Jubilee government has lived up to its promise of providing free secondary education.
On Wednesday, government through the National Treasury released Sh29.5 billion for the first term.
Education Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiang’i yesterday said some schools have already received the money.
“Principals who [will not have received money] by today or tomorrow, will [have it] by Friday or Monday,” he said in a presser.
In its campaign manifesto last year, Jubilee promised to roll out free secondary education starting January.
This is the first disbursement for the first term. Similar disbursement is expected to be made on April for second term and in August for the third term in the ratio of 50:30:20.
A student in a secondary school spends an average of Sh22, 244 per year.
In the new programme, each student has been allocated each student has been allocated Sh11,122.
Of this, Sh5,122 is for tuition and Sh6,000 is for operations.
In past years, government provided Sh12, 870 for each student while a parent bridged the deficit of about Sh9, 374.
Further, of the Sh22, 244 allocation per student, a sum of Sh4,792 goes to teaching and learning materials.
Sh2,886 will go to repairs and maintenance, Sh5,755 is for personnel emolument, Sh1,999 for medical expenses; Sh1, 256 for activity fees, Sh1,572 for administration cost Sh2, 151 for, electricity, water and conservancy and Sh1, 833 goes for travel expenses.
The provision of the funds for free secondary education comes at a time when government is providing funds for provision of text books to each student in public schools.
Matiang’i said each student will receive six text books for English, Kiswahili, Mathematics, Physics, Biology and Chemistry.
In primary schools, those in standard seven and eight are the only ones who will get to enjoy benefits of free texts books from government according to Secondary and Tertiary Education director Robert Masese.
The pupils will get English, Kiswahili, Science and Mathematics text books.
The printing and supply of the text books to all public schools in Kenya has gobbled up Sh7.5 billion.
“Schools are expected to acknowledge receipt of the grant by issuing official receipts to the Principal Secretary for each of the two vote heads, followed by receipts to each student, for the capitation after they have signed the form to be attached to the payment voucher as per accounting procedures,” said Masese as quoted by the Star.