212,000 Students Miss Government Funding after NEMIS Data Error
Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu has revealed that More than 200,000 secondary school students have not been receiving government funding despite attending classes.
The learners in secondary schools have not been receiving capitation due to data error of student’s details not adequately captured in the government National Education Management Information System (NEMIS).
The CS insisted that no monies will be paid until details of these learners are fully and accurately captured.
He singled out controversies and the inconsistencies around learners’ birth certificates whereby serial numbers of the certificates were shared among learners, raising questions on the accuracy and thoroughness of NEMIS data.
In other instances, birth certificates were missing, hence incomplete registration of students’ data in the government system.
The effect is that these learners are feeding and using resources courtesy of other learners whose data have been captured and receiving government capitation.
Secondary schools heads on Tuesday revealed that there exist thousands of students carried by the weight of those who receive capitation, another development that leads to financial crises in schools. Through their associations’ chairman Kahi Indimuli, the heads said that schools are forced to keep students in school at the expense of others.
Appearing in Parliament last week, Machogu said some schools are only funded depending on the number of learners fully registered in the government data bank.
‘‘The ministry provides capitation to learners who are fully registered on NEMIS, that is, those who have birth certificates and parents’ details. Because some learners are in school but are not fully registered on NEMIS, there is the risk of under-capitalisation in some schools,’’ Machogu said.
He clarified that all learners are registered however, only with requisite documents are fully registered which enable them access to government services.
‘‘The NEMIS allows for the registration of both learners with and without birth certificates. Those with birth certificates are fully registered while those without birth certificates are partially registered,’’ he stated.