By Our Reporter
Education Cabinet Secretary (CS) 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 head teachers of public primary and secondary schools were charging more fees than the schools were authorized to charge.
The Cabinet Secretary made the remarks when he held a virtual meeting with Regional Coordinators of Education, County Directors of Education and Sub County Directors of Education on wide-ranging issues on education from the Ministry of Education headquarters at Jogoo House yesterday.
Mr. Machogu stressed that school fees in secondary schools is capped at Ksh 53,554 for national secondary schools and Ksh 40,535 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.
“There is no payment of any kind in JSS as the government had allocated Ksh15,000 to cater for expenses,” the CS noted.
Machogu has consequently asked field education officers to compile information on schools which were charging illegal fees and report to his office for necessary action.
He also said Grade 7 learners should continue using desks they used in grade six until the school provides for them under the capitation the government will 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 exam whose curriculum is different from the Competency Based Curriculum.
The Cabinet Secretary asked the field officers to work with the National Government Administration Officers (NGAO) to ensure that all children who sat for Grade 6 and those who sat for KCPE transit to Junior Secondary School (JSS) and Form 1 respectively, under the 100% transition policy.
In attendance were senior staff at Jogoo House, eight Regional Coordinators of Education, 47 County Directors of Education and over 300 Sub County Directors of Education.
In attendance was Principal Secretary for State Department for Basic Education Dr. Belio Kipsang, Director General Dr. Elyas Abdi, Chief Executive Officer of National Council for Nomadic Education in Kenya (NACONEK) Dr. Harun Yussuf, senior staff at Jogoo House, eight Regional Coordinators of Education, 47 County Directors of Education and over 300 Sub County Directors of Education
