Parents are feeling the burden of indiscipline in schools as they are forced to dig deeper into their pockets to cater for new requirements imposed by learning institutions that faced unrest last year.  

For example, Maranda High School required students to undergo a drug and substance test before they could be readmitted after being sent home following unrest that saw the burning down of a dormitory.  Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha supported the decision.

Among the requirements for readmission was for parents to clear all fees arrears, including the cost of reconstructing the affected dormitory.

That parents had to look for a public hospital or other facility authorised by the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse to conduct tests meant more money spent, not to mention the time and effort that may have been used to do something else. 

The same applies to the requirement that parents accompany their children to school.

For Kakamega High School, students were required to have undergone four counselling sessions on drug abuse before they are eligible for readmission for the third term.

Each session costs an average of Sh3,000, costing parents an extra Sh12,000, an amount that may be too much for most parents who have other pressing obligations.

While there have been discussions about these requirements, one key element has been the role of parents in keeping up with the lives of their children. 

Questions about discipline and general well being of children, including how they relate with others and the type of friends they keep, are among issues under discussion. 

It is prudent for parents to raise the bar in parenting as the cost of indiscipline is becoming too high.

For example, once a student has had their indiscipline profile included in the justice system, they may never avoid the tag, as their indiscretion will be included in documents they require for further education or even their career.  

It is instructive that the Director of Criminal Investigations is already compiling a list of the culprits with those seeking the crucial certificate of good conduct being the first target. 

Additionally, the government has indicated it will no longer bear the cost of school damage occasioned by learners as this will fall entirely on parents.

A child expelled by one school will also not be able to transfer to another one, signaling the end of formal education for them and an unrecoverable cost to parents.