According to the PAC report, which was recently released for the 58th meeting, it shows that the Ministry of Basic Education enrolment, in primary school is about 337,655 on average but the number declines to an average of 180,925 at secondary school which is 54% of the enrolment at primary school. “The committee is concerned about the number of learners that drop out of the education system and its effect on the country’s goal of having an inclusive and accessible quality education for all.
On average, from primary to secondary schools, the system loses 54% of the learners along the way. The factors affecting enrolment and transition rates need to be investigated including what happens to the learners that drop out given that not having secondary education affects the employability and wellbeing of the youth,” the report says. On issues of school fees, the report indicates that the accounting officer had indicated in her submission the challenge that the ministry is faced within the collection of school fees as some parents were reluctant. “Out of the estimated revenue of P18,387,200 for the current year, only P12,874,365 was collected leaving an under-collection of P5,512,836. The arrears from previous years totalled P 91,449,686.79 for which there were no recoveries during the year.
