Government and Policy

Schools Reopen For Second Term Amidst Salary Crisis

BY Getrude Mathayo · May 8, 2023 03:05 pm

Primary and secondary schools are set to reopen for a second term on Tuesday 9^th May amid challenges in processing salaries for newly employed Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers.

Schools are also facing a funding crisis as they reopen for the second term, with the government yet to release free primary and free day secondary school funds.

Students across the country are making last-minute travel arrangements to report on Tuesday even as the Ministry of Education directed school heads and County Education Directors to enforce strict new measures for the safety of learners.

The Second Term will run for 14 weeks to August 11 with a mid-term break slated for June. According to Education Cabinet Secretary, Ezekiel Machogu, the Ministry had issued a circular directing schools to be extra vigilant on what learners consume and ensure they are well inspected.

“We have issued a circular asking everyone to be cautious with water and food that our students take, taking into consideration the schools that have had cases because of contaminated food and water,” Machogu said on Friday.

Speaking during the seventh Kenya Education Management Institute (KEMI) graduation for Diploma in Education Leadership in Management, Machogu cautioned teachers against corporal punishment which he insisted remains banned.

He added that the food and water for the students will be properly inspected by experts to ensure it is fit for human consumption.

“Make sure that the food that students eat in school is properly inspected and that the water is checked every time. It should be inspected by experts to make sure it is fit for human consumption to avoid the kind of situation we got into in some of our schools,” the CS advised.

Teachers who marked the 2022 exams are crying foul as the government is yet to pay them. The teachers marked the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) exams and the results were announced. But to date, the payments have not been released.

Some school Heads and teachers revealed that the cost of running schools is increasingly becoming unbearable due to the rising prices of food.

Prices of commodities such as maize, rice, sugar, milk, beans, sorghum, millet, and cooking oil, which are used in boarding schools have tripled, making some principals borrow from lenders hoping to pay them later.

Most schools usually buy the items in large quantities before reopening to minimize expenditure. However, with the funding crisis, schools have had to order the items on loan from various suppliers hoping to repay once the government releases funds.