Business Daily (Nairobi)
10 February 2008
editorial
While the country's attention remains fixed on resolving the national crisis that resulted from the disputed outcome of the December 27 presidential election, another crisis is slowly creeping into a key social sector - education.
The unfortunate thing about this particular crisis is that - unlike the one arising from the electoral dispute -it was preventable because it was anticipated under the prevailing public finance situation.
President Kibaki - like his opponents in last year's election - promised Kenyans free secondary education beginning January this year. And despite the numerous warnings that unlike the free primary education that the Government introduced in a haste and managed to muddle away with in January 2003, free secondary education would pose immense challenges, politicians stuck to this promise to the end.
Come January - and despite the numerous statements the Ministry of Education has issued to explain the failure of the programme to take off with the opening of schools mid last month - it has clearly emerged that there was no concrete plan to back up this promise.
This paper stood among those who cautioned of the dangers of making electoral promises that are not in concert with what the country - through its national budget can afford.
It did not end there. This newspaper warned of a looming crisis after the Government sent a circular to secondary school heads in November barring them from holding any board meetings to deliberate on the new year's fee structures.
This important activity in the education calendar was left in limbo until schools closed and the elections were held. The stage had been set for the current crisis.
As of today, the country is in a situation where the school calendar has entered its fourth week, but the State is yet to release money it promised to finance the key learning activities under the free secondary education programme. Is anyone taking responsibility for the paralysis that many schools are suffering because of this?
Over the past three weeks, Jogoo House - the Ministry of Education headquarters - has been playing some sort of Russian roulette with the lives of students.
It has continued to pull out of the basket one excuse after the other to explain its inability to get the funds to the schools.
From headteachers cheating on the number of students to failure by schools to open new bank accounts as directed by the Government, free secondary education funds are yet to be disbursed.
Last week, a more serious problem appeared to be unfolding. Headteachers were reported to be asking parents to pay huge sums of money over and above the ministry's guidelines.
This we think is the litmus test that free secondary education programme must pass. Over the years, the Government has been issuing fee guidelines hoping to keep in check the upward spiralling of the cost of education at the behest of ambitious headteachers without much success.
Schools received the circular at the end of every year, but that did nothing to stop their boards from coming up with fee structures that were many times higher.
It must be remembered that the reason the Government is offering these subsidies is to ease the burden on parents. If the State is truly committed to reducing this burden, it must be ready to fight against the forces that are working to undermine this policy objective.
According to a ministry circular , the Government plans to pay Sh10,000 for each student. This should cover most expenses especially for day scholars leaving them with minor costs to bear. Boarding school students are on the other hand expected to pay a maximum of Sh18,000 to cover their living expenses.
Word is out that parents are being asked to pay much more than this. Should the ministry fail to act, the goal of running a less costly education system that is accessible to the majority will simply fall apart.
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