Don't Subsidise Private Schools

Private schools have appealed for government support for their their pupils at their annual conference in Mombasa. They want the same capitation grant as public schools which is Sh1,300 for primary schools and Sh10,625 for their secondary schools.

This is not a good idea. There is already a two-tier education system in Kenya where pupils from private primary schools enjoy a disproportionate share of state secondary school places, and by extension, a greater share of university places. If the state started subsiding private schools, then private pupils would agree an even greater unfair advantage.

Where there could be room for concession is in Planning minister Wycliffe Oparanya's suggestion that the state could provide vouchers for private schools operating in economically marginal areas of Kenya. That might work because there is no alternative to private education in some areas. But as a general rule, private schools should continue to survive on the fees paid by parents. They are already better than state schools and we do not want the quality gap to grow even wider.