Government Abolishes School Categories, Standardises Senior School Fees at Ksh.53,554.
The Ministry of Education has released new guidelines standardising annual fees for all public boarding senior secondary schools at Ksh.53,554 effective January 2026. The directive abolishes the long standing school categories based on location, infrastructure and historical status.
According to the guidelines all institutions currently classified as national, extra county, county or sub county schools will be re registered as senior secondary schools and placed under one uniform administrative and financial framework. This comes after the conclusion of Kenya Junior Secondary Education Assessment (KJSEA) and outlines the transition structure to senior school under Competency Based Curriculum (CBC).
Learners who have already selected schools based on their preferred career paths will be placed in either public or private institutions operating as boarding, day or hybrid schools. All senior schools will charge a uniform boarding fee while day school learners will continue to access free tuition as per government policy.
The new fee structure will affect parents whose children were previously in county and sub county boarding schools which had lower annual charges. Harmonisation will streamline financing and ensure parity across public institutions.
The guidelines state that Grade 10 learners will take 7 subjects including core learning areas — English, Kiswahili and Mathematics (either core or essential depending on the learner’s pathway). A new component Community Service Learning will be introduced in the curriculum. The other 3 subjects will be aligned to the learner’s chosen pathway in STEM, Arts or Humanities.
Each learner will take 8 40 minute lessons per day totalling 40 lessons per week. Core subjects will be taught as single lessons while other subjects will have one double lesson per week.
The Ministry has also provided detailed safety and welfare measures for boarding institutions. School heads have been directed not to release unaccompanied learners after 9:00 a.m. and all boarding students must arrive no later than 5:00 p.m. on reporting days.Also all senior secondary schools will have to establish internal audit committees to monitor financial performance and ensure compliance with government financial policies. The committees will work with internal auditors to review accounts and promote transparency.
Read Also: KNUT Demands Payment of KNEC Contracted Teachers by January
The governance framework will also have Parents and Teachers Associations (PTAs) and Student Councils involved to enhance accountability and stakeholder engagement in schools.
The Ministry of Education said detailed placement guidelines for Grade 9 learners will be released after the completion and analysis of the national results from the just concluded KJSEA.
Government Abolishes School Categories, Standardises Senior School Fees at Ksh.53,554.
