Is the government eating their own Children? Well, head teachers might be blamed, but are they the ones to be blamed? Secondary headteachers are demanding an increase in school fees, saying, the current charges are unrealistic.
The Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (Kessha) says the government is taking almost half of the Sh22,244 allocated for each student, leaving schools heavily indebted.
“We request the government to consider our proposal to ensure the schools are run efficiently,” says a document submitted to the Education ministry by the association’s chairman Kahi Indimuli.
According to the proposal, the government is retaining Sh4,196 for textbooks, Sh200 for a science and mathematics improvement programme, Sh270 for activity, Sh900 for medical insurance and Sh6,000 for infrastructure. This leaves the schools with only about Sh10,600 out of the Sh22,244. However the schools can use the Sh6,000 infrastructure vote if they seek and are granted approval by the ministry.
The principals say they are unable to run the schools efficiently when more than half of the Government capitation is not available for use.
They want the fees in national or extra county schools in urban areas raised by Sh15,848 to Sh91,646 up from Sh75,798. This means parents will have to pay Sh69,402 up from Sh53,554, while the Government allocation remains unchanged at Sh22,244 for all school categories.
At extra-county level in other parts of the country, the principals want the charges raised by Sh17,773 from Sh62,679 to Sh80,452. Parents currently pay Sh40,535. For county schools, heads want to charge Sh70,216 from 62,679. They want the Government to raise its capitation for day schools from Sh22,244 to Sh28,501 per student per year.
“The Ministry of Education has created the impression that it gives a grant of Sh22,244 per student while the actual remittance to schools in 2018 was Sh16,676. Now it has taken away Sh6,000 for infrastructure development. The remainder is totally inadequate to run schools on,” the Kessha document says.