Kenya: School Examinations, Assessments in Limbo As 100 Percent Budget Cut Proposal
Nairobi — The State Department for Education has revealed that an overall reduction in allocations of both its recurrent and development budget for the financial year 2024/25 will affect key projects, including school examinations, invigilation, and school feeding programs.
While presenting its report for consideration of the supplementary estimates for the financial year 2024/25 to the departmental committee on education and research, the state department for education stated that the proposed 100 percent reduction of funds under school examinations and invigilation in the supplementary estimate for 2024/25 FY will affect the administration of the 2024 national examinations and assessments slated later this year.
“School examinations and Invigilation is undertaken in line with the Government policy on free and compulsory basic education. The 100 percent proposed reduction in the Supplementary Estimate No. I of the FY 2024/25 will affect the administration of the 2024 national examinations and assessments,” the department stated.
Under the supplementary estimates, the department’s recurrent budget has been reduced by Sh8.079 billion, comprising Sh3. billion for the School Feeding Programme and Sh5.023 billion meant for School Examinations and Invigilation funds to cater for supervision, invigilation and examiners costs
The State Department for Education stated that the decision will impact a total of 3.54 million learners for 2024 national examinations and assessments who have already registered, comprising 1.27 million for Grade 3 learners, 1.31 million learners for Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA), and 965,501 for Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE).
The state department was allocated a budget of Sh142.26 billion in the 2024/25 financial year, comprising Sh121.9 billion and Sh20.33 billion under its recurrent development budget, respectively.
However, these allocations have been reduced by Sh14.93 billion to Sh127.33 billion, comprising Sh113.85 billion as recurrent and Sh13.48 billion as development budgets under the supplementary estimates of the 2024/25 budget.
“The overall reduction in allocation is Sh.14.93 billion comprising Sh.8 billion in recurrent expenditure and Sh.6.9 billion in development expenditure. The Printed estimates have therefore been reduced from Sh.142.26 billion to Sh127.33 billion if the Supplementary Estimates No. I of the FY 2024/25 budget is implemented as it is,” the department stated.
By Capital FM.
