No money, more problems - schools reopen as budget cuts raise outcry

It's been a news-filled week as "the girl who cried Ruto" got a call from the Head of State for a back-to-school announcement straight from the source, but not all schools could reopen due to the damage caused by recent floods. Meanwhile, the government's austerity seems to be hurting more than helping as disquiet grows almost as fast as the discovery of new graft schemes – we have 'graduated' from fake education certificates to fake education institutions.

Here are the main stories in education this week:

• Schools reopen for second term amid uncertainty
• KUPPET supports intern teachers' strike
• University students protest HELB budget cut

SPOTLIGHT

What about those left behind?

In last week's Spotlight, we highlighted how the announcement to reopen schools was likely to leave many students disadvantaged. This comes as as the damage caused by recent flooding was yet to be fully addressed and in some cases, has continued to destroy school infrastructure.

Speaking on Monday, Deputy Government Spokesperson Mwanaisha Chidzuga disclosed that at least 2000 schools will remain closed after others reopened for Term Two on Monday, May 13.  

"Some of the schools that have been adversely affected by the heavy rains and flooding will have their opening delayed as the National and county multiagency teams ensure that repairs are done to create a safe environment for students to resume learning," –Ministry of Interior

However, the Ministry of Education has yet to provide guidelines on how these students will be accommodated. And a section of stakeholders have now raised concerns over possible learning gaps that partial reopening could lead to. Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) Secretary General, Collins Oyuu, warned that students in areas where schools will remain closed will be disadvantaged.

Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang has directed schools to maintain the school calendars as previously set by the Ministry despite the extended closure prompted by the floods. In a circular to school heads, Kipsang instead directed schools to devise a plan to recover the time lost due to delays in reopening schools.

Long-term planning around disaster response must be prioritized as there is a clear case for all those who are now even further behind. There remains much that education stakeholders and the government can do. Those students mustn't be left behind as this could sow seeds for a future problem.

HEADLINES

The week's main stories

• Schools reopen for second term amid uncertainty: Schools reopened to a busy, compressed and uncertain second term after a two-week extension of the April holidays due to heavy rains. Some parents are still concerned over the safety of their children while others question whether learning will take place, given that some institutions have been hosting displaced persons.
• KUPPET supports intern teachers strike: The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has thrown its support behind a strike by intern teachers, which poses a threat to the education of over 2.5 million Grade 8 and 9 students in junior secondary schools (JSS), unfolding against the backdrop of prolonged school closures due to nationwide flooding. Three Members of Parliament have backed demands by intern teachers for the government to absorb them on permanent terms.
• Students protest HELB budget cut: University and college students have protested plans to reduce the Higher Education Loans Board budget arguing that the move will lock out thousands of needy students from accessing higher education. The National Treasury has proposed a reduction of Sh3.7 billion in the budget allocated to HELB in the 2024/2025 financial year. The amount is a 10 per cent decrease from the previous allocation.

INSIGHT

"No more free lunch", says Government

The Kenyan government’s proposed budget for the upcoming financial year has brought with it a number of spending cuts that continue to shock citizens as we’ve seen in the course of the week. And the national school meal program has not been spared leading many to question this decision. The decision has raised fears of an end to an initiative that benefits millions of learners every year.

“It’s so important that that single meal the students get at lunchtime is retained. It’s so important that that cup of porridge that is given is retained because most students come without having any meal at home.” –Basic Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang

President William Ruto’s chief economic advisor David Ndii on Wednesday explained that the school feeding program had been allocated zero because it was being handled by an autonomous entity domiciled within the Ministry of Education. Responding to the uproar that Ruto’s administration was discontinuing the program, he explained that it had in the past been handled by the National Council for Nomadic Education in Kenya (NACONEK).

In 2023 Food4Educattion (F4E), the largest locally-led and independently run school feeding program in Africa, partnered with Nairobi City County to prepare and distribute meals to schoolchildren through a program called ‘Dishi na County’. And just last month, F4E, received global recognition for the significant impact this program continues to have. Despite the government's proposal, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has assured parents that Nairobi's Dishi na County program will not be scrapped.

As the government continues to cut budgets as part of austerity measures, it is likely that new challenges will emerge. The decision to scrap the programme, has sent shockwaves with lawmakers fearing its adverse effects on millions of learners across the country.

We must be cautious to count how many steps we are making in either direction as the entire education sector faces an uphill task in convincing the government to rethink this decision. A progressive shift toward more inclusion of the private sector may ease pressure to an extent but only if stakeholder involvement is prioritized and long-term thinking is employed.

PAUSE

NEWS

What else we learned

• Kenyans have expressed shock and uproar following revelations of non-existent schools in Baringo county. However, some insist the schools were yet to be constructed, terming the story politically instigated.
• Junior secondary school teachers in Makueni and Nakuru County took to the streets in demonstrations demanding better pay and employment on permanent terms. Their requests include the confirmation of interns and compensation for the internship period. The budget cut for JSS is the latest setback for a sector that has been paralysed by the ongoing strike by teachers.
• Makini Schools has won a temporal reprieve in court in its long-running row with former chairman of the school’s Parents Teachers Association (PTA) Nixon Bugo while over 1,000 parents at St Bakhita School moved to court opposing a mid-year fee increment issued without notice.

QUICK

One-liners

• School heads put on notice over fee increment [Read]
• Government cites digital inclusion as enabler for PWDs to access jobs [Read]
• Where is money for tree seedlings, school heads ask state [Read]
• Governor Nassir bans sale of miraa near Mombasa schools [Read]
• Girl who cried over school reopening speaks to William Ruto on phone [Read]

REGION

What's happening next door?

[UG] Government approves policy to regulate learning hours and pre-primary school fees: This policy aims to regulate learning hours and fee structures in pre-primary schools, among other objectives. Additionally, the Ministry of Education is expected to provide guidelines for individuals launching childcare services as a business. [Read]

[TZ] New innovation to ignite students’ interest in STEM subjects at an early age: BandaJamii initiative, is a programme that targets children as young as 9 years old, with the goal of fostering a deep understanding of the STEM subjects. [Read]

[RW] Plan for Rwanda’s first defence university underway: The government plans to establish Rwanda’s first national defence university, according to Minister of Defence Juvenal Marizamunda. The country already has two higher learning institutions for defence studies which offer training for junior and senior officers up to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, and Colonel in some cases. [Read]

[RW] Rwandan teacher honoured by former Kenyan students after nearly four decades: A delegation from Kabarnet High School, representing the alumni association from the 1980s, travelled to Rwanda this week to express gratitude to their former Rwandan teacher, Oscar Kimanuka, to whom they attribute much of their success through his teachings and mentorship. Kimanuka taught at the elite boys' school between 1983 and 1987. [Read]

EXTRA

AI for students & teachers leaps forward

This was a very busy week in AI development as technology giants, OpenAI and Google both released updated models (GPT-4o and LearnLM).

Encouragingly, both companies are working towards better learning experiences for students and teachers. Education is one of the industries that stands to gain the most from the ongoing developments in generative AI. Some immediate applications that are already in use today in education include: enhancing learning by supplementing subject content, quiz creation, concept explanation and problem-solving.

Take a look at the two 2-minute videos below to see and judge for yourself what the near future of education could look like.

As the busy week comes to a close, we hope we've given you a little more to think about over the weekend break and as we wait to see what surprises the new one will bring.

Please share any feedback as we continue to shape "This Week In: Education".