The ministry of education has revived its plan to get the power to manage school resources directly by hiring and staffing school managers in all basic learning institutions.
The move was first floated back then in 2019 and tabled in Parliament under amendment bill 2020 of the 2013 basic education act.
The education CS argued before the Parliament that people believe he is in control of both human and financial resources in school, whereas he is not. He lamented that it is only in Kenya where the minister of education does not have control of school resources.
CS Magoha’s proposal came to a halt when KUPPET, KNUT and TSC ganged up to oppose the scheme arguing that professional teachers are better placed to handle managerial aspects of any learning institution and TSC is the only Legit employer of teachers.
The government capitation in schools has greatly increased and the enrollment of school fee-paying students has more than doubled leaving school heads with hundreds of millions at their disposal.
As such, the ministry of education wants to quote the school’s financial resources as public resources which TSC has no mandate to control through the headteachers.
If effected, the school managers will be hired by the ministry of education and they will be in charge of school financial resources, both revenue collection and expenditure.
The school head will be relegated to excellent curriculum implementation and supervision of teachers. While school managers will oversee infrastructure, procurement of school needs and day-to-day school operations.
CS Magoha believes the school managers will help headteachers to operate schools more efficiently.
The Ministry’s propositions could be a major evolution from the existing model whereby the Cabinet Secretary will have the sovereignty of appointing school managers to preside over the management of funds and resources of education. In effect, the policy will make headteachers impotent in most of the leadership roles.
Procurement of textbooks and construction of CBC classes are done directly by the ministry of education, These functions were initially done by school heads.
The tidings can be good for bursers and storekeepers if the proposal of Dr Matiag’I to have them employed by the public service commission comes to pass.
To streamline the management of public school money, Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i stated that his ministry was collaborating with the Public Service Commission on how their hiring would be carried out.
According to Dr Matiang’i, once employed, bursars will be vulnerable to transfers to any region of the nation like any other public employee.
Principals in Bungoma, however, argue that the government ought to teach financial management to the bursars and principals.
A financial manager will boost the wage bill, according to Edward Bikala, chairman of the Bungoma chapter of the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association.
As a result of the government’s need to hire more than 8,000 supervisors to oversee all schools, he claimed the proposal is not financially viable.
To provide school administrators with expertise in responsible financial administration, Bungoma High School principal Godfrey Awour suggested that the government establish a professional management institute.