CBE Rollout in Motion as Grade 9 Prepares for National Assessment.
Education CS Julius Ogamba has announced the successful registration of candidates set to undertake the Grade 9 national assessment, marking a major step toward their transition to Grade 10 in Senior School. He urged education stakeholders to intensify their preparations for the implementation of the Competency-Based Education (CBE) system.
In a direct address, the CS revealed that the Grade 9 cohort would be the first to go through the Senior School selection process. He said that within the next three months, education officers would be expected to oversee the exercise and deal proactively with any initial challenges encountered by candidates. He expressed confidence that, with proper coordination, the rollout would be smooth.
The government is set to disburse approximately Sh21 billion in capitation funds to public schools next week. Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba confirmed that this funding would assist school heads in planning effectively for the second term, which began earlier this week.
During the Naivasha Education Conference, which brought together education officers and key stakeholders from across the country, CS Ogamba called on officials to strengthen oversight on the use of government funds in schools. He emphasized the importance of ensuring the funds are utilized appropriately, warning that any misuse would not be tolerated.
Ogamba directed education officers to swiftly investigate any cases of malpractice involving capitation funds. He acknowledged that there have been allegations of funds being disbursed to non-existent students or schools in both primary and secondary levels. The Auditor General’s report had indicated that some school heads may introduce unapproved levies without adhering to policy, raising concerns about compliance with financial regulations.
The CS attributed occasional delays in capitation disbursement to competition for limited resources and slow release of funds by the Exchequer. Despite education taking up nearly 30 percent of the national budget, some government-funded programmes were reported to be so expensive that they delayed the release of school funding.
He pointed out that while schools typically receive their capitation in three phases—50 percent in the first term, 30 percent in the second, and 20 percent in the third—challenges still persist. In March, schools received the final Sh14 billion for the first term allocation.
School heads have consistently raised concerns about the sufficiency of the allocated funds. Some principals reported that the amount is too low to meet operational needs, particularly where discrepancies exist between the actual number of enrolled learners and the number of students for whom funds are allocated. Additionally, some capitation funds are retained by the Ministry for purposes such as co-curricular activities and teacher training, further reducing the money available for daily operations.
The Education CS strongly warned school heads against charging any levies not outlined in official government policy. He maintained that the Ministry would not condone any unauthorized charges, stressing that only the approved school fee structure must be followed.
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In one of his firm remarks, Ogamba said that school principals who insert hidden levies into fee structures are violating laid-down policies and that such practices must be curbed. He also stated that financial systems must be reviewed constantly to avoid any legal violations.
Under the Free Primary Education programme, each learner is allocated Sh1,420 annually. For junior school students, the figure stands at Sh15,042, while secondary school learners are allocated Sh22,244 per year. However, this secondary school allocation has recently been scaled down to around Sh15,000 annually.
CBE Rollout in Motion as Grade 9 Prepares for National Assessment.
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