Kuppet loses out as Ruto plans to merge primary and junior schools funding

President William Ruto has dealt a blow to the push for an independent Junior School, even as he revealed plans to merge Primary and Junior School funding.

The proposal will bring together the money allocated to the two levels as the government moves to strengthen the comprehensive school model.

The announcement deals a blow to thousands of Junior School teachers and the Kenya Union of Post Prinary Education Teachers (KUPPET) who have been pushing for independence of Junior Secondary School.

The President also announced plans to consolidate funding for primary and junior schools, in a move that could reshape how institutions receive and manage government capitation.

Speaking in Mombasa during the Kenya Comprehensive Schools Heads Association meeting, Ruto directed the Ministry of Education to work with the association and submit proposals to amend the Basic Education Act within 90 days to provide a legal framework for comprehensive schools.

“I have heard your request that the comprehensive school be clearly anchored in law. I agree and consequently direct the Ministry of Education to work with the Kenya Comprehensive School Heads Association and to present within 90 days proposals to amend the Basic Education Act so that governance, staffing and financing of comprehensive schools rest on a firm legal ground,” he said.

The President further announced that the government has increased primary school capitation from Sh1,420 to Sh2,300 per learner annually.

Junior schools receive Sh15,042 per learner annually under the existing funding rate.

This means that comprehensive schools will receive Sh17,342 in combined annual funding.

However, this is not a flat payment of Sh17,342 for every learner in a comprehensive school. The money is calculated according to the number of learners in each section.

For instance, a comprehensive school with 500 primary learners and 300 junior school learners would receive an estimated Sh5.66 million annually, based on the new primary rate and the existing junior school rate.

This would comprise Sh1.15 million for primary learners and Sh4.51 million for junior school learners.

The final amount will depend on the funding plan adopted by the government following the proposed review.

The decision by President Ruto comes just days after the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) maintained that primary school head teachers will remain substantive heads of comprehensive schools, rejecting demands for a separate administrative structure.

The position emerged during the ongoing Kenya Comprehensive Schools Heads Association (KEPSHA) conference in Mombasa, where the commission’s leadership responded to growing agitation for Junior Schools to have independent principals and their own management structures.

The response, delivered during the conference deliberations, puts the commission at odds with the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), which has been pushing for autonomy, arguing that Junior Schools have distinct professional and administrative needs that cannot be adequately addressed under primary school leadership.

It also reinforces the position taken by the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) and primary school heads, who want the comprehensive school model retained, with one administration overseeing learning from Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) to Grade Nine.

KNUT Secretary General Collins Oyuu, addressing delegates at the conference, firmly opposed attempts to separate the two levels, warning that the autonomy debate risked creating divisions within the teaching profession.

“Enough is enough. This is one school. From ECDE to Grade 9, we are one school,” Oyuu told the delegates.

He cautioned teachers against allowing trade union rivalry to interfere with the running of schools, insisting that educators should work together under the comprehensive school arrangement.

The merger could give comprehensive schools a bigger pool of money to run their activities, including buying learning materials, maintaining classrooms and supporting practical lessons.