Although learners are back to school after the elections break, it is still important to revisit the question of the school calendar and why the Ministry of Education should be more consistent in the way it manages the time children spend in class.

In the last week, parents have protested that though they paid full fees for the term, it has been shortened by a week. As for as they are concerned, therefore, they have paid for services that have not and most likely will not be rendered now that the Education CS has said the term will not be adjusted.

It is, of course, unlikely that schools will refund or carry forward the money, considering they were accumulating expenses even as the children spent time at home.

This year has been particularly tough for parents as it had four terms. As a result, they had to pay fees four times despite facing tough economic times. That is why Education officials should feel obligated to make the school calendar predictable as is the case in other countries.

With the coming of a new administration, parents, learners and teachers face further uncertainty because a new government can come up with radical changes to the curriculum or other education reforms, including changes in the leadership of critical public institutions such as the Teachers’ Service Commission and the Kenya National Examinations Council.

Because of this, the education sector remains fluid and it will be difficult to tell with certainty, at least in the short term, what the future holds.

What is beyond doubt, however, is that public schools need higher capitation if they are to meet their financial needs and grow especially given the background of difficult economic times that citizens are going through.

In recent years, principals have been severely constrained by the double-edged sword of school fees and inadequate capitation. The incoming administration should revisit this issue with a view to ensuring schools are sufficiently funded to discharge their mandates.

And with the Auditor-General now committing to audit every school, there will be better systems of accountability in how capitation funds are spent.

What parents are looking forward to as much as increased funding, however, is stability, which has been lost in the last two years. When the Ministry of Education fails to plan, it must remember it is planning to fail, and it has failed parents, learners and teachers with arbitrary decisions in the last two years. This needs to be stopped under the new administration.