Schools Resume For Third Term As Parents Decry Hard Economic Times
Schools resume Monday for Third Term and the last shortened academic year since the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak.
This follows parental outcry over the hefty school fees they had to pay in the previous two years to finish a three-year academic cycle.
This year, there were four 10-week sessions at schools. In between, there was a week of vacation.
Some parents had taken out loans to keep their children in school over the past two years.
Children are required to return to school with fees and academic supplies after a one-week holiday, which has been exceedingly difficult for parents.
Those whose children attend private primary schools and boarding secondary schools carried the heaviest load in terms of clearing tuition each term.
In accordance with the free primary and secondary education policy, the government reduced the tuition fee of those attending public primary and day secondary schools.
As for tuition costs for public secondary institutions, the government pays a set rate of Sh22,244. Parents are obligated to cover their children’s boarding costs.
Despite education cabinet secretary George Magoha’s warning to principals and head teachers not to send students home for fees, some institutions have disobeyed the instruction.
Principals have begun requesting the government through the Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (Kessha) to disburse capitation payments for the third term.
According to them, schools have operated on limited budgets and incurred enormous debts due to delayed fund distribution.
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The funds for free secondary education have not yet been disbursed and they anticipated them to be freed by Friday in preparation for tomorrow’s reopening.
Principals interviewed claim that has not happened yet. Officials from Kessha refused to comment on the topic, claiming the need to first interact with the new administration.
Schools Resume For Third Term As Parents Decry Hard Economic Times