Learning in most of the public schools is headed to crush as co curriculum programmes have been suspended due to cost implications.
The Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (Kessha) is pleading with the Ministry of Education to remit capitation to save the situation as the schools are planning to close early.
The education programmes in jeopardy include paying BOM teachers, buying exercise books for learners and conducting education trips.
Many of the schools are reaching out to parents to fuel the buses to transport their children for academic trips as creditors stopped offering credit facilities.
In the Mt Kenya and Rift Valley, said they were only managing tuition programmes with limited resources as laboratory practical’s were stopped long ago.
One of the heads in a day school said laboratories are half closed, as the cost of chemicals is relatively high after the creditors stopped dealing with the school owing to unpaid millions of shillings.
“The government should come to the rescue of the education sector, currently facing an uphill due to the delay and the reduced capitation”, said a principal in Kandara.
A head teacher in Kikuyu constituency disclosed that sending students for co curriculum activities will force the school to incur more expenses.
“We are avoiding drama, music and athletics, despite being part of the school calendar and best for the developing children. For now, most of the schools are interested in tuition programmes,” said a principal.
The Acting Kessha National Chairman Willy Kuria said the schools are seriously disoriented owing to lack of capitation for the learners since January.
Kuria in an exclusive interview said the management of schools are in extremely difficult operating status without finances.
” The suppliers have stopped according to credit facilities to schools, while salaries for the support staff remain unpaid,” said Kuria.
Kuria says the day schools are the worst affected as they entirely depend on capitation to operate.
“Seventy percent of the students in the country are in day schools, a proof that the delay to remit capitation is affecting millions of Kenyans,” added Kuria.