Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu has announced a major policy that is slated to change accountability in the management of school funds. The new directive is expected to bind school heads to answer questions touching on financial management at their respective institutions before the Education Parliamentary Committee in the National Assembly.
While officiating the closure of the annual 47th KESSHA Conference and Exhibition which was held at Sheikh Zayed Hall in Mombasa, CS Machogu said education reforms had placed schools in independent audit units and answer directly to the National Assembly. With the new structure, Education CS and Principal Secretary will not respond to any financial querries on behalf of schools when summoned by any parliamentary committee. That means that school heads will then have to appear in person before members of Parliament for them to answer personally.
“Things are changing, my friends. I have been answering questions on your behalf, but that will not be the case anymore as secondary schools have now been classified as audit units,” Machogu said. School heads will need to be keen with the way they manage funds at their respective schools and be ready to explain their financial decisions before a parliamentary committee.
At the same time, Machogu warned school heads’ against imposition of unapproved levies in schools. According to him, any school found running in contravention practices such levies, serious action would be taken against them. The directive came at a time when school principals are planning to increase school tuition fees in the next term due to delayed capitation funds as students return from the mid-term break.
So far, the system has failed to remit the whole amount in capitation to schools, forcing parents to top up the rest in school fees. “The government shall not disburse the KSh22,244 for capitation for every learner per year,” Machogu said, adding, “KSh17,000 will be retained. He attributed this to delays in the National Treasury and assured that the ministry was following up proactively on the release of funds to ensure timely disbursement to schools.