Schools race to meet data rules as 32,000 comply after audit

Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok. [File, Standard]

Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok says 32,000 primary and secondary schools have submitted fresh enrolment data, meeting a government directive issued after an audit questioned the accuracy of school records.

Bitok said the Ministry of Education has already released capitation funds to 3,000 schools whose data has been verified and will complete payments to all verified schools by the end of next week.

"We have received data from all our 32,000 schools around the country,' said Bitok.

"The only challenge at the beginning was that the formats of the data were not consistent with our templates, but now the submissions are aligned," he added.

The ministry extended the submission deadline to September 12, to allow schools with incomplete or incorrectly formatted data to comply.

Bitok urged principals and sub-county directors of education to act quickly, warning that funding depends on accurate records.

He said most cleared schools are secondary institutions, numbering more than 1,200, followed by about 600 junior schools. Primary schools have lagged due to connectivity and infrastructure challenges.

Bitok cited Massey Boys High School as an example of compliance, noting that it received its full allocation after verification.

The verification exercise follows an Auditor General's report and parliamentary questions last month over discrepancies in the number of students and schools receiving funds.

'We had no option but to verify our data to comply with Parliament's directive and the Auditor General's report,' noted Bitok, adding, "This is for the benefit of Kenyan children and the nation."