No Teachers, No Capitation Funds: JSS Suffers Government Neglect
The ongoing crisis in Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) has intensified as the government has yet to release the capitation funds for the second term, three weeks after the schools reopened.
Public school education has been disrupted for three weeks due to a strike by JSS intern teachers demanding permanent and pensionable employment terms.
Last week, Parliament addressed the issue by allocating funds in the upcoming financial year to employ 26,000 of the 46,000 intern teachers on permanent and pensionable terms.
The National Parents Association (NPA) expressed concern over the financial strain and the intern teachers’ strike, indicating these issues had reversed significant progress in the education sector.
Secretary General Eskimos Kobia warned that the delay in capitation disbursement could further disrupt learning in JSS for additional weeks.
Kobia highlighted that thousands of students in public schools were at a disadvantage compared to their peers in private institutions.
He expressed deep concern over the ongoing crisis, noting that JSS had not received capitation for the second term while learning had been halted for three weeks.
He also pointed out challenges such as inadequate infrastructure and a shortage of teachers in public schools, with many lacking essential facilities like laboratories, putting learners at a disadvantage.
Kobia, speaking in Naivasha, praised Parliament’s decision to allocate funds for the employment of 26,000 intern teachers, as mandated by the court.
He described this decision as a positive step, acknowledging that students had suffered for weeks due to the ongoing conflict between teachers and the government.
Kobia urged the remaining 20,000 intern teachers, who were not included in this year’s employment plan, to be patient and complete their two-year internship period.
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A teacher from one of the affected schools, who wished to remain anonymous, revealed that the financial crisis was making it increasingly difficult to sustain learning activities.
The teacher noted that the Treasury had not released any funds since the beginning of the second term, forcing schools to operate on accumulating debts.
The teacher remarked that despite previous promises regarding the release of capitation fees, the funds had not materialized, severely impacting the learning process.
No Teachers, No Capitation Funds: JSS Suffers Government Neglect
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