Co-curricular activities to get billions in funding

Rabuor primary school preparing to perform African Luo singing game at the day of the National music festivals which is being held in Kisumu county. [Collins Oduor, Standard]

All co-curricular activities in primary and secondary schools will be funded by the State.

Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang said this will ease parents' burden. The co-curricular activities in schools were suspended following the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020.

Before then, the State had revealed that it would have spent Sh3.5 billion on co-curriculum activities in public primary and secondary schools in 2020.

Kipsang, who was then the Education CS, said Sh2.8 billion would have been channeled to secondary schools and Sh700 million to primary schools for sports among other co-curriculum activities.

Last year, activities such as sports and drama resumed gradually but this year the school calendar is expected to revert to normal when schools open on January 23.

In a letter to directors of education, dated December 21, 2022, and seen by the Standard, the PS did not indicate the cost but insisted that expenses for all the co-curricular activities will be footed by the government.

"The government funding shall cater for travel, accommodation, the subsistence of all students participating in all co-curricular at all levels of the activities," said Kipsang.

They include sports, music and drama festivals, and science and engineering fairs.

The PS has directed regional, county, and sub-county directors of education to conduct the election of new committees that will manage the fund.

The committee shall comprise education directors at every level, representatives from primary, secondary and private schools' associations, special needs education, and Teachers Service Commission TSC's quality assurance and standards officials.

"As you are aware the term of the existing co-curricular activities committees expires in February 2023," said Kipsang.

He added the new committees will work on the budget to enable the ministry to disburse the funds.

"The committees' functions will be the budgeting for the funds released by the ministry of education, programming, coordination of activities, fundraising, and working closely with other partners," he said.

The government to cater for the preparation of fields, halls, and exhibition rooms, and Kipsang said that no pending bills shall be allowed at any level of the co-curricular activities

Officials said the calendar for the primary, secondary, special needs, music, drama festivals, and science and engineering fairs is ready and is waiting for the PS's approval.

"The competency-based curriculum has considered talent development as an important component that will enable the learners to realise holistic education by developing skills, values, and knowledge that will apply in real life situations and become productive members of the society, " said the PS, adding that is the reason why the co-curricular organisers have been instructed to follow set guidelines when managing the activities.

The State will also purchase trophies, security, health issues, and facilitation of judges, referees, adjudicators, and other officials at all levels.