CORRUPTION, SAFETY FAILURES AND DEFUNDING PUSH KENYA’S EDUCATION TO THE BRINK

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ELIMU BORA WORKING GROUP ADDRESSING THE MEDIA ON "ECORRUPTION, SAFETY FAILURES AND DEFUNDING PUSH KENYA’S EDUCATION TO THE BRINK" AT SWISS-BELLIN HOTEL 

By: Glad Tv Kenya reporter 

Kenya's education system is on the brink due to corruption, safety failures, and defunding. The Elimu Bora Working Group has sounded the alarm on the dire state of education, citing a comprehensive nationwide survey of 270 parents across all 47 counties.

The survey revealed that 90% of public schools charge illegal admission fees, ranging from Sh500 to a staggering Sh25,000, directly violating the constitutional guarantee of free education. This has led to a culture of impunity, where education becomes a profit-making venture for unscrupulous individuals.

The impact on Kenya's children is immediate and measurable. 65% of schools regularly send children home when parents cannot pay illegal fees, with 40% of primary school children currently at home due to unpaid fees. Most tragically, only 25% of children sent home for non-payment return to school, even after partial payment.

Student safety remains severely compromised, with schools prioritizing profit over protection. The Endarasha Hillside Academy fire that claimed 21 young lives is a grim reminder of the dangers. Investigations reveal that schools consistently operate without proper safety audits, with money designated for essential safety equipment being systematically stolen.

The government has been defunding the education sector, with schools receiving only Sh1,420 per primary pupil annually and Sh15,042 per junior secondary student, far less than the required amount. This deliberate defunding forces schools into the impossible position of either failing to operate or exploiting parents through illegal fees.

The Elimu Bora Working Group is demanding immediate action to address these issues. They call for binding circulars with real enforcement mechanisms to prevent illegal fees, mandatory annual safety audits of all schools with public reporting of results, adjustment of capitation grants to reflect the actual costs of providing quality education, and expedited hearing of the new funding model case and development of a fair and constitutional funding mechanism for tertiary education.

The demands are a call to action for the government and education stakeholders to prioritize the well-being and education of Kenya's children. As the sector teeters on the brink, it is imperative that decisive steps are taken to address corruption, safety failures, and defunding.

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