Budget: Education sector allocated Sh473.4 billion

TSC CEO Nancy Macharia (left) and Cabinet Secretary for Education Prof. George Magoha (right).

NAIROBI, KENYA: The government projects budget on education to hit Sh Sh504 million by the time President Uhuru Kenyatta leaves the office.

In the 2019/2020 budget estimates, the sector has been allocated Sh473 billion probably the highest among other sectors in this year’s budget.

The Sector has prioritised several programmes for implementation including the recruitment of additional teachers to support 100 percent transition policy of the Government and continued support to Free Primary Education and Free Day Secondary Education through increased capitation.

Other prioritise include continued support to Special Needs Education (SNE) through increased capitation to SNE learners and the provision of examination fees for all students in KCPE and KCSE.

The Sector will also complete the ongoing construction and equipment of technical training institutes (TTIs) and support university education in public and private universities in order to equip the youth with relevant skills required to drive the industrialisation agenda.

During the FY 2015/16 -2017/18 MTEF period, the Sector made several achievements including increased completion rate at primary level from 82.7 percent in 2015 to 84 percent in 2017 and increased the transition rate from primary to secondary school level from 81.9 percent in 2015 to 88 percent in 2018 January.

 On curriculum reforms, the Sector developed 30 curriculum designs for grade 1&2 preprimary and grade one, two, & 3 in the lower primary in 2016/17; developed 31 curriculum designed and adopted 21 designs for Special Needs Education (SNE) 2017/18.

It also piloted phase one and 2 in 470 schools across the country; and finalized Competence Based Education and Training (CBET) curriculum development standards framework and developed 41 CBET curricula.

National Treasury Cabinet Secretary will on Thursday unveil the spending plans for the financial year that begins on July 1.

He will also indicate how his ministry plans to fund the Sh3.02 trillion budget, likely through a raft of new taxes and new loans estimated at Sh608 billion.