A parent on Saturday, January 28, lamented over what she termed were new tricks adopted by school heads to charge them extra fees ahead of the Junior Secondary School (JSS) transition.
A business lady based in Embakasi, Nairobi County, stated that a junior high school her child had been admitted to had imposed registration fees.
Besides charging registration fees, she decried several items listed by the school administration. In total, she stated that she was expected to pay Ksh20,000 to complete the entire admission process.
Among those included in the list were a bible, a geometrical set, an encyclopaedia, a ruler, 24 exercise books, story books and other items.
Education CS Ezekiel Machogu announcing the Form One Placement at KICD on January 16, 2023.
KNEC The parent added that despite Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu’s directive on the government giving students textbooks, the school’s administration had listed several books required before admission.
“I have been told that Ksh20,000 is the admission fee required. The school administration told us that we are supposed to meet demands commensurate to those of high school students,” the parent lamented.
“We really have a problem because we have to honour what the headteacher says. I don’t know if these children will access education,” the aggrieved parent added
She thus called on the Ministry of Education to intervene to allow students to enroll in school starting on Monday, January 30.
While releasing the 2022 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), CS Machogu announced that the government had set aside Ksh9.6 billion to support JSS.
In his speech, the CS noted that each learner was set to receive Ksh15,000 per year.
Speaking at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) headquarters in Nairobi, Machogu stated that only schools with boarding wings will be allowed to charge fees.
Further, he barred school heads from compelling parents to buy uniforms in school.
“This is the constitutional requirement that basic education, from primary to secondary, be compulsory and free,” Machogu indicated.
President William Ruto addresses candidates at Joseph Kang’ethe Primary School in Kibera, on day 2 of KCPE and KPSEA exams on November 29, 2022.
