Schools to get increased funding in next budget

JANE NGUGI-KNA

Schools will receive increased capitation in the next budget in a bid to ease the financial strain facing institutions, Basic Education Principal Secretary Prof. Julius Bitok has said.

Prof. Bitok said the ministry’s budget had already been enhanced and submitted to Parliament ahead of the next financial allocations.

The PS said the government was implementing a solarisation project that will see schools transition to solar energy in a bid to reduce electricity costs and ensure an uninterrupted power supply.

Prof. Bitok was speaking in Nakuru County during the Elimu Mashinani Convention, where he engaged stakeholders on practical solutions to improve education standards.

He rallied stakeholders to work together in shaping a more inclusive and quality-driven future for every learner under the hashtag #ElimuThabiti.

The PS urged principals to in a bid to prevent school unrest by addressing issues before they spiral out of control.

Prof. Bitok told stakeholders that drug abuse and teenage pregnancies remain a major concern and appealed to all parties to work together to eliminate the challenges in educational institutions.

He added that girls who drop out of school due to pregnancy should be allowed to return and complete their studies after giving birth.

He added that education officials were working closely with national government administrators to trace any other students who may have dropped out of school for other reasons to ensure they are readmitted. 

Prof. Bitok challenged the stakeholders to come together and identify ways of ensuring better performance in the national exams saying that last year’s results for the county were unsatisfactory.

He noted that out of the 49,000 candidates in the county, only 7,200 attained the university cut off mark of a C+.

He assured KNEC examiners that their dues would be paid within the next two weeks saying the delay had been occasioned by lack of finances.

The PS told the stakeholders that the government would in the next few weeks roll out the KEMIS programme to establish the exact number of students in schools saying that some head teachers could be misrepresenting the actual number of students in their institutions.

In his remarks, Nakuru County Commissioner Dr. Loyford Kibaara admitted that drug trafficking in education institutions remains a major challenge.

However, Kibaara said administrators and security agencies were monitoring this across institutions to nip the practice.

He urged school administrators, who may need the help of sniffer dogs to trace for drugs within their institutions to liaise with the national government administrators in their regions.

Kibaara said criminal gangs continue to endanger students by recruiting them and forcing them to drop out of schools.

He noted that security agencies had already arrested several suspects and the crackdown will be sustained.

The County Commissioner called on government administrative and security agencies to remain vigilant at all times.