Govt Clarifies Privatization of Starehe Boys, Alliance & 26 Top National Schools
On Tuesday, January 31st, the Privatization Commission cleared up reports claiming that 29 national schools in Kenya had been slated for privatization.
This was in response to a statement that had been circulating and supposedly from the commission, listing the schools in question.
The schools listed included prestigious institutions such as Alliance High School, Starehe Boys Centre, Friend’s School Kamusinga, and Kagumo High School.
The commission, however, quickly denied the authenticity of the statement and the Ministry of Education also disowned the list, calling it fake.
Education experts also discredited the reports, saying they were unfounded and false.
According to education consultant Amos Kaburu, the process of privatization could only be initiated through parliament, as provided by law.
Another educationist, Jonathan Weseya, concurred with Kaburu’s position. The education sector should be treated with sensitivity, warned Kaburu.
Privatizing high schools, which are not profit-oriented, would defeat the purpose of privatization, he argued.
Most of the public schools were sponsored by religious groups or individuals, who were still the rightful owners of the premises, and that would be an obstacle for any law proposing privatization, said the analyst.
The developments come after Trade and Industry Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria announced that the state was considering privatizing some institutions in the education sector.
According to the CS, privatization would improve the quality of education and alleviate the financial constraints faced by government institutions.
To make the privatization plan a reality, Treasury CS Prof Njuguna Ndungu introduced a proposed bill to fast-track the privatization process.
The government stated that the move would target struggling government corporations and institutions of higher education.
Govt Clarifies Privatization of Starehe Boys, Alliance & 26 Top National Schools