President William Ruto has reassured Kenyans of his administration’s commitment to supporting education despite growing concerns over reduced government funding for public schools.Speaking during a Sunday service at St Martins Light Industries Anglican Church in Nairobi’s Kariobangi estate, the President emphasised that education remains a non-negotiable national priority.“I want to assure you that education cannot be compromised. We cannot compromise access to education, quality, affordability, and we cannot compromise relevance,” he said.His remarks come amid mounting anxiety from parents, teachers and education stakeholders after recent revelations that the government is struggling to fully fund the Free Primary Education (FPE) and Free Day Secondary Education (FDSE) programmes.Read: Senior school faces shortage of science teachersUnder current policy, each primary school learner is entitled to an annual capitation of Sh1,420, while those in junior secondary receive Sh15,042. Senior secondary school learners are allocated Sh22,244.President Ruto reaffirmed the importance of education as a cornerstone of national development.“The greatest gift God has given Kenya is the gift of Kenyans—our people. Our biggest asset is our human capital. That is why education is critical,” he said.He also pledged continued collaboration with religious organisations to ensure education remains accessible and relevant.Read: Free education not sustainable, says Mbadi“We will continue partnering with religious groups to ensure education is well managed, of good quality, and accessible to all the youth of the Republic of Kenya,” he added.The President’s assurance follows a public outcry after Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi disclosed last week that the government is currently unable to fully fund the free education programmes.Appearing before the National Assembly Education Committee, Mr Mbadi revealed that secondary school capitation had been reduced from Sh22,244 to Sh16,428, creating a funding gap of Sh5,340 per learner.This shortfall has left schools burdened by debts to suppliers and unable to pay non-teaching staff salaries—raising fears of mass school dropouts and the possible collapse of the free basic education policy.Read: Audit reveals loss of billions in fraud involving ghost schoolsEducation stakeholders, including the National Parents Association (NPA), have since warned of a looming crisis. The association’s chair Silas Obuhatsa said the funding cuts are poorly timed as many parents are still grappling with post-Covid economic challenges.“This news shocked parents. The funding has been reduced when many are still recovering from job losses and income cuts. Instead of decreasing the amount, the government should have increased it,” he said.“Parents are struggling. This reduction will especially hurt children in rural areas, where parents cannot raise extra money. It could push thousands of learners out of class,” Mr Obuhatsa warned.As the government balances its budget priorities, calls are intensifying for urgent intervention to protect access to free basic education in Kenya.Separately, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki said the transformation of Kenya’s education sector over the last 22 years is “irreversible,” citing seven major milestones achieved in the past two years alone to boost access, affordability, relevance and quality in learning.Read: 20,000 intern teachers to be made permanent in JanuaryProf Kindiki said at the core of the transformation is the overhaul of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC). Previously plagued by implementation challenges, the system has now evolved into the broader and more inclusive Competency-Based Education and Training (CBET) framework.A seamless transition to senior school under this framework is expected in January 2026, marking a significant step in curriculum reform since the shift away from the traditional 8-4-4 system."To accommodate the needs of a growing student population and facilitate a smooth CBC rollout, the government has constructed over 23,000 new classrooms—16,000 by the Ministry of Education and 7,000 through the National Government-Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF)," Prof Kindiki said in a statement.The government has also hired a record 76,000 new primary and secondary school teachers since 2022, compared to an annual average of just 5,000 before.Prof Kindiki said an additional 24,000 teachers will be employed in December 2025, pushing the total number of new hires to 100,000 in just three years—nearly a third of the total recruited between 1963 and 2022.This, officials say, reflects the government’s commitment to realizing the constitutional right to basic education for every child.dogettta@ke.nationmedia.com
Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).