Govt Cracks Down on Unauthorized School Fees Imposed by Headteachers
The government has taken a strong stance against unauthorised levies imposed by school heads in public schools.
Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang has asked Regional, County and Sub-County Directors of Education to move quickly and investigate schools that are imposing illegal charges on parents.
The Education Ministry received complaints from parents, guardians and other stakeholders about these levies, which are in complete contravention of government policies and directives.
“Your attention is drawn to regulation 44 of the Basic Education Act, 2013, which states that, “No public school or institution shall issue alternative fees structure other than those approved by the Cabinet Secretary,” said PS Kipsang.
He directed the officials to ensure that no levies are charged on students for admission fees, the purchase of desks, buying textbooks or lunch money. The government has allocated a capitation grant of Ksh 15,000 per child to cover these expenses.
He has forwarded the names of various school heads who have defied the directive and they risk suspension or expulsion. The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has been directed to enforce disciplinary action against these headteachers.
Defending the government’s action, Kipsang explained that the government had allocated Ksh 15,000 per child in Junior Secondary Schools and Ksh 22,244 for boarding schools.
To facilitate the transition, Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu promised to push for the release of resources to ensure a smooth learning process.
He also directed parents to report incidents of students being turned away for not paying higher fees and other levies to the nearest education office for action.
Machogu challenged parents and guardians to take their obligations seriously by ensuring prompt payment of school fees in boarding schools.
The government has deployed education officials in a multi-agency operation to various public institutions to launch investigations immediately and gather evidence on how headteachers have defied government directives by imposing outlawed charges on parents.
The education bosses have been directed to take swift action to ensure that no public school is charging unauthorised levies imposed by head teachers within their jurisdiction.
Govt Cracks Down on Unauthorized School Fees Imposed by Headteachers
