the drive, a move that will make young graduates get internship in various organisations and companies once they graduate.