Detailed Reforms Proposed by Presidential Working Party on Education
Detailed Reforms Proposed by Presidential Working Party on Education. The Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms presented the second interim report to President William Ruto last week.
State House has kept quiet about the conclusions, in stark contrast to when the panel submitted the first report on December 1 of last year.
There was no mention of the meeting of the review delegation, which was led by academician Prof. Raphael Munavu, in any remarks or on the president’s social media pages. The transition from Grade 6 to Grade 7 was specifically discussed in the first report on progress in elementary education.
The government issued a number of instructions after it was submitted, including the transfer of junior secondary schools into current primary institutions and the hiring of 30,000 new teachers.
President Ruto’s decision, according to a source familiar with the workings of the education task force, was seen as a clear acceptance and endorsement of the original report.
However, there was no additional communication when the group secretly left the State House on Thursday. The final report must be submitted by March 31.
The Sunday Standard can now go into further detail about the second progress report of the Presidential Working Party on Education Reform, which focused on tertiary and teacher education.
The team recommends lowering entry grades from C+ to C, with additional reductions to C-(minus) for such areas, with the exception of marginalized areas.
The task team also wants to increase the cost of attending a university from Sh16,000 to Sh52,000, a demand that has in the past prompted heated opposition from student unions and parents.
To get universities out of their current financial bind, the group also recommends eliminating debts owed to statutory organizations and increasing State funding to reflect enrollment levels.
Prof. Munavu’s team has recommended that before appointing university top management (VCs, DVCs, Principals, and Deputy Principals of constituent colleges), university councils once more consult with the Education Cabinet Secretary. The Public Service Commission now has the necessary power thanks to changes made to the law.
Detailed Reforms Proposed by Presidential Working Party on Education
The team recommends increasing educational facilities at the ward, constituency, and county levels for intermediate level training, followed by appropriate finance and staffing.
According to the administration, every county would have a national polytechnic, each constituency will have a technical vocational college, and each ward will have a vocational training facility. Increase the number of trainers working in TVET institutions by 8,817, at least 50% of whom should be hired right away and the remainder gradually.
One of the main concepts is still the reform of the admissions procedures for Teachers Training schools (TTCs), which the committee asserted had resulted in a fall in enrollment in the schools.
3,922 students, or 14.7% of all students enrolled in the 34 public pre-service primary teacher training colleges, are listed in the study. There will be a total of 26,650 students.
According to the data, this amounts to 22,728 total seats available, or 85.3%, at the pre-service primary teacher training school.
The survey also mentions that 1,293 students, or 36% of the 3,600 planned students, are currently enrolled in one of the three public universities for secondary teacher preparation.
The study claims that “this implies that 2,307 (64%) capacity at these colleges lies idle.” Its findings showed that 48.48 percent of Kenyans polled preferred a review of the criteria for TTC entry-level admission. It comes to the conclusion that enrolment has suffered as a result of the TTCs’ changed entrance requirements.
Detailed Reforms Proposed by Presidential Working Party on Education
The grade needed to enter bachelor’s programs is currently the same as the grade needed to enter the Diploma in Secondary Teacher Education (DSTE) – Science and Arts option.
For the Diploma in Technical Teacher Education (DTTE), mean grades of C (ordinary) and C+(Plus) in two STEM teaching subjects were also recommended.
The task group recommends either a grade of C- (minus) for students with disabilities and special needs OR a mean grade of C (plain) or an equivalent in senior school for the Diploma in Special Needs Education (DSNE).
However, in order to be eligible for this diploma, a candidate must first possess a PTE or DPTE for primary school teaching. Each pre-service Diploma Teacher Education degree should last three years, according to the taskforce.
“The president asked us if lowering the admissions bar would address the problems. According to a witness to the conversation, he asked us to think about the cause of the problem and offer a workable solution.
However, the task force’s recommendation to increase university fees, which has historically been a divisive topic, would lead to more debate. The government-subsidized tuition for students (Sh16,000.00) has not increased since 1989. The study recommends raising it to a minimum of between Sh48,000 and Sh52,000 each month.
Vice chancellors tried to increase fees during the previous administration, but their efforts were unsuccessful. The late former Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha helped to defuse the tension by denying the VC’s attempts to raise fees as students came to the streets in opposition to the proposed move.
However, the failing colleges and institutions, whose debts have now reached Sh61 billion, may be able to recover using this strategy, according to Prof. Munavu’s team.
As of June 2022, unpaid invoices totaled Sh56.1 billion, according to the task force report. Universities still owe a combined total of Sh18.6 billion, Sh13.7 billion, and Sh3.8 billion for pensions, Pay As You Earn (PAYE), and suppliers, respectively.
Part-time academics are owed Sh2.6 billion by universities, and Sacco and cooperative contributions total Sh4.1 billion.
The institutions also owe cumulative contractor debt of Sh1.5 billion and loan deductions of Sh1.4 billion.
The National Hospital Insurance Fund owes Sh2.3 million, and the National Social Security Fund still need another Sh139 million. The panel has recommended that the president absolve himself of these costs. “It should be taken into consideration to eliminate long-overdue statutory deductions as well as accumulated unpaid taxes on staff salaries as a result of budget deficits. According to the study, the government could consider bailout conditional grants when solving issues.
The panel recommended the government provide colleges with a bailout package to pay off unpaid pension, collective bargaining, and wage arrears.
“The penalties and interests on PAYE arrears should be waived; and a conditional grant to cater for the principal PAYE arrears be provided,” the report recommended.
Additionally, the task committee advised Ruto to fully implement the present funding strategy known as Differentiated Unit Cost (DUC).
“DUC at 80% has been dropping from 66% to 48% and has not been fully implemented. The report suggests that the government raise the DUC from the current 48.1 percent to the recommended 80 percent.
The DUC is the total annual cost per student for a given degree program, which takes into account staff salaries, facility fees, and other institutional overhead expenditures.
To support the growth of physical facilities, training resources, and ICT infrastructure for TVETs, the task force recommends increasing the resources provided to the sub-sector in accordance with enrollment trends.
The team additionally requests funding for government-sponsored trainees in public TVET colleges in accordance with the DUC model from the government.
Insiders present at the State House meeting told The Sunday Standard that the president might think the current funding model for TVETs and colleges is unsustainable.
“Ruto challenged us to expand our ideas and offer a solution. According to a conference participant, if the DUC’s 80 percent financing formula, for instance, is ineffective, we suggest a new approach.
The government is currently anticipated to pay 80% of all university students’ tuition expenses, with the remaining 20% coming from household levies and other sources, according to DUC. After education stakeholders protested that the current finance structure does not assist universities because the 80 percent target is never attained, Ruto would instruct the working group to start anew.
Over time, the government’s funding for DUCs has shrunk, and the target of 80% has proven elusive.
The Sunday Standard was able to access DUC data showing that public institutions had received cash totaling Sh126.931 billion over the last three fiscal years. An 80 percent DUC need, however, would be Sh187.469 billion.
TVET students can currently get a capitation or grant of Sh30,000 and a loan of Sh40,000 per student per year.
The government progressively raised the number of TVET institutes it had created, from 52 in 2013 to 238 in 2021. In addition, there will be more pupils than ever before—249,316 in 2021 compared to 55,945 in 2013.
Helb presently spends Sh3.82 billion on tuition for 104,113 students.
Helb’s research indicates that due to the budget for student loans not being able to keep up with the increasing demand for TVET loans, 128,893 students from various TVET colleges were denied loans during the academic year 2021–2022.
The Sunday Standard was able to confirm that the DUC percentage has decreased over time, going from 60.7% in the FY 2019–20 to 53.77% in the FY 2020–21 to a deplorable 49.51% in the FY 202–21.
More students are enrolling in colleges as a result of government policy that mandates a 100% transition of students receiving a C+ (Plus) or higher without a comparable increase in resource allocation.
As a result, less money has been given each student, and the DUC rate has declined from 60.7% to 49.51%.
The financial health of higher education institutions has reportedly suffered significantly as a result of the DUC percentage’s gradual fall, according to sources in the education sector. Operations at the university have been significantly affected as a result, leading to budget deficits and significant unpaid obligations.
As stated in the Universities Fund report, “Attaining the necessary 80% of DUC annually has therefore been a tall order.”
Sources at the State House meeting claim that if getting 80% funding is impossible, Ruto encouraged the team to reconsider their funding strategy.