- Thousands of learners have failed to report back to school as institutions enforce strict fee verification and zero-balance policies.
- Parents say the measures are denying children uninterrupted access to education while schools cite growing financial pressure.
- In this analysis, Hillary Muhalya examines the growing tension between school financing and learners’ right to education.
“The fee verification felt more like a police roadblock than a school reopening,” lamented a frustrated parent outside a secondary school.
“You queue for your child’s report form, then another queue for fee verification. Every receipt is scrutinised, balances are checked repeatedly and, if your account is not at zero, your child is turned away. It is humiliating. This is only Term Two, yet some schools are demanding that we clear the entire year’s fees before our children can be readmitted.”
The parent paused before adding:
“Half-term was like a trap. We thought our children were going home for a short break and would simply return to continue learning. Instead, the break has become an unexpected barrier. Had we known schools would insist on zero balances or even demand payment for the entire year’s fees, many of us would have prepared differently.”
Another parent questioned the fairness of the arrangement.
“Suppose my child stays at home for two weeks because I cannot raise the entire fee balance immediately. Will the school reimburse my child for the lessons missed? Will they compensate for the meals my child was supposed to receive during that period? Lost learning time can never be recovered, yet it is innocent children who bear the consequences.”
Parents decry zero-balance policy
That frustration is being echoed across Kenya as schools reopen for the second half of Term Two.
Thousands of learners have yet to report back to school, with many parents accusing institutions of locking out students until all outstanding fee balances are cleared.
The growing enforcement of the “zero-balance” policy has triggered widespread concern among families already struggling with the high cost of living.
For many households, what was expected to be a brief half-term break has turned into a financial crisis.
Parents say they are being subjected to rigorous fee verification exercises before their children are allowed back into school.
Some describe the process as intimidating, saying every payment receipt is scrutinised and balances checked repeatedly, leaving those with outstanding fees feeling embarrassed and helpless.
Many parents are particularly aggrieved because, despite being only in Term Two, some schools are reportedly demanding payment of the entire year’s fees before learners can resume classes.
They argue that such expectations are unrealistic at a time when many families are grappling with inflation, rising food prices, transport costs, rent, medical bills and other essential household expenses.
Several parents say they have always honoured their fee obligations by paying in instalments, a practice that schools have accommodated for years.
However, the current economic climate has made it increasingly difficult to raise large lump sums within a short period.
School administrators maintain that the financial pressure facing institutions has reached critical levels.
Many schools continue to grapple with delayed government capitation, escalating utility bills, increased prices of teaching and learning materials, infrastructure maintenance costs and wages for non-teaching staff.
According to school heads, operating institutions without sufficient funds has become increasingly difficult.
Suppliers are demanding payment, essential services cannot continue on credit indefinitely and schools are struggling to maintain the quality of education under the current funding arrangements.
These financial pressures have also informed recent proposals by school principals calling for a review of the current school fee structure, arguing that the existing financing model no longer reflects prevailing economic realities.
Learners bear the burden
The situation has left many learners stranded at home, uncertain about when they will return to school.
Parents fear prolonged absenteeism could negatively affect academic performance, particularly for candidates preparing for national examinations and learners in transition classes.
One learner who had been unable to report back because of unpaid school fees described the experience as emotionally draining.
“Being sent home is one of the main causes of learners dropping out of school, becoming frustrated and performing poorly,” the learner said.
“Every day away from school means missing lessons, assignments and examinations. By the time you return, your classmates are far ahead.”
The learner questioned the effectiveness of repeatedly sending students home over unpaid fees.
“Even if I was sent home 20 times, my parents still lack the ability to pay immediately. Sending me away again and again will not create money. It only keeps me out of class, destroys my confidence and makes me fall further behind. Some learners eventually lose hope and never return to school.”
Education stakeholders warn that prolonged interruptions to learning increase the risk of poor academic performance and school dropout, particularly among learners from vulnerable families.
Searching for a balanced solution
Parents insist they are not refusing to pay school fees.
Rather, they are appealing for flexibility and understanding.
Many believe schools should continue admitting learners while allowing families to clear outstanding balances through structured payment plans, as has been the long-standing practice.
Some parents have also questioned why learners should bear the consequences of financial challenges beyond their control.
They argue that education is a constitutional right and that no child should miss lessons simply because parents cannot immediately raise the full fee balance.
Education experts have also renewed calls for the Government to strengthen financing for public education through timely capitation and emergency support mechanisms for vulnerable families.
Parents’ associations are now urging the Ministry of Education to provide clear policy guidance discouraging blanket zero-balance policies while recognising the genuine financial challenges facing schools.
Education officials are expected to continue engaging stakeholders in search of a balanced solution that protects both the financial sustainability of schools and every learner’s right to uninterrupted education.
For now, however, thousands of desks remain empty as learners wait at home while their parents struggle to raise school fees.
Every day lost represents missed lessons, interrupted learning, growing anxiety and, for some learners, the risk of dropping out altogether.
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As Kenya continues pursuing equitable and inclusive education, many parents hope ongoing discussions will produce practical solutions built on dialogue, flexibility and mutual understanding rather than ultimatums.
By Hillary Muhalya
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