The government has launched a seven-day audit of schools countrywide to take action against those charging illegal fees.
According to Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang, all schools should cease from directing parents to pay charges outside the authorised fee guidelines for secondary schools.
School heads of both primary, junior and secondary schools have already been put on notice of the upcoming auditing which this time round will be done in schools.
Recently President William Ruto had warned school administrators subjecting parents to illegal levies.
The President further directed the Ministry of Education leaders to follow up on the utilisation of Sh67 billion capitation fund released by the national government last week to schools.
He said the government released the Sh67 billion with additional Sh10 billion to NG-CDF as bursary and scholarships for needy students.
“We want Kenyan children to remain in school and it is an offense for any head of school to send learners home for fees because the government is catering for their education,” he said.
He warned principals who might have introduced extra charges in their schools that the law will catch up with them soon.
Some of the controversial charges are motivation, remedial, lunch fees and money for the purchase of full ream papers.
The Ministry of Education also issued a number of circulars to school on illegal levies.
“The Ministry of Education has sent numerous reminders and circulars to schools through the field officers warning them against introduction of extra levies, withholding KCPE/KCSE certificates and conducting of illegal tuition during weekends and school holidays.
However, the Ministry continues to receive complaints from aggrieved parents and guardians on extra levies, withholding of certificates and conducting illegal tuition,” one of the circulars read.
The circular quoted the following sections of the law which prohibits illegal levies, withholding of certificates and conducting illegal tuition
(a) Regulation 44 of the Basic Education Act, 2013 that prohibits any school to issue a fees structure other than the one issued by the Cabinet Secretary.
(b) Section 10(1)(b) of the KNEC Act, 2012 which prohibits all schools from withholding certificates for any candidate.
(c) Section 29(1) of the Basic Education Act 2013 that prohibits holiday tuition.
When schools reopened Education Cabinet Secretary (CS) Ezekiel Machogu also issued a number of orders for schools to implement for grade 7 and 8 learners as follows.
1) All the 1,282,574 candidates who sat the 2023 Kenya Primary Schools Education Assessment be allowed to join Grade 7 in the Junior Secondary Schools hosted by their respective primary schools where they attended Grade 1-6.
2) Grade 7 learners utilise the classrooms that were used by the current Grade 8 learners in 2023.
3) Grade 7 learners be allowed to attend school in uniforms that they used while in Grade 6 in 2023 as parents and guardians make efforts to buy new outfits for the JSS.
4) Grade 8 learners utilise the classrooms left vacant by the last cohort of the Standard 8 candidates who sat the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education Examination in 2023.
5) Schools must desist from asking parents to construct new classrooms for the current Grade 8 candidates.
Machogu had earlier said that for the Free Primary Education Programme, the ministry released Sh7.9 billion for the nine million learners in public primary schools and Sh14.7 billion for the one million learners in Junior Secondary Schools while Sh44.4 billion is capitation for the 3.7 million under the Free Day Secondary Education.
“As a government, we are concerned over the growing appetite for money by heads of schools to the level that they are prioritising ‘illegal levies’ at the expense of the education of learners. We will not accommodate the few rogue teachers who are tarnishing the sector,” President William Ruto said.
It’s bad to be given a different fee structure but when you reach to school you find it’s different
Where do l send report to
Well and good Mr piezo, I think this auditing should begin as early as tomorrow in Itinda primary and jss where Jss we only received three exercise books per child that ls 2023 ,in 2024 yet
You audit after we have already paid thousands that were not on the fee structure? What next after the audit? Do we stand a refund? Ni kiulizo tuu.
There are always extra charges of fees by secondary schools which do not appear on the fees structure such that is the actual school fees is 40k you end up paying almost 70k
The schools in Uasin gishu county are very corrupt. Imagine the old school like Umoja Secondary form one to pay 3000 for locker and no receipt is issued to a parent. Then UG secondary school form one to pay 8000 for tour. Please focus more on Uasin gishu county schools, parents we are suffering.
Kenyatta high school mahiga is amongst these issuing a different fees structure and asking parents to buy 2reams of photocopy paper.
Infrastructure money should it be paid from form1 up to form4? Making us to pay up to79000/- per year
Infrastructure money should it be paid from form1 up to form4? Making us to pay up to79000/- per year
Yah the Audit of schools is overdue. However County directors should also be audited. This is because the challenges facing most schools stems from inefficiencies among these officials.
Especially ream paper, you have to purchase 200 pages A4 12 books, still principal want 1ream paper per term which is 500 pages, if you ask, hii reampaper hutu mika vipi? Unambiwa wacha kule siasa shuleni, ⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️
Shimo la tewa primary in Kisauni District — Mombasa county JJSS continuing students from Grd 6 now joining Grd 7 in the same school to pay 8,310/-
Plus
Desk 4k
Truck suit 4k
Books
Ream of papers etc