Nandi County Senator Samson Cherargei has waded into the debate of the National Treasury not allocating funds for national examinations, backing the government's decision.
Taking to social media on Sunday, the Senator brought up that even during previous administrations like Mwai Kibaki's, when primary school education was free, the examinations were paid for by parents.
However, Cherargei proposed that vulnerable children could have the examination fees waived so that they could access the same resources as their more able students.
"Even under Former President Kibaki's administration during free Primary Education (FPE), he did not pay for exam fees; that's a fact," he stated.
"While it's important to review to factor in the vulnerable students. The vulnerable students can be given a waiver to allow them access to take national exams in Kenya. Parenthood is a responsibility to our children."
Although primary education is no longer free, the President Uhuru Kenyatta government allocated billions yearly to print and facilitate the administration of national examinations at both the primary and secondary school levels.
The glaring failure to allocate any amount for the national exams was uncovered by the National Assembly Committee on Education, which warned that this could jeopardise the administration of critical national assessments.
While appearing before the committee, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba, to defend his ministry’s budget estimates, was unable to explain why the KPSEA, JSS, and KCSE examinations had not been allocated funding.
The committee chair, Julius Melly, accused the ministry of trying to sabotage the education system by underfunding it and demanded answers for the zero allocation.
"Exams are activities that take place at the end of every year. Summative exams have to take place. But you have presented a budget with zero. Why is it not in the budget? I don't see the CEO of KNEC here either. As a Committee, we need answers," Melly stated.
On May 14, Treasury CS John Mbadi clarified that the annual Ksh11 billion funding was temporarily halted to allow the government to assess several issues pertaining to the usage of the money.
"We have not removed the money so that parents can pay. No parent will pay the examination fees. We are trying to assess various things, including why the government should pay a student's examination fees," Mbadi said.
"As a minister, why should the government pay my child's examination fees? Why must our examinations be printed in London, England? Just a mere examination?"
