Win for community schools as MPs review admission criteria

This story has significance for readers across Kenya and beyond.

Community schools falling mostly under the C4 cluster are set to be the biggest beneficiaries of a new admission policy for grade 10 learners that Members of Parliament wants implemented beginning January next year.

The lawmakers have unanimously passed a motion seeking to compel the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with other relevant government agencies and stakeholders, to cap the maximum number of streams each cluster of schools can admit each year.

The move means that if the new policy is implemented by the government, more students will be admitted to the C4 schools, thereby increasing the capitation received from the government.

In the current government capitation system, money follows the number of students-the more students a school has, the more money it receives from the government.

This has always given the C1 schools an upper hand as more parents prefer to enroll their children in such schools with the hope of getting good grades.

The motion by Kitutu Masaba MP Clive Gisairo passed by the House proposes that for C-1 schools, the number of streams be capped at a maximum of 10 with each streams, C-2 schools to have eight streams; for C-3 schools to have five streams while C-4 schools to have three streams, with each stream not exceeding 40 students.

If adopted, the new system will automatically lock out any number above 400 students for C1 schools.

Lawmakers argued that the move is aimed at ensuring there is an infrastructure upgrade programme, especially for schools in categories C-3 and C-4, in order to decongest those in categories C1 and C2

In the new review, MPs want the capitation formula to be revised in order to reflect actual infrastructural capacity and ensure that schools receive proportional and equitable capitation to incentivise enrolment diversification and achieve equitable distribution of learners across the school categories

Mr Gisairo said the few number of learners per stream in each school will give teachers an easy time to interact with the students and provide much guidance as needed.

If adopted, he said the system will automatically lock out any number above 400 students for C1 schools.

C1 schools are the former National Schools, which mainly have elite boarding institutions equipped with premium resources for highly competitive academic and career pathways, while Cluster 2 (C2), are the former extra-County Schools, mostly the regional boarding schools serving a broader student base.

In Cluster 3, these mainly consist of former County Schools that serve students primarily from across the county, while Cluster 4 are majorly the local community-based day schools accessible within a learner's local sub-county.

According to data from the Ministry of Education, there are only 204 public schools classified as Cluster One compared to 692 in Cluster Two, while Cluster Three has 1,373 schools and Cluster Four has 7,234 schools.

Mr Gisairo argues that if the admission formula is adopted from January 2027, then the congestion problem in High Schools will be addressed.

Mr Gisairo pointed out that the appetite to fill the C1 schools despite the limited slots is what is killing the country’s education system.

“If the ministry puts an effort to put infrastructure in all our C4 schools in the current capitation system, money follows the child, some schools have turned to exam cheating in order to attract more students and get more money,” Mr Gisairo said.

The lawmaker regretted that education is a business, but we are all aware that some principals in this country have seen some opportunities in our schools

Mr Gisairo pointed out that some national schools operate with a budget that is more than allocations of three constituencies combined.

He cited a school with 3,500 students, capitation from the government is Sh77 million, add to uniforms, where some schools collect up to Sh20,000 per student making Sh70 million, remedial classes and other activities that they charge exceed Sh52 million, school fees are normally Sh120,000 and above, coming to about Sh420 million.

Suba South North Millie Odhiambo pointed out that most National schools are overcrowded, with over 500 students in a class, making it impossible to inculcate societal moral values.

“One of the schools in my constituency has seven students because everyone is running to C1 and C3 schools and then we are going to have a poor education system because teachers are exhausted, they are suffering burnout while other people are making money,” Ms Odhiambo said.

“You can’t have schools Alliance having more than their fair share simply because money must come with the number students It is not possible to inculcate values to over 500 students in a class, it’s like a political rally yet it’s supposed to be a school,” she added

She pointed out that some principals control over Sh1 billion per year. “If I was corrupt, I would probably resign and become a principal of a C1 school because it’s easier to get a lot of money there,”

Nominated MP Dorothy Kiara said there is a need to equip C4 schools in order to avoid overcrowding of the few available National schools.

“We all want to crowd our children to schools with a title. It’s us the elite who want our children to go to Lenana, Nairobi schools and others. This puts pressure on principals of these to take more than the capacity,” Ms Kiara said.

Reporting originally appeared via Nation Africa. Read the full source for additional context.