To help every child get ready for school, the Government has rolled out another round of back-to-school assistance beginning today, offering $200 per child.
Finance Minister Esrom Immanuel and Education Minister Aseri Radrodro emphasized that this program aims to ensure no child is left behind due to a lack of necessary school supplies.
“Every eligible parent/guardian will receive $200 per child before school reopens in 2026. The support is available for students from Early Childhood Education (ECE) to Year 13 whose families have a combined annual income of $50,000 or less.
“A budget allocation of $40 million is provided in the 2025- 2026 Budget for this initiative. To make the application process as simple and accessible as possible, parents and guardians can obtain forms from schools or download them from the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Finance websites.”
The Finance Minister announced that forms will be made available from today, Tuesday 11 November.
“The application period starts tomorrow Tuesday, 11 November 2025, and will close on Friday, 12 December 2025 which is the end of the first week of school break providing around five weeks for families to complete and submit their forms.”
Both Cabinet ministers also issued a warning for those who recently tried to tamper with the assistance for their own gain.
“Unfortunately, we have identified some fraudulent cases in previous years, which are now under investigation. In one instance, a teacher’s spouse submitted 11 false applications, receiving $2,200 inappropriately.”
“We have also uncovered cases where school administrative staff altered or fabricated information in the FEMIS system. Such actions deny deserving students their rightful support and this will not be tolerated.”
The Finance Minister added that heads of schools will be held accountable in such cases.
“I would also like to state that the School Heads will be held accountable for all information submitted through the application forms.”
“Teachers and school heads play a vital role in the success of this initiative. We encourage them to actively support and assist parents in completing and submitting forms on time.”
“Heads of Schools must ensure all details on the forms are accurate and properly verified, including confirming that the applicant is the legal parent or guardian, to avoid any misuse of the assistance.”
He added that parents also need to ensure that the details they enter are accurate.
“I urge parents and guardians to double-check that their application details are accurate, especially their phone numbers, which must be registered for M-PAiSA or MyCASH to receive the funds and if possible, to keep a copy of your children’s application as proof. Parents must note that we will not accept any further changes to their mobile numbers provided in the application form.”
