Ministry backs school fees raise
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Secondary schools are free to raise fees as long as they consult parents, an Education official said on Monday.
Secondary schools are free to raise fees as long as they consult parents, an Education official said on Monday.
The announcement is a turnaround from directives issued by the ministry which capped fees to be charged in secondary schools.
On Monday, Secondary and Tertiary Education director Robert Masese also said parents should stop complaining about high schools fees since they are consulted before the charges are adjusted.
He said that 50 per cent of parents in any public secondary school are expected to meet and determine the fee structure that should be charged.
“The parents are expected to be involved in consultation with the board. The fee structure agreed upon should be affordable,” Mr Masese said.
Speaking during a public forum organised by the Kenya Alliance of Resident Associations (Kara) held at the PanAfric Hotel in Nairobi, Mr Masese said the ministry had allocated Sh1,020 annually for every pupil attending public primary schools and Sh10,265 to each secondary school student.
“The money provided by the government is expected to cushion parents from paying exorbitant secondary school fees by meeting tuition, electricity, water bills as well as paying salaries of secretaries and support staff,” he said.
FEES ILLEGAL
The Kenya National Association of Parents secretary-general Musau Ndunda told the meeting that all fees paid by parents should be declared illegal and cited Moi Girls Secondary School in Eldoret which was charging Sh102,000 for every student joining Form One.
“There is a lot of inconsistency in the manner in which fees are being charged in our secondary schools,” Mr Ndunda added. The theme of the bi-monthly talk series was: “Is the Cost of Education in Kenya a Threat to Right to Education?”
Earlier, Mr Masese identified the high wage bill, location of schools and wanton wastage of funds as some of the issues facing the sector.
“Our educational system is also faced with glaring inefficiencies. For example, a student pursuing a masters degree in the United Kingdom takes nine months to complete their course compared to three years in Kenya,” Mr Masese added.
