Govt Asks School Heads Not to Send Students Home for Fees
Victoria Angwenyi, Education Ministry Director of Schools Audit Services, has instructed high school principals not to send home student with fee arrears.
She instructed school heads to advise parents on boarder and day scholar alternatives to assess their financial capacity to prevent disrupting their children’s education.
Angwenyi told the 46th Annual National Conference of Principals and Exhibition at a Mombasa hotel that parents must pay fees to complement government capitation for schools to run successfully.
He said that the Ministry of Education was paying Sh22,244 for public secondary school boarders and Sh57,974 for special needs kids.
Capitation pays for teachers, textbooks, and learning supplies, while parents pay for boarding and meals.
Angwenyi remarked that sending pupils home due to delayed capitation is unnecessary because all tuition components are available at schools.
“The main challenge teachers experience is when there is a delay in paying school fees by the parents to feed the students,” Angwenyi said.
Angwenyi said the government is trying to keep school fees affordable for parents. She added that boarding institutions pay Sh45,000 and National institutions pay Sh53,000.
“The Budget was read and approved the other day, so if we give false promises of increasing the capitation, where will the ministry get the funding from,” she replied when asked if the government planned to increase capitation.
Gilbert Wamalwa, the principal of AIC Kibomet, said the capitation delay this year has substantially harmed student welfare and school operations.
Wamalwa said some schools have been sued for delayed payments to suppliers who don’t comprehend the country’s financial problems.
Wamalwa said principals ought to advise parents about capitation to avoid miscommunication and negligence.
Principal Tom Shavisa of Senende Boys in Vihiga County stressed the necessity of NHIF enrollment.
Public high school students receive health coverage from the government and NHIF through Edu Afya.
NHIF covers everything, including travel, while Edu Afya covers dental, optical, inpatient, and outpatient care.
“In the event of the demise of a student, the immediate family receives a sum total of Sh500,000, which helps the family with burial arrangements,” Shavisa said.
This has been an ongoing project in our schools, and many students have benefited from the Edu Afya Health Cover.
Govt Asks School Heads Not to Send Students Home for Fees