President William Ruto has issued a directive to digitize the entire education system in the country, aiming to eliminate corruption and streamline services. The directive, announced by the Cabinet, mandates all schools and universities to collect school fees through the eCitizen platform.
President Ruto’s administration believes that this digitization will address governance challenges, such as parallel accounts, unauthorized fee charges, and the enrollment of ghost students, which have plagued the education sector.
Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu will provide guidelines for the implementation of the digitization plan.
President Ruto emphasized the importance of this initiative, stating, “This intervention aims to address the governance challenges within our education system that has led to parallel accounts, charging of unauthorized school fees, diversion of the exchequer releases on capitation and other fraudulent activities that undermine the integrity of the education system.”
Despite facing resistance and legal challenges, the digitization plan is seen as a positive step towards eradicating corruption in schools and ensuring accountability.
Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) Secretary General, Akelo Misori, acknowledged the difficulty of the decision, stating, “There are also parents who do casual jobs in schools to pay fees for their children. How will they be able to do so on the e-Citizen platform?”
However, President Ruto is confident that this move will ultimately benefit the country by modernizing the education system and promoting transparency.