Pupils at Ngure Comprehensive School during CS Julius Ogamba's working tour on January 28. /EDUMINThe Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers Kuppet has warned of an impending crisis in the education sector borne from insufficient capitation.
The union says school heads have had to send learners home after they resumed studies from mid-term break for lack of resources to sustain their upkeep.
Deputy secretary general Moses Nthurima says contrary to assurances by Education CS Julius Ogamba, the National Treasury is yet to disburse Sh28 billion capitation funds for Term One.
"The government for this quarter of the year has not remitted Sh28 billion. They were supposed to remit about Sh11,000 per student but instead remitted Sh4,000. Now we are beyond half of the term, and government has no show," he said.
Speaking in Naivasha, Nthurima accused the ministry of focusing on misplaced priorities, saying the CS "is walking around talking about how they are going to build laboratories for Grade 10."
The deputy SG said government needs to move with speed and clear all the pending bills in the Education sector amounting to about Sh64 billion, inclusive of capitation, dating back to 2018.
"This is the future of our children so when you delay capitation, you're trying to delay the future of our children, and that one is unacceptable. We are asking the government to move with speed to ensure that this money is remitted within seven days."
On Tuesday, Ogamba assured parents and stakeholders that Treasury would release Sh14 billion capitation beginning this week.
The CS gave his word that his ministry, in close collaboration with Treasury, would ensure the funds reflect in schools' accounts without further delay.
“We are doing everything possible to ensure the balance is paid,” he said and urged school heads not to send learners home.
Kuppet national chairman Omboko Milemba said "the minister could be speaking in Nairobi, but there's no learning going on in schools".
"We had wanted these students to transition to secondary schools; the laboratories that they are building are available across the board. They are struggling to build laboratories in schools but if students moved across the face, they would be having laboratories (and) teachers. There's no Form 1 now."
MIlemba said teachers who used to handle Form 1s are now less burdened and could be utilised to handle Grade 9 instead of getting a fresh batch of tutors to handle the learners.
"In some of the schools, classes are empty. Why would you be struggling to build classes when there's an empty class. We are asking the ministry to consult widely."
Nthurima said that if the capitation won't be availed on time, Kuppet would call the national governing council to advise on the way forward considering the government was also yet to remit a balance of Sh11 billion for the teacher's medical scheme.
"Because we have written to them, we have talked to personalities within the government; I don't think they have any interest to fixing these problems," he said.
Due to the delayed release of the funds, Nthurima said some private hospitals are denying teachers services, forcing them to go to public hospitals that are equally facing challenges.
"The only language they'll hear is now teachers asking for these things themselves," he said.
