By Andrew Walyaula
waliaulaandrew0@gmail.com
Parents in Kajiado County have decried the challenging economic times even as they bow to the pressure from the Ministry of Education to have students in school for four terms in a single year.
The parents claimed that the Covid-19 pandemic had altered their normal operations and made them dig deeper into their pockets and even use their savings.
‘I have two children in secondary schools and two in primary school. I no longer sleep because of having to look for ways of getting their school fees,’ said Gerald Andayi, a resident of Kitengela.
He revealed that since schools were reopened in January 2020 after the long Covid-19 break, he has never had peace of mind.
‘Am used to skipping meals so meals aren’t a problem. The monster is school fees. Our children were at home for only one week and they have to report back to school with their school fees. The short holidays also involved celebrations so where am I to get school fees?’ he posed.
He complained that the pandemic has drawn a big line between those who earn peanuts and those earning top dollars.
Andayi observed that last year, while some people were fighting to put food on table, others were importing second hand cars. Statistics revealed that the number of second hand cars imported astronomically increased.
Lilian Njoki, a single mother from Isinya, also has a child in secondary school. She decried the short time given to parents to look for school fees.
“I am not formally employed. I sell food at a road stand. On average, I make Shs 300 daily. How will I pay my bills if I don’t have ample time to prepare,’ Njoki said.
She added that she is unable to pay school fees at the moment yet she has received a message from her daughter’s school asking her to pay fees or else her daughter, who is in form four, will be sent back home.
She also lamented on the rise of prices of textbooks required at school.
Recently, Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) silently introduced a 4.97 percent increase on duty for excisable goods. This affects at least 31 products. The implementation occurred despite public protest.
On the other hand, Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha urged school principals not to send away students for fees and urged them to instead negotiate with parents on how to settle fee arrears.
He pointed out that many parents were affected by the pandemic.
“Do not send a Kenyan child home. If the parents come with Shs 4, 000 and the balance is Shs10, 000, take the Shs 4, 000 and agree with the parent on when the balance should be cleared,’ he said while presiding over the groundbreaking ceremony of three Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) classrooms at Barani Secondary School.
He added that the government will soon disburse tuition fees to all secondary schools.
