Principals and headteachers will now be required to appear in Parliament to explain use of capitation funds in their schools.
In a paradigm shift aimed to tighten school management and ensure prudent use of school funds, Head of Public Service Felix Koskei revealed that public primary and secondary schools will now be audited by the Auditor General to seal loopholes and enhance accountability.
He was speaking in a virtual meeting hosted in a Zoom platform, attended by secondary school Principals, Deputy Principals, and their Board of Management members.
Koskei noted that most schools have weak procurement systems, supply of food and services and hence the need to boost management practices.
He directed the Basic Education Principal Secretary Prof. Julius Bitok to initiate legal internal systems to align with the new government policy of having the institutions audited at school levels, saying that serious audit queries in schools especially; inflated school enrolment data has been noted and caused the ministry to have wrong data leading to the loss of school capitations.
“Inflation of learners’ data will not be tolerated by the government. Those in school leadership rnust ensure all data submitted to the Ministry of Education is accurate and verifiable on the ground,” said Koskei.
He emphasized that the government relies on the record provided by the school to plan for resources in the form of capitation and infrastructure funds for the development of learning institutions.
He called on Principals, BOMs, and school leadership to uphold the highest level of accountability in line with the current strained economic environment, warning them against the cancer of corruption and violating the law in the process of running their institutions.
Koskei however lauded the leaders for their sacrifices in ensuring school operations run smoothly despite a myriad of challenges.
Citing the case of the 100 per cent transition to senior schools, he said many schools experienced large number of students amid strained facilities.
He also acknowledged the interference of influential politicians and government officials who occasionally interfere with the running of learning institutions.
“I want to encourage you to be firm and clear in managing such scenarios. The government will never let you down.” He noted
He also highlighted other challenges such as weak disaster management preparedness, maintenance of school facilities, poor school feeding programmes, inappropriate use of school resources, indiscipline in schools, failure to adhere to best labour procedures, and poor school relationships with the local communities.
He challenged BoM members to be vigilant and play their role in oversighting the schools, and cautioned them against micromanaging the institutions.
Koskei will meet primary school headteachers who are also principals in junior schools in acting capacity, tomorrow through a Zoom online meeting that aim to emphasize proper management of public schools.
