As schools open, many learning institutions have resorted to sending learners home for fees even before they settle for Term Two. The main problem is that even if they fail to turn up for learning, they will eventually be asked to pay full fees.
There are moments when parents fail in their mandate to pay fees on time because of the challenges they may be going through.
On its side, the government has repeatedly failed to disburse capitation grants in a timely manner.
The heads of the institutions find themselves amid the storm, as so many creditors queue up at the principal’s office to demand payment for the services they have provided to the institution.
There are other moments when frequent calls from unpaid service providers are directed at the head of the institution.
This is traumatising because the head of the institution must respond to everyone with decorum.
Schools’ inability to receive funding leads to incessant disruptions to the institution’s operations, which may have further adverse effects on students and staff.
The only person who tolerates creditors’ worst is the head of the institution. He is forced to bear the brunt of all the challenges that befall the institution.
The inability of the government and parents to fund school operations in time makes the purchase of teaching materials, payment of salaries,
and other forms of development programmes grind to a halt.
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Delayed funding for learning institutions is a recipe for conflict. Disputes within the school environment will be the order of the day.
In most cases, salary payments boost staff morale; therefore, the inability to settle payments in a timely manner greatly affects performance and general learner education.
The only option available to the headteachers is to resort to creating additional debts elsewhere to ensure that all the institution’s services remain uninterrupted. This will clearly complicate the already dire situation.
Such challenges make it increasingly hard for institution heads to adhere to set budget demands and effectively plan for sound financial management.
As schools open, parents have to come up with workable modalities to settle fees for their children, which they have to honour.
On its side, the government must release all the capitation grants in a timely manner to avoid unnecessary embarrassment to institution heads.
Higher authorities should not stifle all the systems charged with funding our education. This includes County Governments, the Jomo Kenyatta Foundation, the Constituency Development Fund, and others.
Some institution heads may be accused of financial mismanagement even when they are not the source of the problem.
Sadly, even as we focus on timely fee payment, it’s completely unfortunate that so many learners drop out of school because they cannot afford the fees.
By Hillary Muhalya
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