Ndindi warns school heads against increasing fees
By KNA, October 5, 2023The national government is reviewing the system of disbursing funds to learning institutions to avoid delays, the chairman of the budget committee in the National Assembly Ndindi Nyoro has said.
Timely remittance of capitation, he said, will ensure students are not sent home to collect fee balances, and this will give the learners time to concentrate on their studies.
The MP, who is also chairperson of the parliamentary committee for budget and appropriation, asked school heads not to raise fees charges, saying the government in the current budget had allocated more than Sh840 billion to the education sector.
He was speaking when he delivered a school bus to Our Lady of Consolata Mugoiri Girls High School on Tuesday. The bus was promised by President Ruto when he visited the school last month.
Tax payments
The lawmaker said timely remittance of capitation will reduce financial challenges in schools, saying teachers will have no reason to send students home.
“School heads should avoid increasing fees under the guise of delay in remittance of capitation and high cost of living. The government will soon will ensure the money is sent at the beginning of the term,” he said.
Nyoro also pointed out that the delay in tax payments created a gap in the government’s delivery of services and called on headteachers to be patient as the funding problem will be resolved.
“The government is working out a plan to increase capitation for junior secondary schools, normal capitation for primary and secondary schools and even in tertiary colleges,” he said.
Full sponsorship
Nyoro observed that the maximum amount a student in a tertiary institution will be required to pay is only seven per cent, while the rest of the money will be paid through government grants and loans from the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB).
He said that in line with this, 45,000 students in Kenya will be joining universities and colleges without paying any fees in a programme where the government is fully sponsoring needy students.
“Out of the Sh3.7 trillion Kenyan budget, 6.7 per cent has been directed to education because it is indeed an equalizer,” said Nyoro.
The MP also expressed optimism about the recovery of the country’s economy, saying inflation had dropped to about 6.7 per cent.
“The government is doing a lot to lower the cost of living, and with all the measures put in place, inflation will go down and Kenyans will be relieved from the high prices of common commodities,” he said and urged Kenyans to be patient.