Early Christmas for learners as cash crunch bites schools

Students walk at Uhuru park in Nairobi Town after the schools closed for term two on Tuesday April 19th, 2023 [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

Schools began closing Friday, a week earlier than the scheduled October 24 date.

Interviews with school heads reveals that the early closure has been necessitated by a biting cash crunch straining operations and day to day activities in the institutions.

A message from a school to the parents notified them of the school’s decision to close early.

“Dear parent/guardian, this is to inform you that the school will proceed for the December holiday on October 18, students will be released from the school compound at 7am,” the message reads.

School heads who spoke to The Standard indicated that the continuous underfunding of schools has pushed most institutions on their knees accruing heavy debts and unpaid utilities.

Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association chairman, Willy Kuria explained that the Ministry of Education has failed to honour its pledge to restore full funding to schools.

He revealed that former Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Macogu had earlier this year promised to restore secondary school capitation to Sh22,244 from the current amount they receive of Sh17,000.

“The slash of Sh5,000 has been a thorn in the flesh of schools and is causing immense distress to the institutions,” Kuria said.

Further exacerbating the situation is the late disbursement of the funds.

According to the 2023 school calendar, third term was set to run for nine weeks.

However, the term has only spanned seven weeks with two weeks lost to a teachers' strike that delayed reopening by a week and the other lost to the early closure.

The learners will now enjoy a 12-week holiday with the institutions scheduled to reopen in January 6 for the 2025 academic calendar.

The calendar seen by The Standard first term will begin on January 6 and run until April 4 lasting a total of 13 weeks. 

Students will have a brief half-term break from February 26 to March 2, providing a five-day pause in their studies. 

The April holiday follows immediately after the first term, stretching from April 7 to April 25, giving learners a three-week rest before the second term commences.

Term II will open on April 28 and conclude on August 1 making it the longest term of the year, spanning 14 weeks.

Students will again have a 5-day half-term break from the 25th to the 29th of June. 

The second term will be followed by a three-week August holiday, running from August 4 to 22.

Term III, which is shorter at nine weeks, will begin on August 25 and end on October 24. 

This term will be particularly crucial for students in their final years, as the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) and Kenya Intermediate Level Education Assessment (KILEA) are set to take place from October 27 to the end of month. 

Other national exams, including the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) and the Kenya Pre-Vocational Level Education Assessment (KPLEA), are scheduled to run from October 27 through November 6.

Form Four candidates preparing for the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams will write their examination between November 3 and November 21.