Schools may miss ball-games as cash crunch bites

The annual school ball games held in the first term may not take place this year due to the financial crisis in the education sector.

National Parents Association (NPA) and principals said, this could lead to anarchy in public schools, as for years games have been used to keep the students occupied.

Reports indicate that schools have received a paltry 25 per cent of the capitation without a circular from the Ministry of Education, sparking anxiety.

In the last month, public schools have warned that they could be forced to close early due to lack of funds despite the assurance by the government that capitation would be released.

NPA Secretary-General Eskimos Kobia warned that public schools may miss out on the ball games due to the financial challenges.

Kobia termed the situation a time bomb that could spark unrest in schools across the country.

“We have seen students go on strike due to flimsy reasons, and missing out on the annual ball games is a recipe for chaos in our schools,” he said.

Speaking in Naivasha, he revealed that some schools have been forced to scale down operations and send home some staff due to the financial crunch.

“The problem is getting worse by the day, and if the government does not address this crisis, some schools will be forced to close schools early,” he said.

Kobia said that the association had raised the issue with the ministry, which had promised to release the full capitation, but this has not happened.

“The Ministry is pointing an accusing finger at the Treasury, which in turn says there are no funds as schools continue to suffer,” he said.

A head teacher from Giglil who declined to be named said that the ball games are supposed to start next week at sub-county levels.

“The students have been practicing waiting for the games, and if by any chance they are cancelled, then we are doomed,” he warned.

A head teacher in Naivasha, said that suppliers were no longer offering services due to the pending bills.

“At the moment buying food and examination materials for the students is a major problem with the government failing to keep its promise of releasing first-time capitation,” said the teacher.