KUPPET Boss Awange decries delayed Capitation to Schools

Kisumu Thursday June 8, 2023

KNA By Milton Onyango

The Kisumu Kenya National Union of Post primary Teachers (KUPPET) executive secretary Zablon Awange has decried the delayed capitation to public schools by the government which he has expressed fears may soon cripple operations in the institutions especially on matters feeding.

Awange pointed to the inability of the public schools to even feed the learners as a worrying pointer indicating that the institutions may be forced to shut doors.

“The students have not paid the fees and the government is yet to remit capitation for free day a and secondary school education yet we are in the second term which is very hectic and demanding,” Awange said.

“We demand that the government moves with speed and ensure that activities in secondary and public primary schools and colleges is on track by facilitating the finance that is meant to run these schools because by merely announcing that has released the money is hot air because practically on the ground things are different because there is no money in the accounts so let the government send the money to the schools because suppliers are on the neck of the principals,” he added.       

He pointed to the worrying situation where some of the schools have been forced to ration the feeding given to the learners to one meal in a day due the delayed capitation that has made it impossible for the schools to provide the learners with the three square meals in a day as stipulated.

“It’s wrong for when most schools only give the learners one meal in a day and we do not know even how hygienic the food is because its pointing to a situation of acute shortage with most suppliers yet to supply because they are yet to be paid because money delayed is money denied,” noted Awange.

Awange further blamed the government for failing to remit to the schools funds to cater for sporting activities which he noted has made it impossible for the schools within Kisumu county to hold the 2nd term games yet the head teachers are further being forced to raid the schools accounts for purposes of feeding the learners amidst the high of cost of everything.

The Executive Secretary asked the government to speedily remit the funds for the schools as he noted that the schools are almost breaking for half terms given that the cabinet secretary for education had announced that there are funds yet the schools are yet to receive any funds.

“Let the government also release the funds for schools’ activities otherwise there will be no activities in the schools which would be wrong because as we speak two sub counties within Kisumu have held there games but six have not so this bodes very bad considering we still have the provincial and national games to go to,” Awange said.

“As a union we are concerned by the continuous delay by the government and the ministry of education to remit the activity funds yet the regional director of education is piling pressure on the principals to raid the schools’ accounts to finance the games which is very wrong because the said accounts are even dry,” he added.

Courtesy ; K. N. A