Education will receive K1.29bil funding boost

Education has been allocated K1.29 billion (K1,293.4 million) for 2018 which is an increase of 13.3 per cent from last year’s supplementary budget.
Treasurer Charles Abel, in delivering the 2018 Budget yesterday, said of the total, K1025.7 million was operational and K267.7 million capital expenditure.
The tuition fee free (TFF) policy is maintained at K602 million.
Abel said the current investment priorities included investment in community education initiatives, nursing education and training and teachers, technical and business colleges; establishment of polytechnic and national universities and to complete the transition from outcome-based education to standards-based education.
“The focus on technical education training (Tvet) is to establish the centre of excellence to produce the required trade skills to meet industry needs and empower youths to engage in private sector activity,” he said.
Abel said it would ultimately contribute to an increase in productively of human capital and greater participation in the economy.