Education Ministry Budget Slashed .
Education Ministry Budget Slashed . Blow to MoE As Treasury Slash Budget Allocation by Sh. 57 Billion. In a move expected to have significant repercussions across the education sector . The National Treasury has announced extensive budget cuts as part of the Programme Based Budget 2024/25. It will affect critical areas such as Agriculture, Healthcare, Energy, Cooperatives, and Trade and Industry.
Education bears a substantial portion of these reductions. It will also affect State Departments overseeing Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVETs). Higher Education, and Basic Education collectively facing a substantial decrease . The decrease is nearly Ksh 57 billion in the upcoming fiscal year.
The breakdown reveals that TVETs will experience a loss of Ksh 2.94 billion. Higher Education will see a significant reduction of Ksh 34.39 billion. And Basic Education will undergo a hefty cut of Ksh 19.43 billion.
Under the proposed allocations, TVETs are slated to receive Ksh 29.97 billion, Higher Education Ksh 120.13 billion, and Basic Education Ksh 139.14 billion. However, each subsector faces specific reductions within its budget.
Primary schools bear the brunt within Basic Education, with a Ksh 6.64 billion slash, leaving a budget of Ksh 25.68 billion, while secondary education sees a slight increase to Ksh 104.78 billion compared to the previous fiscal year.
Quality Assurance and Standards within Basic Education are also affected, facing a cut of Ksh 1 billion, along with a parallel reduction in General Administration, Planning, and Support Services, dwindling to Ksh 4.55 billion.
The austerity measures extend to universities within the State Department for Higher Education, with a reduction of nearly Ksh 9 billion, resulting in an allocated budget of Ksh 118.82 billion, down from Ksh 127.5 billion in the preceding financial year.
Of particular concern are public universities, facing financial strain and accumulating pending bills, totaling Ksh 75 billion. However, there’s a positive note for teachers, as the Teachers Service Commission is set to receive a significant increase of Ksh 9.35 billion, aiming to hire 20,000 teachers in the current fiscal year.
Education CS Ezekiel Machogu emphasized the seriousness of the situation. He highlighted the hiring drive under the Kenya Kwanza administration, which brought on board 56,750 teachers to maintain smooth school operations.
The responsibilities of the State Department for Basic Education span a wide range. It includes managing Basic Education Policy, overseeing primary and secondary education institutions, curriculum development, and administering national examinations.
