Speaking during the Kenya Comprehensive School Heads Association National Annual General Meeting in Mombasa on Thursday, November 12, Ruto instructed Education CS Julius Ogamba, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and other stakeholders to reassess allocations per learner.
The President directed the Ministry and TSC to establish the appropriate amount required to support schools, instructing them to submit a comprehensive report to his office by January next year. The findings will guide his decision.
Ruto said the review should result in increased funding to enable schools to operate effectively and provide quality education. He expressed concern that existing allocations were no longer sufficient to meet the growing financial demands facing learning institutions.
Currently, the government allocates KSh1,420 annually per primary school learner, KSh15,042 for junior secondary school learners and KSh22,244 for each senior secondary school learner under the existing capitation framework.
The KSh22,244 secondary school allocation was introduced in 2018, following earlier increases from KSh10,625 in 2008 to KSh12,870 in 2015. However, growing enrolment has placed additional pressure on available resources, affecting school operations.
In 2023, secondary school learners received an average capitation of KSh16,428, with subsequent allocations remaining below the approved amount. The Education Ministry has consequently sought additional funding to restore the full KSh22,244 allocation.
Ruto also directed the Education Ministry, TSC and teachers' unions to develop a unified funding model for primary and junior secondary schools operating under comprehensive institutions. The arrangement would combine their capitation into one funding framework.
The President attributed the need for increased funding to inflation and rising operational expenses, urging school heads to plan confidently as the government reviews allocations and works towards releasing adequate capitation before schools reopen in January 2027.
Leave a Reply