Rescue parents, lobby pleads as capitation slash in 2024 looms

The National Parents Association has raised concern after Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu told MPs of the possibility of a capitation slash for secondary schools next year. 

NPA chairperson Silas Obuhatsa told the Star on Friday that they are worried following Machogu's observation during the parliamentary committee.

"This might seriously affect the parents considering that the burden of meeting the fee balance might fall squarely on their heads," Obuhatsa said. 

The NPA boss noted that though the Ministry of Education is yet to talk about increasing fees next year, the association is wondering how principals will manage to run schools with underfunding. 

He quipped that the current set capitation at Sh22,000 per student is like a drop in the ocean, so what about the Sh15,000 government wants to offer? 

Obuhasta urged the ministry to think of the best way to handle the situation to ensure school heads don't look for other ways to charge parents extra levies. 

"Heads of schools should not go back to the system of introducing private school fee structures to parents to charge extra levies without the full involvement of parents at all school levels," Obuhatsa said. 

He noted that many learners who come from humble backgrounds have always found it hard to stay in school because of fees.

If the capitation is slashed to Sh15,000, Obuhatsa said this will affect a large number of students mainly from humble homes and marginalised areas.

"We might end up having big numbers of poor students dropping out of school something that will affect the 100 per cent transition to universities," he said. 

Obuhatsa said the government needs to remain committed to having every child in school because Kenya is one of the countries that have signed international treaties related to education provisions as a right to every child. 

He said it will be a heavy task for parents to overcome the challenge of capitation slash. 

"The government should start putting measures in place including external financial sourcing to help support education systems in place come 2024," Obuhatsa. 

Machogu hinted that the capitation for secondary school learners could be slashed next year by Sh6,952 if the government fails to come in with a supplementary budget of Sh22 billion.

The CS,  when he appeared before the parliamentary committee on education on Wednesday, revealed that the ministry was only able to give each learner a Sh16,428 capitation instead of the set Sh22,428 this year.

"The current population in secondary is Sh3,956,547 learners, and the available budget for this financial year is Sh65 billion. This translates to funding of Sh16,428 per learner, this is well below the approved Sh22,240 per learner,” Machogu said.

Next year, the CS said, the capital might go lower to only Sh15,476 per learner if no intervention is done to bridge the existing Sh22 billion budget gap.

He said that come next year, with almost 1.5 learners having completed KCPE, the projected enrollment is set at 4,200,000 learners.