By Malachi Motano

Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Education  Prof. George Magoha is asking school principals not to allow students who have fees arrears back to school as they report from their mid-term break.

According to the CS,  the Ministry is aware that majority of parents who are yet to clear school fees arrears for their children are indeed capable, but were only taking advantage of the current financial situation in the country to pretend otherwise.

The CS said exemptions should only be accorded to those students that the school principals know for sure that they come from poor families and those whose parents have lost their jobs during this Covid-19 period.

He was speaking at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) during the handing over ceremony of Agricultural Laboratory Building Annex to the University where he said school principals should first confirm the backgrounds of the students before they send them home to collect fees balances.

“Our population is very interesting because we know that well-off parents have failed to pay school fees for the third term, pretending that they are suffering during this pandemic period. Your children will not be allowed back to class if you will not have cleared school fees. However, if you come from needy families, the head-teachers will listen to your case,” he said.