The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has urged the government to release capitation fund for students and end the delayed disbursement of moneys in schools across the country.
Speaking during a press briefing in Nairobi, the KUPPET Secretary General (SG), Akelo Misori said that due to inefficiencies of the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS) not a single school had received funds for third term and many others have also not received funds for second term.
“Information reaching us from around the country indicates that school operations are grinding to a halt due to lack of funding,” said Misori.
The trade unionist explained that all public schools especially day schools depend substantially on government capitation fund and were therefore finding it hard to meet their daily obligations due to the delayed payments.
He further added that funds should be released based on the actual number of students government officers have verified at the school level and not merely on those successfully captured by NEMIS.
“Most schools have stretched their financial limits considering that third Term fees collections are the least in the education calendar and even schools with high fee collection rates can no longer sustain their activities on their own resources even for short period,” Misori remarked.
He noted that they are at a loss as to how much time the government needs to fix flaws in its own system and were puzzled by the continued failure by the state to feed actual figures that its own officers in the field, including at Sub-County and Zonal levels have verified from schools.
In addition, the schools have been affected by the sudden change in the disbursement Sh.6,000 which was meant for infrastructure and in the most extreme situations, some schools have not received funds at all since the beginning of the year, Misori added.
The secretary urged the Government to immediately unlock funds and disburse them to schools, noting that the time for blame games between the Ministry of Education and the National Treasury was over.
“We challenge the Cabinet Secretary for Education, Prof. George Magoha to assure the country that there are no cartels at the Ministry engaged in sabotaging NEMIS system,” Misori remarked.
Meanwhile, KUPPET has urged principals to take all necessary measures to address any unease amongst students, during this crucial term when national examinations are held, noting that it was necessary to maintain the normalcy that schools have enjoyed in the recent years, despite the challenges they are facing.
By Shirim Mercy/Angelina Mutindi
