Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu has instructed education officers in the field to ensure administrators of public primary and secondary schools stop imposing illegal levies on parents and guardians of learners.
Machogu said he had received complaints that headteachers of public primary and secondary schools were charging more fees than the schools were authorized to charge.
“There is no payment of any kind in JSS as the government had allocated Shs.15, 000 to cater for expenses for JSS,” the CS noted.
The Cabinet Secretary made the remarks when he held a virtual meeting with Regional Coordinators of Education, County Directors of Education, and Subcounty Directors of Education on wide-ranging issues on education from the Ministry of Education headquarters at Jogoo House yesterday.
Read More
Mr. Machogu stressed that school fees in secondary schools are capped at Shs. 53,554 for National Schools and Shs40, 535 for the other categories and warned head teachers against charging extra levies.
He further expressed concern that heads of Primary schools were charging Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) against the guidelines the government had issued.
Machogu has consequently asked field education officers to compile information on schools that are charging illegal fees and report to his office for necessary action.
He also said grade seven learners should continue using desks they used in grade six until the school provides for them under the capitation the government would send to schools.
Machogu also cautioned schools and parents against registering grade 7 learners to sit for KCPE. He said the government will not allow learners to sit for an exams whose curriculum is different from the Competence Based Curriculum.
He asked the officers to ensure no grade seven learner is registered for KCPE.
“No child should remain at home for whatever reason,” Machogu noted.
The CS also noted that county directors of education should comp their regions to identify genuine cases of children not able to pay school fees for the government to take it up.
“It is your responsibility to ensure that such pupils are in school in line with 100% transition policy as the government sorts out the school fees problem,” he stated.
