Govt to effect full free day secondary learning in January

Students going home from school. The government is set to effect complete free day secondary education starting January 2018. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang said that the government will pay the subsidy that parents have been paying.
  • Students in boarding schools will receive a similar amount from the government as that given to those in day schools.
  • Already, the government has allocated Sh25 billion for the programme.

The government has scrapped the Sh9,374 school fees which each student in public secondary schools has been paying per year, paving way for complete free day secondary education starting January 2018.

Announcing the new directive in a circular on guidelines for the implementation of free day secondary school education, Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang said that the government will pay the subsidy.

“In order to ensure a 100 percent transition for all leaners and remove the burden from parents, the parent component of Sh9,374 has been taken up by the government and as such leaners in day schools will not pay any school fees,” Dr Kipsang said in the document dated October 19.

With the new development, each learner in public schools will receive Sh22,224 from the government with effect from January 2018.

UNIFORM

However, parents will buy school uniform and pay for lunch for day scholars.

Students in boarding schools will receive a similar amount from the government as that given to those in day schools.

Parents will pay for boarding and other infrastructural projects as may be approved by boards of management after consultations

Parents with students in boarding schools category A (national and county schools) will now pay Sh53,554 a year and those with leaners in category B (boarding schools and extra county schools) will be charged Sh40,535 school fees.

Already, the government has allocated Sh25 billion for the programme.

PRUDENCE

“All schools management, especially principals, are expected to ensure prudence in the use of school funds and to adhere to the laid down financial regulations as stipulated in the financial management instructions handbook,” Dr Kipsang said.

A Cabinet meeting on supplementary budget chaired by President Uhuru Kenyatta in September resolved that requisite infrastructure will be provided through government initiative and will lead to 100 per cent transition from primary to secondary schools.

In January 2017, a total of 790,680 out of 942,021 candidates who sat the 2016 Kenya Certificate Primary Examination (KCPE) exam joined secondary schools. Of these, 72,744 joined private schools, with the transition at 83.93 percent.

The government has also increased capitation for learners in special schools to Sh57,974 a year.