Primary school head teachers will be the highest beneficiaries of the Sh48 billion capitation for all public primary and secondary schools in 2025.
The head teachers will manage funds for both primary and junior schools; unlike senior secondary schools’ principals whose capitation has reduced due to lack of admissions in form one this year.
The Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service, Felix Koskei, has urged Kenyan Primary School teachers to embrace digital innovation to ensure quality education for all learners, regardless of their backgrounds.
In a statement, the Ministry of Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said the amount represents 50 per cent of the total due for schools in the 2025 academic year.
Out of the amount disbursed, Sh4.1 billion will be sent to all public primary schools while Sh15.3 billion will hit Day Junior Secondary Schools’ accounts.
A total of Sh28.9 Billion has been disbursed to cater for the Free Day Secondary schools’ fees capitation.
The government’s move to relate half of the money meant for public schools is meant to alleviate the chronic financial challenges that have dogged the institutions in the past.
The money will ensure that public schools will be able to keep learners in school without sending them home for fees as schools reopen on Monday.
“We are working with the National Treasury for the release of the exchequer, to facilitate timely disbursement,” Ogamba said.
The CS said that in Term Two, the government will release 30 per cent of the capitation while the remaining 20 per cent will be disbursed in the Third Term.
Regarding the Grade 9 transition, the CS said the construction of 16,000 classrooms in public schools are at 93 per cent completion ahead of the reopening of schools.
Ogamba appealed to heads of institutions in schools where classrooms have not been completed to construct temporary structures to accommodate learners.
The CS also directed heads of schools to merge streams where possible to create space for the new learners in Grade 9 who are transiting to Junior secondary schools.
The CS said that 9.9 million textbooks have been dispatched to all schools countrywide ahead of the reopening of schools on Monday.
“The distribution is expected to be completed by Monday, January 6, 2025,” Ogamba said.
