CS Machogu Warns Principals of School Fees Hike Despite Capitation Cut
Secondary school principals have been warned not to increase school fees due to capitation challenges.
This warning comes shortly after the State announced it would not be able to pay the Sh22,244 capitation per learner per year, maintaining the amount at Sh17,000 instead.
The government has instructed headteachers to adhere to the policies and guidelines issued by the Ministry of Education, particularly concerning school fees.
Education Cabinet Secretary Mr. Ezekiel Machogu emphasized the importance of compliance with these regulations regarding illegal levies.
Principals’ Concerns
Last week, headteachers expressed that they would need to increase school fees from the next term following the government’s statement on capitation fees.
They proposed raising fees from Sh53,000 to Sh69,000 for national schools due to inflation and the high cost of living.
According to Mr. Willy Kuria, National Chairman of the Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association, Sh53,000 in school fees was insufficient to run national schools.
He mentioned that the Ministry has their fee increment document proposal, highlighting the need to revisit the entire concept of school fees and capitation.
Capitation and Fees Regulation
Although schools are supposed to receive a capitation grant of Sh22,244 per learner per year, this year they received only half of that amount.
Mr. Machogu stated that the state had set the maximum fees that each school level could charge and prohibited the collection of illegal levies from learners and their parents.
He reiterated that circulars had been issued, capturing the legal position in Kenya.
The Education Cabinet Secretary also warned head teachers against withholding Kenya National Examination Council certificates due to non-payment of school fees.
He emphasized that these certificates should not be withheld for any reason, including non-payment of fees, urging strict enforcement of this policy and legal requirement.
Policy and Legal Framework
The CS assured stakeholders that his ministry was working on creating an enabling policy and legal environment for an efficient and effective education sector.
The government has finalized the draft Sessional Paper and 13 Bills aimed at implementing the recommendations of the Presidential Working Party on Education Reform.
These documents will be presented in Parliament before the end of this year, marking the most comprehensive review of the legal and policy framework of the education sector since independence.
Mr. Machogu urged principals to prepare this year’s KCSE candidates for the national examination.
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He acknowledged the principals’ role in ensuring the success of some of the reforms, including the new KCSE mean score computation method based on English or Kiswahili or Kenya Sign Language, Mathematics, and five other best-performing subjects.
He praised educationists for adapting candidates to the new marking system, which led to an improvement in KCSE performance last year, with the percentage of candidates meeting minimum university entry requirements increasing from 19% in 2022 to 22% in 2023.
CS Machogu Warns Principals of School Fees Hike Despite Capitation Cut
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