Kenyan education system in crisis as schools starved of cash

Earlier this month when head teacher Oguttu went to the bank to withdraw funds disbursed by the government, he was shocked by the amount allocated to his school.

“I was expecting more than KSh100,000 [$712] only to find less than KSh20,000 [$142] in the school’s account. I was left speechless,” says Oguttu, a headteacher in a public primary school in Siaya county in Western Kenya, who only gave his first name because he said he wanted to avoid being harassed by education ministry officials.

Oguttu says he paused outside the banking hall wondering how KSh20,000 would pay for the school’s rising expenses.

“I sat down on a bench wondering how meagre funds will pay teachers hired by the school board, our cooks and security guards, pay our electricity bills and also buy food for the students,” says the headteacher.

Oguttu was referring to capitation funds the government disburses to public schools every term to help sustain learning activities.

Primary schools receive government funding of KSh1,420 ($10) per pupil while head teachers at junior secondary schools get KSh15,040 ($107) for every pupil. Senior secondary schools receive KSh22,240 ($158) per student.

Government payment problems

In the 2022/2023 budget senior secondary schools were allocated KSh60bn ($427m), primary schools KSh4.6bn ($33mn) and junior secondary schools KSh3.8bn ($27m).

However, the disbursement has been marred by frequent delays plunging many schools into financial crisis and leaving headteachers with the burden of looking for extra funding to ensure learning continues.

The delay in disbursements has slowed down learning in most schools with some institutions partially closing or suspending classes altogether, comprising the delivery of quality education.

This year capitation funds to cover the first term school calendar were not only delayed, but were also inadequate.

We are going through a difficult time. Even important teaching materials like chalk, pens and paper are difficult to buy

In late May, after months of delay, Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu announced that the government would release KSh28bn ($199m) to schools, but actually sent KSh6bn ($43m) less of what was initially promised.

This is why Oguttu’s school and many others received less money in their accounts.

“We are going through a difficult time. Even important teaching materials like chalk, pens and paper are difficult to buy,” says the headteacher.

School riot

Oguttu remembers an incident where two young teachers in the school almost came to blows after disagreeing on how to share the few pieces of chalk that were available.

A headteacher of a secondary school in Kisii County, who preferred not to be named, says he was forced to ration food after the government delayed releasing the funds to cover the first school term this year.

“However, the students went on a rampage destroying school property and refusing to attend classes accusing me of starving them, yet it was not my fault,” he says.

He regrets that valuable learning time was lost in the process “after we were forced to temporarily send the students home to avoid further destruction of school property”.

Failure to pay school fees

The problem is worsened by parents who do not pay the required school fees and other charges in full.

“Parents also fail to pay school fees on time yet the government bars us from sending students home. Many headteachers, including myself, normally defy the order because we need money to maintain the students,” says Oguttu.

The headteachers need funds to ensure proper running of schools while parents are struggling to make ends meet due the high cost of living.

Rosemary Muthoka is one of the many parents from Nairobi County whose children were sent home during the first school term for failure to pay fees.

Last year, Muthoka lost her job as a cashier at Tuskys Supermarket – which is currently under liquidation – making it difficult to pay for her expenses.

“I have struggled to pay school fees this year,” says the 40-year-old whose son studies at a boarding school in Nairobi County. “I thought the capitation funds sent by the government would help lower the cost of education, but it seems it is not the case.”

Her child had to stay home for two weeks while she looked for money to offset the unpaid balance.

The money required for term one was KSh27,000 ($192) and had seven different sets of charges, some of which were written in abbreviated form, making it difficult to understand the fee breakdown.

‘No free education’

Rose Muliro, a former primary school teacher from Kakamega County in Western Kenya, empathises with both the headteachers and the parents, instead accusing the government of poor planning.

“The headteachers need funds to ensure proper running of schools while parents are struggling to make ends meet due the high cost of living. It is the government’s fault,” Muliro says.

She maintains that the existence of free education in Kenya as frequently touted by government officials is nothing but hot air.

“Though the government and politicians like to talk about free primary education, that only exists on paper. There [are] a myriad of charges that parents pay,” she says.

In addition, parents still have to contribute money to pay for teachers employed by school management boards, subordinate staff and also cater for students’ extra-curricular activities that take place in the second school term.

The newly-introduced Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) has also increased the cost of education as parents are now required to buy more school materials for the numerous practical lessons offered.

“We are now buying school materials, which we never used to buy in the 8-4-4 system,” says Janerose Gichungi, a parent in Kiambu County, referring to the eight years of primary school, four years of secondary school and four years of university educational system that was abolished to pave way for the CBC.

Gichungi says her Grade Four child now brings home assignments involving taking photos, printing them and attaching them on manila paper.

“Some of the assignments involve attaching objects used for washing hands, such as soaps and rinsing napkins. Others require the students to make kites, canoes and bean bags. All the materials needed must be bought by the parents,” she says.

Shortage of teachers

A teacher at Olympic Primary School in Nairobi’s Kibera Slum, who requested not to be named, says most public schools are facing a shortage of teachers due to the demands of the new education curriculum.

“Under the new system, students in junior secondary schools are required to take up to 12 subjects, an increase of six more, compared to the old 8-4-4 system,” she says.

The most affected are junior secondary schools where compulsory subjects have been increased, but there are no adequate teachers to teach them

“It is an extra load of work on the few teachers available in public schools,” the young teacher says, adding that the situation will worsen if the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) in various schools do not employ extra teachers.

“The most affected are junior secondary schools where compulsory subjects have been increased, but there are no adequate teachers to teach them. I fear this will compromise our quality of education if not addressed urgently,” she says.

Kennedy Echesa, a legal and education expert, blames the government for the crisis in the sector.

‘Blame the government’

According to Echesa, the government undertook to release 50% of the capitation funds in term one, 30% in term two and 20% in term three.

“In Term One the government only released 25% and in mid-June released 20% hence, cumulatively, the state has so far released 45%, which means it has not even covered Term One, which has already ended,” says Echesa.

He notes that the capitation funds being released are based on pre-2010 budgets, which ignores the fact that prices of essential commodities have more than doubled in the past decade.

“That is why schools are having difficulties meeting their expenses because prices of commodities have increased and are not the same as they were in 2010,” says the lawyer.

Echesa says he undertook a quick survey in schools and realised that only 15% of parents pay fees in full and on time. This is the reason head teachers normally send the majority of students home to get fees, he says, “because students have to be taught, they have to be fed and all that requires money”.

Extra teachers

CS Machogu disagrees, maintaining that despite the delay in disbursing capitation funds, 85% of pupils have already paid their school fees.

“There is no excuse for parents to keep children at home because parents are paying part of the school fees in each and every level of education that is from primary to the university,” he says.

We cannot wholly blame the ministry of education because as a country we are facing economic hardships.

He notes that the Teacher Service Commission (TSC) is in the process of recruiting 30,000 extra teachers for junior secondary schools in order to deal with the shortage.

“We are not abolishing boarding schools, but there is a need for more day schools to accommodate more students and encourage parental guidance,” says Machogu.

Lack of transparency

Amos Kaburu is Chief Consul of the Opticum Group, a business consulting outfit that offers a number of services, including educational consulting. He concurs with the cabinet secretary, arguing that the education ministry cannot be wholly blamed for the crisis in schools.

“We cannot wholly blame the ministry of education because as a country we are facing economic hardships. The entire value chain has a challenge,” says Kaburu.

He accuses head teachers of not being transparent enough on how the money received from both the government and parents is spent.

“Headteachers will come with all manner of excuses to squeeze more money from parents. They [head teachers] are at times not honest about the actual cost of education,” Kaburu says.

“We need more transparency and accountability on how education funds are spent. We cannot continue increasing the budget for education without asking questions.”