Office hopes Govt releases fund before school starts

By JINA AMBA
THE Flexible Open and Distance Education national office hopes that the Government will release funds to its centres before Term One begins on Feb 1, an official says.
Principal Anthony Rayappan said while they welcomed the Government initiative to encourage school dropouts to enrol in Fode centres for free, they needed funding to operate.
Education Minister Jimmy Uguro told The National yesterday that he would talk to the Treasury Department next Tuesday to make the payments to all schools including Fode.
Rayappan thanked the Government for considering those who drop out of the school system for various reasons.
Rayappan said they were waiting for instructions from the Education Department on how the new policy of establishing all Fode centres in schools around the country would be implemented.
“The Government has published the fee structure in the newspaper and a circular has been sent. If a student is taking five subjects in Grade 10, each subject is K110.
“The Government is going to pay this amount,” he said.
“Last year the Government paid 63 percent, and the parents 37 per cent. But this year, the Government says it is going to take care of everything.
“We will be very happy to see this happening. If the Government gives this money, we won’t have any issue to start school.
“We don’t know how the fees are going to be paid.
“I don’t know whether the Government is going to give the fee to Fode or to the schools.
“We need the money urgently, at the earliest because we need to start printing and distribute materials by the end of March or beginning of April.”