EDUCATION BUDGET STRAINED

The future of free education in the country is uncertain after a Sh5.9 billion cut in the national budget and   a new plan to reintroduce examination fees for parents starting next year. On Thursday, the Treasury cut Sh5.9 billion from the budget initially set aside for free education programs for the upcoming year, and the funds have been redirected to cover the cost of this year’s national exams. This has raised concerns about the potential collapse of the program that was introduced the reign of the late former president Mwai Kibaki.

 Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi announced that funding for free primary education has been reduced from Sh9.1 billion to SH7 billion, which is equivalent to a cut of Sh2.1 billion in allocations to primary schools. Budget for Junior Secondary schools has been trimmed by Sh1.8 billion, down from Sh30.7 billion to Sh28.9 billion. Secondary schools have also been affected, suffering the biggest cut and they are now set to receive Sh51.9 billion down from Sh61.9 billion in the previous financial year.

In total free education funds have been reduced by Sh900 million for primary schools, Sh2 billion for junior schools, and Sh3 billion for secondary schools, all redirected to cover the cost of this year’s national exams and CBC assessment. Additionally, budget for the school feeding program is set to Sh3 billion and a further Sh4 billion has been set aside for TVET and entrepreneurship project.

2024 candidates will be the last group to benefit from the government’s exam fee waiver, a policy introduced in 2016 by the then Education CS Fred Matiang’I which covered the full cost of exams that was Sh4000 and has now been increased to SH7200. Speaking in Parliament during budget presentation, CS Mbadi confirmed the government is in negotiations with Education CS Julias Migos to find a new measure of financing exams starting 2025. Among the proposals is a possible cost sharing policy for school funding where parents especially those from well off homes will be required to pay part of the Sh7,200 exam fee.