Hefty fees paid, parents now face upkeep dilemma at home

Ms Silvia Musembi comforts her daughter Lucy Muthoki, a form two student at Nakuru Girls High School on September 19, 2015. Ms Musembi had travelled from Athi River to pick her daughter from the school following directive by the government to have all schools closed as strike crisis worsened. PHOTO | SULEIMAN MBATIAH | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Unrelenting teachers made it clear in the streets, through television and in newspapers that children would not be safe in school, as they would be virtually on their own and true to that the children have been sent home after government closed all schools.
  • Parents are feeling cheated by both teachers and the government, with the strike affecting many households but with no sign of it abating after President Uhuru Kenyatta rejected the pay rise demands and the Cabinet ordered the closure of schools.

When Mr John Okello paid Sh30,000 fees at the opening of the third term, he thought he was relieved of the pressure of having to take care of his children at home.

The father of four divided the amount among his children to get them back to school, after which he would clear the balances in the course of the term.

The money he was left with after paying fees would see him through the better part of September — or would it?

Sadly, a teachers strike emerged that distorted his budget completely. Unrelenting teachers made it clear in the streets, through television and in newspapers that children would not be safe in school, as they would be virtually on their own and true to that the children have been sent home after government closed all schools.

“Having children at home requires an extra budget of Sh500 each day. I am overwhelmed as I don’t have another source of money to feed them,” he told Sunday Nation.

Mr Okello says that digging into his pockets to provide breakfast, lunch and supper for children he has spent a fortune on to send to school, is stretching his budget to unbearable levels.

The fact that children had stayed at home for four weeks during the August holidays — after tuition in schools was banned by the Ministry of Education — only made matters worse.

“It is a nightmare when these adolescents are at home. In school, they are likely to avoid negative peer pressure in the estates, among other vices,” he says.

Now Mr Okello wishes he had not paid school fees during the first week of the term.

He is among many parents now agonising over the fate of their children as the teachers strike enters its fourth week tomorrow.

Parents are feeling cheated by both teachers and the government, with the strike affecting many households but with no sign of it abating after President Uhuru Kenyatta rejected the pay rise demands and the Cabinet ordered the closure of schools.

Most of those who talked to the Sunday Nation from across the country complained of additional costs incurred when children are at home.

Mrs Emma Omondi says she had exhausted all her earnings to pay school fees for her son, adding that being made to stay with him at home is a slap in the face. She spent Sh20,000 on school fees and personal items for the boy.

“No parent would want to carry such an extra burden. When children are in school, parents are relaxed because teachers are able to discipline and monitor their movements,” she says.

Mrs Omondi adds that the pressure to give her child the best had strained her budget.

“Keeping children at home is a headache. Life is easier when they are in school. When I’m alone at home, I can even take plain water for supper on a bad day. But with the child around, I have to prepare a square meal every day,” she says.

Likewise, Mr Okello wishes he had not paid school fees in the first week of the term. “It would be easier for me to take care of my children now, but I don’t have the money. I have to literally struggle to cater for them,” he said.

He adds: “I wish I knew the strike would go this far; I wouldn’t have paid the fees. But the moment I stepped into Otieno Oyoo Secondary School (in Kisumu County), the administration demanded that parents clear all fee arrears then go back home with their children.”

Mr Okello, a mechanic, has to leave his house every morning to attend to his customers. He is now worried about the safety of his daughters at home, owing to peer pressure among adolescents. “My two girls are teenagers and there is a lot of peer pressure among them when they are at home,” he said.

In the evenings, the teenagers assemble at pre-agreed places to chat, unlike when they are in school where they are closely monitored. He said he would rather leave his child at school than at home, so long as they are safe there.

Mrs Omondi concurs that it is easier to watch the children when schools are on.

Ms Mary Nyambura, a parent of a Class Five pupil at Temple Road school in Nyeri town, said she was having to dig deeper into her pockets to buy snacks and revision past papers to keep her son busy at home.

“My challenge has been having the boy read while in the house alone. I had paid Sh800 for his lunch programme at school... now that he is at home, I spend at least Sh100 every day.”