Budget ax falls: Sh57 billion cut from education sector

In a move that will send shockwaves through the education sector, National Treasury has revealed extensive budget cuts as part of the Program Based Budget 2024/25, revealing cuts in several critical areas including agriculture, healthcare, energy, co-operatives and trade. and Industry.

Among these sectors, education suffers the most reductions. The State Departments overseeing Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET), Higher Education and Basic Education will collectively face a staggering budget shortfall amounting to around Sh57 billion in the next financial year.

According to the document presented, TVET faces a loss of Sh2.94 billion, while higher education faces a substantial reduction of Sh34.39 billion. Basic education is also not spared, with a steep cut of Ksh 19.43 billion projected for the next financial cycle.

Under the proposed allocations, TVET will receive Ksh 29.97 billion, higher education Ksh 120.13 billion and basic education Ksh 139.14 billion. However, this comes amid specific reductions within each subsector.

In particular, primary schools emerge as the main victims within the realm of basic education, grappling with a cut of Ksh 6.64 billion. The budget allocated to primary education stands at Ksh 25.68 billion, while secondary education sees a slight increase to Ksh 104.78 billion compared to the previous fiscal year.

A photo of a Kenyan school teacher in a classroom.

Photo

RTI International

Quality assurance and standards within basic education are also not spared, facing a cut of one billion Kenya shillings, reducing its allocation to 4.16 billion Kenya shillings. Similarly, the General Administration, Planning and Support Services is witnessing a parallel reduction, with its budget allocation reduced to Ksh 4.55 billion.

The State Department for Higher Education is also no exception to austerity measures: universities face a loss of almost Sh9 billion. This translates to an allocated budget of Ksh 118.82 billion, up from Ksh 127.5 billion in the previous financial year.

Of major concern are the 31 chartered public universities and the four public university colleges, which rely heavily on funding from the Higher Education Fund for their operational sustainability. Most public universities are facing a liquidity crisis as they owe statutory bodies and other creditors Sh75 billion in outstanding bills, a figure that has doubled in two years.

However, amid the across-the-board reductions, there is a glimmer of hope for teachers. The Teaching Services Commission will receive a notable increase of Ksh 9.35 billion, with the aim of strengthening the recruitment of 20,000 teachers in the current fiscal year, thereby addressing the shortage and improving the teacher-student ratio.

Education CS Ezekiel Machogu noted the seriousness of the situation, highlighting the unprecedented recruitment drive under the Kenya Kwanza administration, with 56,750 teachers inducted to ensure smooth functioning within schools.

The responsibilities of the Department of State for Basic Education cover a wide spectrum, including the management of the Basic Education Policy, the administration of primary and secondary education institutions, curriculum development and supervision of national examinations, among others. others.

University of Nairobi main campus.